We totally forgot about his eight month birthday.
We only remembered when neighbor M texted about it.
At first, New Mom didn't know who sent her that text. Guess that's how close we are with our neighbors - they aren't even programmed into our phones...
Also though, celebrating birthday's by months is a little tough.
So, we may forget his nine month birthday as well...
But we won't forget that 1 year b-day! I promise, son! :)
Oh, milestones.
Hmm... Almost does the sign for "more," which is banging his hands together, so he might just be trying to clap.
Friday, September 26, 2014
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
How to Sleep Train a 6-month-old Baby
In my hastily written 7 Month Milestones post I forgot our baby's largest milestone: He now goes to sleep within 10 minutes of putting him down.
I'm aware that by writing the above, I may be jinxing myself to a kid who never sleeps again...and yet, by writing this disclaimer, and by noting that I'm not writing this to brag about our situation, but to benefit others, that the jinxing gods will have mercy on us. HAVE MERCY ON US!!! (You can't be too superstitious when it comes to the baby sleeping. Seriously.)
So, how did we do it?
How do you sleep train your baby when they're six months old?
Well, here's how we did it. I believe it's call the Ferber method, but basically it was the first method we read about int Baby 411. That's a book. Look it up if you like. Or keep reading, because in the end, it doesn't matter what the method is called, it freaking works. Here's what we did:
1. Establish a bedtime routine.
We did this early on - around 4 months - by giving him a bath around the same time, then reading and winding down. And yet, we still ended up holding him and bouncing on the fitness ball for at least an hour while he slowly cried less and less.
So every night, even while we had established a routine, it took us over an hour to put him to bed.
2. Put him in the crib, say goodnight, and walk away.
It ain't easy, but it must be done.
3. Let him cry/scream for 5 minutes before checking on him.
4. Check on him, but very calmly, very lightly. Then leave quickly.
5. Listen to him scream for 10 minutes, then check on him again.
6. Repeat step 5 until the baby falls asleep.
They say it can take up to 2-3 hours the first night. We got LUCKY and he only wailed for 40 minutes.
And ever since that first night, we put him down for naps or bedtime, and he screams/cries for only about 5-10 minutes, then falls asleep on his own.
The TOUGHEST part, of course, is listening to the baby scream after you check on him. I mean, he freaking GOES CRAZY, so I recommend either ear plugs, or, if you have a large house, DISTANCE yourself from the nursery.
But set a stop watch. I used my wrist watch so I could see how long he had cried.
Of course, this may not work for everyone, blah blah blah, disclaimer, dischlaimer..,
But, it worked for us.
If you have NOT tried any sleep training, and your kid is at least 5 months old, I highly recommend this method.
As always, good luck, parents. Sleep training is joke, and I pray to the Jinxing gods (see, I haven't forgotten about you!) that you're successful.
-ND
I'm aware that by writing the above, I may be jinxing myself to a kid who never sleeps again...and yet, by writing this disclaimer, and by noting that I'm not writing this to brag about our situation, but to benefit others, that the jinxing gods will have mercy on us. HAVE MERCY ON US!!! (You can't be too superstitious when it comes to the baby sleeping. Seriously.)
So, how did we do it?
How do you sleep train your baby when they're six months old?
Well, here's how we did it. I believe it's call the Ferber method, but basically it was the first method we read about int Baby 411. That's a book. Look it up if you like. Or keep reading, because in the end, it doesn't matter what the method is called, it freaking works. Here's what we did:
1. Establish a bedtime routine.
We did this early on - around 4 months - by giving him a bath around the same time, then reading and winding down. And yet, we still ended up holding him and bouncing on the fitness ball for at least an hour while he slowly cried less and less.
So every night, even while we had established a routine, it took us over an hour to put him to bed.
2. Put him in the crib, say goodnight, and walk away.
It ain't easy, but it must be done.
3. Let him cry/scream for 5 minutes before checking on him.
4. Check on him, but very calmly, very lightly. Then leave quickly.
5. Listen to him scream for 10 minutes, then check on him again.
6. Repeat step 5 until the baby falls asleep.
They say it can take up to 2-3 hours the first night. We got LUCKY and he only wailed for 40 minutes.
And ever since that first night, we put him down for naps or bedtime, and he screams/cries for only about 5-10 minutes, then falls asleep on his own.
The TOUGHEST part, of course, is listening to the baby scream after you check on him. I mean, he freaking GOES CRAZY, so I recommend either ear plugs, or, if you have a large house, DISTANCE yourself from the nursery.
But set a stop watch. I used my wrist watch so I could see how long he had cried.
Of course, this may not work for everyone, blah blah blah, disclaimer, dischlaimer..,
But, it worked for us.
If you have NOT tried any sleep training, and your kid is at least 5 months old, I highly recommend this method.
As always, good luck, parents. Sleep training is joke, and I pray to the Jinxing gods (see, I haven't forgotten about you!) that you're successful.
-ND
Friday, September 12, 2014
7 Month Milestones
Happy birthday, baby boy. You're seven months old! (It is currently late August)
Right now, you're celebrating it by screaming your head off in the other room with New Mom.
Okay, now New Mom is back, and you're still crying.
Okay, now he started again...and I'm going to have to continue this post later...
CUT TO: The Second Week of September
Alright, I've come to realize the "milestones" are more like gradual changes, or maybe we just stopped keeping track of every little teeny tiny thing he does (Another tooth? How many is that? - Really, how many is that?)?
He's now eating some very ground up and shredded meat, his poos smell really bad, and he seems to have caught on that when you put him down to sleep, crying doesn't help, so he might as well just go to sleep...after screaming for a few minutes. (He HATES sleeping.)
Yay, we're all caught up!
Of course, the point of this thing is to keep track, so I'll try to write milestones as they come. Right now we're on the lookout for "crawl" and "first word" and "walk" (why not?). Also, holding his own bottle while he feeds would be nice... (Right now he just leans back with a "feed me, peasant!" look on his baby-king face...) Those things will come, I'm guessing...
Here's a few things that may change:
Current Favorites, or at least, things his parents push on him and he seems to like
Books:
Goodnight Moon
Goodnight Gorilla
There's a Wocket in My Pocket! (Board Book version,*)
Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?
Books he's tired of:
The Going to Bed Book (Sorry Sandra (Boynton)!)
Music:
CCR - Greatest Hits, Volume I
Bob Marley - Legend
Lullabies...or something like that, I'm not going to go check the CD for the "official" name
Music he's tired of:
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Greatest Hits
(or at least New Mom is tired of that CD, because it is GONE)
Movies/TV:
None yet...he's only 7 months! You're not supposed to allow him to watch screens until he's 2! Bad parents would argue differently, but hey, that's why they're bad parents... (Kidding, I'm sure we'll put him in front of a screen within six months...or the next time he screams.)
Toys:
Green Shark
Mr. Sassy
Magazines, newspaper, anything that crunches and he can RIP UP
Leaves and trees - that he can RIP UP
Hates:
Clothes changes
Diaper change
And...that's all the minutiea that I can conjure up at 10pm on a Friday night. Wow, what a Friday night! Woo woo!
Oh shit, there's still dishes to do.
Yay, Friday.
-ND
* We recently discovered the board book is freaking DIFFERENT that the regular version: ie: There is NO verse that actually has a "wocket" - in a pocket, or anywhere else! What the ef, Dr. Seuss! I'm beginning to doubt your medical credentials!**
** First time anyone has made a joke questioning the "Dr." in Dr. Seuss's name...
Right now, you're celebrating it by screaming your head off in the other room with New Mom.
Okay, now New Mom is back, and you're still crying.
Okay, now he started again...and I'm going to have to continue this post later...
CUT TO: The Second Week of September
Alright, I've come to realize the "milestones" are more like gradual changes, or maybe we just stopped keeping track of every little teeny tiny thing he does (Another tooth? How many is that? - Really, how many is that?)?
He's now eating some very ground up and shredded meat, his poos smell really bad, and he seems to have caught on that when you put him down to sleep, crying doesn't help, so he might as well just go to sleep...after screaming for a few minutes. (He HATES sleeping.)
Yay, we're all caught up!
Of course, the point of this thing is to keep track, so I'll try to write milestones as they come. Right now we're on the lookout for "crawl" and "first word" and "walk" (why not?). Also, holding his own bottle while he feeds would be nice... (Right now he just leans back with a "feed me, peasant!" look on his baby-king face...) Those things will come, I'm guessing...
Here's a few things that may change:
Current Favorites, or at least, things his parents push on him and he seems to like
Books:
Goodnight Moon
Goodnight Gorilla
There's a Wocket in My Pocket! (Board Book version,*)
Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?
Books he's tired of:
The Going to Bed Book (Sorry Sandra (Boynton)!)
Music:
CCR - Greatest Hits, Volume I
Bob Marley - Legend
Lullabies...or something like that, I'm not going to go check the CD for the "official" name
Music he's tired of:
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Greatest Hits
(or at least New Mom is tired of that CD, because it is GONE)
Movies/TV:
None yet...he's only 7 months! You're not supposed to allow him to watch screens until he's 2! Bad parents would argue differently, but hey, that's why they're bad parents... (Kidding, I'm sure we'll put him in front of a screen within six months...or the next time he screams.)
Toys:
Green Shark
Mr. Sassy
Magazines, newspaper, anything that crunches and he can RIP UP
Leaves and trees - that he can RIP UP
Hates:
Clothes changes
Diaper change
And...that's all the minutiea that I can conjure up at 10pm on a Friday night. Wow, what a Friday night! Woo woo!
Oh shit, there's still dishes to do.
Yay, Friday.
-ND
* We recently discovered the board book is freaking DIFFERENT that the regular version: ie: There is NO verse that actually has a "wocket" - in a pocket, or anywhere else! What the ef, Dr. Seuss! I'm beginning to doubt your medical credentials!**
** First time anyone has made a joke questioning the "Dr." in Dr. Seuss's name...
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