My butt is getting bigger. It isn't just my stomach region. Nathan confirmed this yesterday. Several times, actually. For this, he is still being punished.
I have given up on cultivating outer beauty and I shall focus on Inner Beauty.
Goals:
1. Gracefully ignore Nathan's clothes that are always on the floor and the dishes that never seem to make it into the dishwasher. Bitterness shall not take root.
2. Empathize with Ethan's extremely powerful emotions on not getting what he wants instead of rolling my eyes and walking away.
3. Not stare at people's crooked teeth and inside my head call them snaggletooth.
That ought to do it.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Dr. Visit
I took Ethan to the doctor last week for a check-up. My conversation with the nurse prior to seeing the doctor went something like this.
Nurse: Do you have any health concerns?
Me: Health concerns? Uh, I don't know if this is a health concern, but um, he has really terrible, horrible smelling gas. Its like, really bad. He could clear a room.
The nurse jots this down on her sheet.
Nurse: Is he eating well? Sleeping Well? Regular bowel movements? As in every few days?
Me: Regular bowel movements? He poops 3-5 times a day! Is that normal? Seems a little much to you too, yeah?
Nurse: No, that is normal.
Drats. I was hoping for a suggestion in how to change his diet for less poop.
Me: Well, about the eating well, I have to practically force feed him. He won't sit still to eat. I chase him around the house with food all day. Then he pulls it out of his mouth and throws it on the floor or hands it to the dog. As far as sleeping well, I can't say he is particularly found of sleep either. As in, he wakes up at night still a lot, and the longest he can go without a bottle at night is 6 hours.
Nurse: That is normal for his age. Most babies go for 6-10 hours. He is still in the normal range. Just feed him more high calorie foods to keep his weight up if you are concerned about him not eating enough.
Ha. If she only knew how hard I try to do that very thing.
Nurse: Do you have any other questions for the doctor that you would like me to write down to make sure she addresses it on this visit?
Me: Uh, no. I think other than the smelly gas, pooping all the friggin' time, not being able to get him to eat or sleep like other children should pretty much cover my concerns.
Nurse: Ok. The doctor will be in shortly.
I sigh. I look at my only-in-a-diaper-cutie and wonder how I am going to keep him from damaging expensive medical equipment during our interim period as I highly doubt she will be in "shortly."
Nurse: Do you have any health concerns?
Me: Health concerns? Uh, I don't know if this is a health concern, but um, he has really terrible, horrible smelling gas. Its like, really bad. He could clear a room.
The nurse jots this down on her sheet.
Nurse: Is he eating well? Sleeping Well? Regular bowel movements? As in every few days?
Me: Regular bowel movements? He poops 3-5 times a day! Is that normal? Seems a little much to you too, yeah?
Nurse: No, that is normal.
Drats. I was hoping for a suggestion in how to change his diet for less poop.
Me: Well, about the eating well, I have to practically force feed him. He won't sit still to eat. I chase him around the house with food all day. Then he pulls it out of his mouth and throws it on the floor or hands it to the dog. As far as sleeping well, I can't say he is particularly found of sleep either. As in, he wakes up at night still a lot, and the longest he can go without a bottle at night is 6 hours.
Nurse: That is normal for his age. Most babies go for 6-10 hours. He is still in the normal range. Just feed him more high calorie foods to keep his weight up if you are concerned about him not eating enough.
Ha. If she only knew how hard I try to do that very thing.
Nurse: Do you have any other questions for the doctor that you would like me to write down to make sure she addresses it on this visit?
Me: Uh, no. I think other than the smelly gas, pooping all the friggin' time, not being able to get him to eat or sleep like other children should pretty much cover my concerns.
Nurse: Ok. The doctor will be in shortly.
I sigh. I look at my only-in-a-diaper-cutie and wonder how I am going to keep him from damaging expensive medical equipment during our interim period as I highly doubt she will be in "shortly."
Monday, July 13, 2009
Further Conversations with Ethan
I bought a book for Ethan entitled, Baby on the Way, by the Sears. It is a little too mature for him. I think it is meant for 2.5-5year olds. I spend most of my time pointing to the people in the pictures and explaining the pictures. Today after we "read" the book, I say,
"Ethan, mama is going to have a baby. You get to be a big brother. Would you like to be a brother?"
Ethan claps his hands. "Yeh."
Oh, good. That is a relief. I was kind of worried about it.
"Ethan, mama is going to have a baby. You get to be a big brother. Would you like to be a brother?"
Ethan claps his hands. "Yeh."
Oh, good. That is a relief. I was kind of worried about it.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
Sleep Training Day
Ethan has been learning that there is our bed, and there is his bed. This week he has decided he would like to sleep in our bed. If we do not put him in our bed he will wake up repeatedly and refuse to go back to sleep for long periods of time until we cave and bring him in our bed because we are too tired to deal anymore.
After a few nights of sleeping 4 hrs and feeling a bit delerious and desperate, we have begun to train him to sleep independently. Happy Independence Day, Ethan! I have been researching fervently my different options. Since I found three authors that say about the same thing, I selected The Baby Whisperer method since she was the most specific in what we should do (I am an extreme S in the meyers-briggs and I cannot stand vague). In case you all are interested, I am keeping a log to forever remember what my life was like training my child to Sleep Like A Normal Baby. I am feeling good about my choice. I have been praying for months that I would figure out a way that would teach Ethan to sleep well without psychological damage, and a way that would not drive me crazy.
Night One
Nathan begins the nighttime ritual of bath, book, bottle, bed at 7pm. One hour later he comes of out of the room saying, "I don't think he is really sleeping."
True.
10 minutes later Ethan cries. I go in ready to start the Baby Whisperer suggestions. From now on we will not:
1. Rock Ethan to sleep.
2. Bring Ethan into our bed.
3. Pick him up when he cries.
I am to do the following. Lay him back down in his crib. Keep my hand on his back until he falls asleep so that he knows that I have not abandoned him, and he doesn't need to be afraid to go to sleep. Repeat each time he wakes up crying and doesn't put himself back to sleep.
I do this for 55 minutes. My pregnant belly is having a hard time making it over the crib to lean down and keep my hand on his back. My back is killing me. Nathan comes in and takes over. He reemerges from the room 10 minutes later. It is 9:30pm.
Ethan sleeps for one hour-10:30pm. Nathan goes back in. Comes to bed at 11pm.
Ethan sleeps until 4:40am. I get up and go to him. Back to bed at 5am. Lay there until 6am trying to fall back to sleep. Nathan's alarm goes off (on a weekend. drats) wakes up Ethan. Nathan goes to Ethan and Ethan decides 6am is a fine time to get up and start the day.
Please know that at the beginning of every Ethan-Wake-Cycle there was much cursing, weeping, and gnashing of teeth from Nathan and me.
Sleep Training Day 2
Due to his 6am wake up, and poor sleeping at night, he is tired at 9am. He closes his eyes, grabs his Elmo (or "Eh-mo") goes to sleep as soon as I lay him down for his nap. Score! Success! He sleeps until 11am renewing my hope for a bright and pleasant future.
2pm. I am tired. I need a nap desperately. I try to get Ethan to take another nap so we can make it until 7pm without him having some kind of meltdown. No such luck. He would rather stay up and play. And poop his pants.
7pm. We do the bedtime ritual. Ethan laughs and thinks he is playing a game with his dad for the first 20 minutes he is in his crib. Then he starts screaming and crying. This lasts for about 15 minutes. Nathan starts singing. Ethan decides to go to sleep. It is now 7:45pm.
3am. Ethan wakes up crying. Nathan goes into him and he cries a few minutes and goes back to sleep. He wakes up repeatedly until 4am. I go in. Repeat the same process until 4:35am. Decided to feed him. Ethan is sleeping by 5am and stays asleep until 8:20am.
Sleep Training Day Three
Ethan fights his nap for one hour. He sleeps for one hour. It is the fourth of July and my family is here and we have lots of fun. He is completely worn out by the end of the day.
7pm. Sleep ritual begins. He doesn't cry. He puts himself to sleep once he is in his crib. He sleeps until 3am and puts himself back to sleep. Wakes up at 4am. I feed him. He immediately goes back to sleep until 7:30am.
Victory.
I had been dreading this process for months. I thought it would take weeks. It actually wasn't that bad. My child is capable of learning to sleep. Praise Jesus.
After a few nights of sleeping 4 hrs and feeling a bit delerious and desperate, we have begun to train him to sleep independently. Happy Independence Day, Ethan! I have been researching fervently my different options. Since I found three authors that say about the same thing, I selected The Baby Whisperer method since she was the most specific in what we should do (I am an extreme S in the meyers-briggs and I cannot stand vague). In case you all are interested, I am keeping a log to forever remember what my life was like training my child to Sleep Like A Normal Baby. I am feeling good about my choice. I have been praying for months that I would figure out a way that would teach Ethan to sleep well without psychological damage, and a way that would not drive me crazy.
Night One
Nathan begins the nighttime ritual of bath, book, bottle, bed at 7pm. One hour later he comes of out of the room saying, "I don't think he is really sleeping."
True.
10 minutes later Ethan cries. I go in ready to start the Baby Whisperer suggestions. From now on we will not:
1. Rock Ethan to sleep.
2. Bring Ethan into our bed.
3. Pick him up when he cries.
I am to do the following. Lay him back down in his crib. Keep my hand on his back until he falls asleep so that he knows that I have not abandoned him, and he doesn't need to be afraid to go to sleep. Repeat each time he wakes up crying and doesn't put himself back to sleep.
I do this for 55 minutes. My pregnant belly is having a hard time making it over the crib to lean down and keep my hand on his back. My back is killing me. Nathan comes in and takes over. He reemerges from the room 10 minutes later. It is 9:30pm.
Ethan sleeps for one hour-10:30pm. Nathan goes back in. Comes to bed at 11pm.
Ethan sleeps until 4:40am. I get up and go to him. Back to bed at 5am. Lay there until 6am trying to fall back to sleep. Nathan's alarm goes off (on a weekend. drats) wakes up Ethan. Nathan goes to Ethan and Ethan decides 6am is a fine time to get up and start the day.
Please know that at the beginning of every Ethan-Wake-Cycle there was much cursing, weeping, and gnashing of teeth from Nathan and me.
Sleep Training Day 2
Due to his 6am wake up, and poor sleeping at night, he is tired at 9am. He closes his eyes, grabs his Elmo (or "Eh-mo") goes to sleep as soon as I lay him down for his nap. Score! Success! He sleeps until 11am renewing my hope for a bright and pleasant future.
2pm. I am tired. I need a nap desperately. I try to get Ethan to take another nap so we can make it until 7pm without him having some kind of meltdown. No such luck. He would rather stay up and play. And poop his pants.
7pm. We do the bedtime ritual. Ethan laughs and thinks he is playing a game with his dad for the first 20 minutes he is in his crib. Then he starts screaming and crying. This lasts for about 15 minutes. Nathan starts singing. Ethan decides to go to sleep. It is now 7:45pm.
3am. Ethan wakes up crying. Nathan goes into him and he cries a few minutes and goes back to sleep. He wakes up repeatedly until 4am. I go in. Repeat the same process until 4:35am. Decided to feed him. Ethan is sleeping by 5am and stays asleep until 8:20am.
Sleep Training Day Three
Ethan fights his nap for one hour. He sleeps for one hour. It is the fourth of July and my family is here and we have lots of fun. He is completely worn out by the end of the day.
7pm. Sleep ritual begins. He doesn't cry. He puts himself to sleep once he is in his crib. He sleeps until 3am and puts himself back to sleep. Wakes up at 4am. I feed him. He immediately goes back to sleep until 7:30am.
Victory.
I had been dreading this process for months. I thought it would take weeks. It actually wasn't that bad. My child is capable of learning to sleep. Praise Jesus.
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