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wildflowerwendy
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Name: wendy
Birthday: 9/27/1980
Gender: Female
Interests: being loved by Jesus, enjoying my husband Wes and little baby Caleb, daydreaming with my husband about our future hopes/dreams, second hand clothes shopping, Goodwill coffee mugs, baking (inc. homemade bread), cooking, canning (fruit jams, tomatoes, etc.), it's my artform!! oh and trying to sew sometimes too. would love to take a sewing class!
Expertise: probably baking
Occupation: missionary
Message: message meEmail: email me
Member Since:
6/20/2006
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| Okay since two of the three of you who read this site asked, I shall expound.
The name of the book is "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby."
Caleb has always been a good sleeper too. I would just lay him down and he'd go to sleep on his own and take long naps. I always put him to bed at 9, it's always been his bedtime. It just made sense to me since we're often out in the evenings. All was well until a month or two ago when he suddenly started needing less sleep, or so it seemed. I couldn't get him to stay in bed for his naps so I'd just close his door (which he can't open) and he'd play until he crashed, usually a couple hours. Then at night he'd do the same thing and be up til 11 or later. I thought he must be needing less sleep and giving up his nap, not something I was happy about. So I was telling Emily about it and she offered me the book which she said has worked for her with her two kids. So you can read it yourselves if you want but what I learned that really helped me is that kids need a lot more sleep than I thought they did and that Caleb was really just fighting sleep cause he would rather play. Makes perfect sense and I can't believe I didn't figure that out on my own but... sometimes we just miss the obvious! I also realize, looking back, that his trouble going to sleep happened at just about the same time that he gave up his paci. He used to look forward to going to bed with his paci and blankie cause that was the only time he got to have them and I guess that helped him to wind down and give in to sleep. Funny I didn't realize that either, that that was the problem. So we had to start making Caleb stay in bed. The book doesn't recommend spanking but we had to start doing that when he gets out of bed. I've only had to do it two or three times in several weeks because it works so well. And when he stays in bed with no toys, guess what? He goes to sleep! He gets a prize when he wakes up if he obeys the sleep rules (stay in bed, close eyes, be quiet, and go to sleep). It's a lifesaver. I mean literally, he gets a lifesaver as a prize. And I put him to bed earlier now, like at 8:30 rather than 10 ish. Huge difference. And he doesn't wake up earlier. Sleep begets sleep according to the book!
So I thought everything was fine with Lucy but I now put her to bed a lot earlier also and she's much happier. It's a great book to read if you're about to have a baby cause it helps you to understand when your newborn needs sleep and when to start giving them naps based on the clock (at about 4 or 5 months). I wish I'd had it when Caleb was a baby!! I'm shooting for getting bedtime done for both kids by 8 each night so that wes and I have that downtime in the evenings.
About the paci, we were at my grandparents' house and I couldn't find it one night at bedtime so instead of tearing up the house to find it or waking up Grandma and Grandpa to find out where they'd put it, I just decided to give it a try and told Caleb we were going to say "Bye bye paci." And it worked! I expected crying for a week but he just went with it and we made a big deal out of what a big boy he was. I was so relieved!! I did kinda want him to give it up before Lucy was born so it wouldn't be a problem that she had one and he wasn't allowed to.. but she doesn't use one anyway so it wasn't really an issue.
Now if only someone could give me such good advice about potty training! I decided that yesterday I would just stop putting diapers on him. (Except for when he's sleeping or we're out.) So we went through six pairs of "underpants" by lunch time but I do think it might work!
Well you may be bored out of your mind now but this is really the only journal I have of my kids for now so I guess I'll keep it up! | | |
| Hello xanga friends!!
We moved into our house... well... a long time ago now. It's been a whirlwind since then. I just can't make time for blogging!! A whole house and two kids to take care of by myself!! I love it though. I may sign up for facebook since it seems that's where everyone is these days. Not that I would be on much but I'd love to get in touch with some people I haven't been in touch with much. Right now I'm on hold waiting to find out if Sears has a chocolate brown tie for Caleb. I've called about every children's store and department store in the city. Any body happen to have one we could borrow this Saturday??
Well anyway, I'll talk to you later!! | | |
| Caleb knows what tails are. He always points them out on our stuffed puppy and teddy bear and pictures of animals in books. Well today when I was changing his diaper, he pointed to his "you know what" and said, "tail!" It was SO funny. But I controlled my laughter and just said with a smile, "That's not a tail, it's your penis." Ha ha ha, I've been laughing about it all day. Anyway, it's not like I've never told him what it is, maybe just not often enough!! | | |
| Tonight my dad and I were showing Caleb lighting bugs out the window and telling him what they were, that they're called "lightning bugs." A few minutes later Wes came in and Caleb wanted to show him and he pointed out the window and said, "thunder bugs." It was so cute!! He did it again later too. He's so sweet. He's had some meltdowns but I guess that's pretty to be expected. Things have changed so much. We were such buddies for a while there and now there's someone else I always have to take care of first. Thankfully though I'm able to get special time in with Caleb too and I think everything's going to be fine. We read books together a lot, especially library books. Right now his favorites are "The Little Engine That Could" but it's a new version, with new pictures and very cool, and "the moose book," which is really called "The Caboose that Got Loose" but he calls the caboose a moose. ha ha!
He's done some really sweet things like share his blankie with Lucy. He's done it a few times and even tried to get her to take it in her hand and hold it the way he likes to. He always kinda rubs it between two fingers and has since he first started getting attached to it a little while before we moved from Ukraine. Caleb often paused between words a little bit like he's remembering how to say the next word. We need to make more videos so we can remember those so sweet little things that are so precious to me now. He says "more" instead of "another" so one time he wanted share his blankie with Lucy who already had one on her but he said "more... blankie," and put his on her. I figured it was worth it even if she was hot!
I think she's smiling already. I saw it for the first time yesterday. You know, not the dopey gassy smile, but one that's truly engaging and responding to you. Then mom and Jeff both saw her do it today and I did again. I don't remember when they're supposed to but I think she is!
She's still staying up late but has had a couple nights where she fell asleep before 10. It's just after 11 now and she's sleeping in the swing. She looked wide awake but we put her in there and she fell asleep so maybe that's the trick! We'll see if she stays asleep.
Again, sorry for all the details but this is the easiest way for me to keep a record of this stuff. I did buy a baby book. Hopefully I can keep up with it too!!
Oh yeah, I remembered something else sweet. Mom told me about this. She was working in the flower garden with Caleb and I guess he usually calls the flowers by what size they are, "Baby flower, daddy flower, mommy flower." Well the other day he was naming the different flowers that way and he got to some flox that were especially delicate and pink and he said, "Lucy flower." Isn't that precious? Mom was teary eyed telling me about it.
Lucy is getting prettier every day and spending more time awake and content. That's much nicer than awake and not content.
Well I better go for now. I'll remember more later that I wanted to write so I'll never forget! | | |
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