A Call to Fellow Mamas

I'm writing to ask all my favorite mamas out there to give me your thoughts on sleep disturbances and sleep issues in babies. Bodhi has always been a less-than-ideal sleeper in the sense that he wakes a lot at night. Now, I know that this is absolutely normal in babies and evolutionarily speaking, it was necessary for survival. I'm ok with that. What I am struggling with is that for the past couple of months, not only is Bodhi waking 2-4 times in a 5 hour period, oftentimes he has a terrible time falling back asleep. When this happens (as it did last night), he wakes up and then fights sleeping to the point of being awake and crying/fussing for hours on end. I can nurse, I can let him watch a video, I can take him on a walk, I can rock him in a chair, I can swing him side to side in a dark room, I can carry him around the house in a carrier etc. And nothing works.

This is what a normal good night is like:

9:00pm Bodhi goes to sleep easily after a bath with Mia
1:30am He wakes up, we nurse and I sway/rock him back to sleep
3:30am He wakes up, we nurse and I sway/rock him back to sleep
5:30am Same as above

This is what the bad nights are like:
9:00pm Bodhi goes to sleep easily
12:00am or 1:00am He wakes up, we nurse and then he fights sleep like crazy and will not go to sleep (in his bed, in my bed, laying on me on the couch, swinging in his swing, etc) and I end up trying to soothe Mr. Fussy Pants using all the techniques above to no avail until somehow he passes out at 4:30am as he is sweating in the carrier while we are laying on the couch with Baby Einstein playing on the TV in repeat mode ina futile effort to get him to sleep.

I know that many people are ok with "crying it out" and I sincerely believe that every parent has to make the decision that is right for them and their child. I personally don't think it's the solution for Bodhi (having tried it a few times with disastrous results) so I am kindly asking for gentler suggestions if you have any. Some friends have suggested a chiropracter and I am curious about this - have any of you used one for your babies?

Thanks for reading and much thanks for any and all suggestions you might have!

Sick Sucks, Family Rocks

Yeah, today has been a big sick-fest at our house and so far Trent is the only one who has been spared. Bodhi was extra fussy last night and ended up with a fever accompanied with a runny, snotty nose. Then Delaney woke up looking for the thermometer and lo and behold, she was running a fever too. Mia is just recovering from a cold that took hold last week about this time as am I. However, sickness or not, it surely didn't stop everyone from having a little bit of fun. Delaney and Mia "bonded" over Kung Fu Panda (how many times in a row?), Bodhi spent a good 30-45 minutes working over a corn cobb at dinner while laughing and watching Mia do more Numa Numa dances, and Trent, Delaney and I shared some laughs and passionate discussions about recent political and social issues.

For richer, or for poorer.
In sickness and in health.
That's the value of family.

Homecoming - Day Six

Ok, I think I've blogged enough in the last few days to last many of you the rest of your lives ;o). Trent will be home in a few short hours and I am pretty excited to have him back home. But unfortunately it won't be quite the homecoming I had planned with everyone coming over for dinner, sharing stories, relaxing and hanging out.

After Bodhi and I went to bed around 1:30am, Mia woke up at about 2:30am needing a snuggle and then around 4:00am I got a call from Trent telling me to call right away - they might not be returning today after all. I awoke and called him back to find out that my mother-in-law had taken ill and wouldn't be able to travel today. What a bum way to end the trip! We talked again at 6:00am and by then they had decided that Trent would travel home alone and they would follow tomorrow. Trent assured me that they would be well taken care of in his absence. We made a few phone calls and confirmed that the airlines aren't too sympathetic to those changing flights, but what could they do? Bodhi then decided to wake up at 7:00am and we've been going ever since.

So, the kids are now down for a nap, Trent is en route to Phoenix as we speak, and I owe my mother big time for all of her help while Trent has been away. I am better off for it and my kids, even if they don't know it, are better off because I was definitely a better Mommy with the help from my own. It certainly brought back a lot of memories from last year at this same time when I was on bed rest and my mom came to my rescue selflessly day after day so I could work, heal and have some much needed company.

I pray that my in laws make it home safe and sound tomorrow and that my mother-in-law is feeling much better today as well!!

Finally, to round out this post, I have uploaded Mia's interpretation of the Funny Cow Numa Numa video below for your viewing pleasure. Maybe it's only funny to me, but I want to make sure I never forget it!

Burning the Midnight Oil - Day Five

Again, no pics I'm afraid, although I have a mighty fine video of Mia doing the "Funny Numa Numa Cow" dance to upload when I have some more time. As things are right now, Bodhi woke up 3 times in a 2 hour time span so I finally gave up trying and brought him with me downstairs so I could finish prepping the ribs for dinner tomorrow.

It's now 12:52am and we're likely in for a long night again. Although he's showing plenty of tired signs, I don't think he's going to relent and actually go to sleep anytime soon. Trent, you sure you can't get home any sooner? I am anxiously awaiting your return!

Yours truly,

Sleepless in Gilbert

Out and About on Day Four!

So, I am sorry to say that we have no photos to post of our adventures today. I did snap a few of Bodhi after his bath but he wasn't very happy.

Today was pretty action packed. Bodhi was up at about 6:45 and we snuggled in bed until about 7:30 when Mia woke up. Mia and I decided that we missed Daddy's pancakes so we got dressed and headed out to IHOP for breakfast. Juggling both kids by myself was interesting. Bodhi melted down for a bit, Mia had to go potty (we're still potty training) and this lady next to us kept giving me the "eye." I wasn't sure if she was irritated by Mia scootching closer and closer to her table, Bodhi fussing, or if she didn't like the way I handled it all. I was too busy caring for the kids to care much! I was tempted at one point to look over at her and ask, "Jealous?" like Mia always repeats from the Chihuahua movie. But I was a good Mommy and I refrained.

Next, I asked Mia if she wanted to go home or go to Costco. And she was adamant that we make the trip to Costco. We arrived and I didn't have my card, but thankfully they printed a temporary one for me. As soon as we got there and to the very back of the store, Mia had to potty again. I prayed she could hold it until we made it to the facilities. She did and we finished our shopping without a hitch.

Once we made it home, it was nap time all around. Yay for getting the kids to sleep at the same time so Mommy could sleep too! Bodhi woke up first, then Mia and when I asked Mia if she wanted the chili Grammy Tammy brought over for dinner or if she wanted tacos, she was convinced that tacos would be the best. We loaded up again and headed out to WalMart to do a little shopping.

Back at home Mia "helped" with dinner and we hung out together and ate. Bodhi took a little nap and then I bathed both of the kids, got Mia to bed and let Bodhi come downstairs and watch Baby Einstein for a little bit until he was ready for night night.

And here we are now! Me typing away, ready to crash out myself and thinking about the rib dinner I'm planning for Monday night . . . yummy ribs . . .

I love you honey and am sorry I don't have pics to post but here is Mia's most favorite YouTube video of late for your viewing pleasure! Hee hee . . . "Daddy, play the Funny Cow Numa Numa Video!!!"

Happy Halloween!

What a night! I was surprised at how few trick-or-treaters we had in our neighborhood this year, but we did manage to arrive home to a completely empty candy bowl . . .

Here are a few pics of Mia, McKayla, Bodhi and Ethan enjoying the fun of Halloween!

Rollin' Solo - Day Two

Last night was tough. Our little Bodhi-meister awoke at 2am and refused to go back to sleep. It was like he knew Daddy wasn't home and he was letting me know he wasn't happy about it!

But I have hope for tonight. It will be better. And if it isn't, well we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. For day two, I have a video for Trent where Mia answers the question, "So, where is Daddy right now?"



And just for fun, here are a few bedtime pictures of the littlest munchkins. Love you!


Mia decided she needed to do something to Bodhi's head . . .