When Henry was six weeks old, we kicked him out of our room. We (mostly Scott) were afraid that he'd get too accustomed to sleeping in our room.
When he was four months, his doctor told me I could let him cry through the night. (That's right, I'm one of those people.) So four months on the day, I steeled myself for a night of hell. It sort of was, truth be told. As usual, he started crying about three hours after going to bed. I went in to comfort him briefly after 5 minutes (without actually touching him, doctor's orders), then waited another 10 minutes, then 20, then 40, etc. And all the while, I sat outside his door "reading" a book, like a sentinel, trying to brave it out with him, every step of the way. I was dedicated. I stuck to it. And every pathetic whine broke my heart.
At 6 months on the nose I started him on cereal, waited two weeks, and slowly began introducing green veggies, then orange ones, and finally fruit (Heaven forbid the boy taste bananas before sweet potatoes), after consulting with my doctor and talking to all friends and sisters to get their input on the best way to introduce food.
For his first year I was pretty "by the book." It was for the best after all.
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Fast forward four years. At six months old, I started considering moving Abram out of our room. He's my baby, could be my last (according to my husband, bah humbug), so I'm hanging on to this one. After regressing in the sleep department I finally decided he might need to go it alone at night. The first night I tried I'm pretty sure he was the tiniest bit congested. Oh well. I'd rather bring him into my bed anyway.
But then I got serious after another week of bad sleep. He was healthy. He was getting chubbier every day ... all systems go, little man. He woke up at 2 so I walked upstairs, consoled him a little (don't tell my old doctor I actually touched him) and left the room. I turned on the bathroom fan to muffle his sad crying (more whining than actual crying), came downstairs, and thought, "Poor little guy. I know I'll just lay here straining to hear every noise he ........ zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz."
People, I lasted like 5 seconds. I'm not kidding. We didn't hear another thing from Abe until 9 in the morning.
And then there's the food. I haven't even started it.
11 years ago
8 comments:
those two boys look alike. Just look at the big blue eyes. Don't worry about doing it by the book Cels--kids thrive as long as they get lots of love and your kids certainly get lots of that! Love you. Sharon
I once read that you shouldn't nurse your kid to sleep...didn't the person (probably a guy) who wrote those things want to go to sleep as badly as I did?? I nursed him to sleep when he wanted to be nursed to sleep and figured he would eventually stop wanting to do it. sure enough. in fact, it only took a few weeks. it's not like he was going to be 13 and still needing that to get to sleep! I like baby advice books, but I'm with you Cels, I like sleep too!
p.s. not that you have loads of time on your hands, but if you want to update the link on your blog to my newer website, it is:
http://web.mac.com/utahnicholsons/iWeb/Site/Blog/Blog.html
not that I update it really often :).
I still remember running into you and Adrienne at the mall (in the Gap as I recall) just after Henry was born, you had your sporty watch alarm set for exactly 2 hours from the last time you had fed him. Which I'm SURE you reminded me was the suggested amount of time allowed in between feedings for newborns-and you were NOT about to make Henry go any longer than that. After talking for a while Adrienne said that you guys should go and that we had talked way too long. She was not at all happy that you were going to spend all your time feeding Henry when you should have been shopping. :) I still laugh every time I think about your absolutely, perfectly timed feeding schedule. What a good mom you are!!!!
Ya seriously, my first baby.....textbook everything. Now I'm on like baby number 6 and it's like.....where is that little rat fink anyway. Ya know? I haven't seen or heard from her in hours and she's not even mobile!
See I want to comment on these motherhood posts, but I can't relate my own experiences so I'm just makin crap up! Holla
-B loaf
My kids slept in our bed until they were 3, spit out all cereal and green food, but ate bananas with reckless abandon, breastfed until they were 2 and I cleaned their pacifiers with spit and then wiped them on my jeans. They might be bigger now, but I am just as bad a parent...we are saving for either college or therapy...they can pick.
It's like you just wrote my whole approach to mothering. Ivy had the psychotic mother. Jake has the nurturing mother. It just happened that way.
I totally agree! The more you have the more relaxed you get. I kind of feel bad for the first born because they are such an experiment! I'm glad I was the 4th child.
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