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...
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Five Skills Parents Have That Non-Parents Don't Have
Thought I've only been a father for six months, I'm beginning to realize that parenthood is not just about raising a kid, it's about acquiring new skills.
...
And so, if you needed another reason to have a baby, you now have five.
----
* Yes, that. And that. And even, that.
In other words, parents are walking around with skills that non-parents don't even know exist.
1. We Can Do Everything Faster
Everything.* Seriously.
2. We Can Do Everything Quieter
We move fast (see #1) but also, silently...so we don't wake the baby. In other words, you become part ninja when you become a parent.
3. We Can Function on Less Sleep
We move fast (see #1) but also, silently...so we don't wake the baby. In other words, you become part ninja when you become a parent.
3. We Can Function on Less Sleep
I mean, a tiny amount of sleep. It's even LESS for New Moms. In fact, I don't have anything to complain about, and non-parents have less then nothing to complain about when it comes to sleep deprivation. LESS THAN NOTHING!!1!
4. We Can Drink You Under the Table Any Day of the Week
I mean, Monday thru Friday, beginning around 6pm - the moment that baby goes to sleep. Sometimes a little before.
5. We Get Important Things Done
Procrastination is for chumps and/or people without a kid.
When ten minutes frees up - holy shit, I have ten free minutes? - we get things done. Unless we want to catch up on some extra sleep.
When ten minutes frees up - holy shit, I have ten free minutes? - we get things done. Unless we want to catch up on some extra sleep.
...
And so, if you needed another reason to have a baby, you now have five.
Have a kid. Gain more skills.
Seriously.
Seriously.
-ND
----
* Yes, that. And that. And even, that.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
6 Month Birthday - Milestones
Happy six-month birthday to our boy!
Yes, that's not a real birthday. But these six months sure feel like a real year!
To celebrate, at 6pm, New Mom, baby boy, and New Dad had a small scoop of ice cream, and sang "Happy Birthday." New Mom and New Dad then ate the ice cream. Baby had a couple of small, small tastes. So small, he didn't recognize what a glorious thing he was missing out on. Sorry, boy!
Some milestones that I remember from this past month:
1. Eating solid food daily... Guess he's already eating solid food, so maybe that's not a real milestone..
2. TWO teeth - the bottom front two. They say those are usually the first two that come in. "They" appear to be right in this case.
3. Sits upright! Sort of. When he's in his soft chair, or when you prop him up.
4. Flips over on both sides. But mostly the left. Boy, does he love rolling to his left.
5. Makes more talking-like sounds.
6. First trip to the library.
7. Cries out of disappointment and anger. New Mom reminded that he used to just cry when something was wrong. Now, he cries when being put down, when a toy is taken away, or just when he's generally disappointed with the state of the world (my theory).
8. Diapers, size 3. Just now transitioning...
All in all, no dramatic milestones this month, but now that we have a 6-month old, he's definitely come a long way from being a newborn.
Except in sleeping, where he's better than he first was, but not as good as he's been.
Yes, that sounds like a Paul Simon song. That was intentional.
-ND
Yes, that's not a real birthday. But these six months sure feel like a real year!
To celebrate, at 6pm, New Mom, baby boy, and New Dad had a small scoop of ice cream, and sang "Happy Birthday." New Mom and New Dad then ate the ice cream. Baby had a couple of small, small tastes. So small, he didn't recognize what a glorious thing he was missing out on. Sorry, boy!
Some milestones that I remember from this past month:
1. Eating solid food daily... Guess he's already eating solid food, so maybe that's not a real milestone..
2. TWO teeth - the bottom front two. They say those are usually the first two that come in. "They" appear to be right in this case.
3. Sits upright! Sort of. When he's in his soft chair, or when you prop him up.
4. Flips over on both sides. But mostly the left. Boy, does he love rolling to his left.
5. Makes more talking-like sounds.
6. First trip to the library.
7. Cries out of disappointment and anger. New Mom reminded that he used to just cry when something was wrong. Now, he cries when being put down, when a toy is taken away, or just when he's generally disappointed with the state of the world (my theory).
8. Diapers, size 3. Just now transitioning...
All in all, no dramatic milestones this month, but now that we have a 6-month old, he's definitely come a long way from being a newborn.
Except in sleeping, where he's better than he first was, but not as good as he's been.
Yes, that sounds like a Paul Simon song. That was intentional.
-ND
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Milestone - First Tooth
Today the baby got his first tooth. I heard about it from New Mom who sent me a text at work.
But before I go into that, New Mom just walked by. I motioned for her to come over, which she reluctantly did. I asked her what it was like to discover our son's first tooth.
"You want me to tell you what the text was? The text isn't on your phone?" She asked, reading this post instead of answering my question.
"I'll add that later. I just wanted to know what was it like to find our son's first tooth."
"That's why you called me over here? What was it like? Surprising? I don't know. I have to go to the bathroom. Geez."
Only then did I notice the newspaper under her arm, and remember her direction of travel before I stopped her had been toward the bathroom. She returned to her original course.
Here's the part where I add the historic text message exchange marking the appearance of our son's first tooth.
New Mom: Omg, our son is getting a tooth! Bottom front.
ND: no way
ND: Tonight we feeds him steaks.
ND: On a serious note, do you want to get Chipotle for dinner tonight?
New Mom: And yogurtland!!!
ND: :)
New Mom: That emoticon came across as a square.
ND: :(
-ND
But before I go into that, New Mom just walked by. I motioned for her to come over, which she reluctantly did. I asked her what it was like to discover our son's first tooth.
"You want me to tell you what the text was? The text isn't on your phone?" She asked, reading this post instead of answering my question.
"I'll add that later. I just wanted to know what was it like to find our son's first tooth."
"That's why you called me over here? What was it like? Surprising? I don't know. I have to go to the bathroom. Geez."
Only then did I notice the newspaper under her arm, and remember her direction of travel before I stopped her had been toward the bathroom. She returned to her original course.
Here's the part where I add the historic text message exchange marking the appearance of our son's first tooth.
New Mom: Omg, our son is getting a tooth! Bottom front.
ND: no way
ND: Tonight we feeds him steaks.
ND: On a serious note, do you want to get Chipotle for dinner tonight?
New Mom: And yogurtland!!!
ND: :)
New Mom: That emoticon came across as a square.
ND: :(
-ND
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Five Month Milestones
Yay, the baby turned 5 months today! (Actually, it's three days later, and I'm back-dating this...because, well, no time!
So, 5 months today! Woo! We're in the clear - he sleeps through the night, never cries, and his poops smell like angel...food cake...
OK, not exactly.
But there are a few developments.
1. Flips over - as noted in a previous post.
2. Sleeps in his crib now - in his own room. This is a big step from the pack-in-play (or is it Pack'N'Play?) right by the bed.
Although, as I write this it's 8pm and he's wailing in his crib because he can't fall asleep. There goes New Mom to calm him down...because Daddy is staring at the computer screen with an intense look on his face as if he's engaged in some serious business.
Oh, she's back! It was quick! Thank god. That's another milestone...
3. Puts himself to sleep. You can lay him down and he'll wiggle around in the crib, and as long has he doesn't flip over on his stomach and panic because he can't flip back, well, sometimes he'll fall asleep!
And other times, he just wails.
-ND
So, 5 months today! Woo! We're in the clear - he sleeps through the night, never cries, and his poops smell like angel...food cake...
OK, not exactly.
But there are a few developments.
1. Flips over - as noted in a previous post.
2. Sleeps in his crib now - in his own room. This is a big step from the pack-in-play (or is it Pack'N'Play?) right by the bed.
Although, as I write this it's 8pm and he's wailing in his crib because he can't fall asleep. There goes New Mom to calm him down...because Daddy is staring at the computer screen with an intense look on his face as if he's engaged in some serious business.
Oh, she's back! It was quick! Thank god. That's another milestone...
3. Puts himself to sleep. You can lay him down and he'll wiggle around in the crib, and as long has he doesn't flip over on his stomach and panic because he can't flip back, well, sometimes he'll fall asleep!
And other times, he just wails.
-ND
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