Guilty Sleep

Help! My child is being Ferberized! The cry for help is for me because this is a painful process. I'm sure this is just the first of many painful processes I will go through as a parent!

Alli has been sharing our bed with us since she was about 6 weeks old. We didn't plan it that way and never thought of ourselves to be the "co-sleeping type" of parents, but it just happened and morphed into a really pleasant sleeping situation for all. It is so convenient for nursing and most importantly, we all SLEEP soundly.

Then at Alli's 6 month well child check, our pediatrician got wind of our convenient little arrangement (yes, I spilled the beans) and the guilt trip began. "The AAP (Amer. Acad. of Peds) recommends blah blah blah..." So, being the ......whatever I am, I did some research to find any support for our cozy sleeping situation. I found Dr. Sears and his promotion of co-sleeping. My inner critic was satisfied enough and we kept on sleeping well.

Well, now I keep coming across these women who have stories of kids that they can't get out of their bed! They are toddlers hogging all the bed and blankets, kicking and sleeping sideways and no one sleeps well! That is not the situation I want. Now my inner critic is fired up again and guilt is plaguing me. So before Alli is big enough to put up a fight that I am not strong enough to fight, I am going to try to get her in her own bed.

Alli cried herself to sleep (within 10 minutes of being put down in her own crib) a few nights last week. Not too painful for me. Then she got sick, puking and pooping all over, so it was back in bed with us. Wait a minute, now that doesn't sound right! She wasn't actually pooping all over us in bed, but yes she did puke on each of us. The point being she needed us to be near, so she slept with us. Now she is well again, so we're trying out the crib again. Tonight I laid her down, told her good night and she started screaming at the top of her lungs like I was cutting out her liver. Luckily that quickly faded into a "I'm unhappy, but not dying" cry and she was asleep in 10 minutes. Hopefully this bedtime process will become no big deal in the very near future.

I know every child is different, but am gladly accepting any and all advice on the topic.

Swimming and Podcasts

Our new favorite sunday afternoon activity is swimming at the YMCA. This time I drug Dan along. Alli likes the water. She kicks her feet around and likes watching all the other kids. She's not a big fan of getting splashed, but who is.

I recently upgraded my old Ipod shuffle for a new shiny full size Ipod with video. I was going to just get another shuffle or maybe the nano, but went all out. My deciding factor was Alli. We are going to be doing a lot of flying in the near future to visit Dan while he is out on rotations. Alli is completely mesmerized by her Baby Einstein videos, so I figured I might be able to keep her somewhat entertained, if only for a little while, on the plane by watching movies on the Ipod. I'm probably completely misguided in my intentions, but in the meanwhile, I am loving this thing. I have recently discoved podcasts. What a concept! There is a whole world of podcasts out there. Kind of like blogging. Anyway, one of my favorites is Manic Mommies. They are two women in Boston with kids, husbands, careers, homes and lives trying to stay on top of it all. I can totally relate. I just download it and listen in the car on the way to work or while pumping. Very entertaining.

Kid Logic

I recently listened to a great collection of stories titled Kid Logic on This American Life on NPR. One can listen or download from this site: http://www.thislife.org/ Hilarious and thought provoking.

snowy days

This was the result of one of the storms that blew through here in the past couple of weeks. It was freezing rain that coated everything then snow to top it all off. It was really pretty (except for the roads), especially when the sun came out and made all the icy tree branches sparkle.

No birds at the feeder on this day!





Is this the Gerber baby taking a bath? Yes she is still bathing in the kitchen sink1 We recently went swimming for the first time at the YMCA. She loved it. I think she will probably enjoy "swmming" in the big tub for her baths, but I'm not sure my back and knees will enjoy it. I guess we'll stick with the sink until she enters a splashing stage.





Alli is in heaven surrounded by all her toys. She is really into picking up things and putting them in something like a bucket or basket. She also likes to pick all her toys up one by one and move it from one pile to another pile.