Alone with a baby

Last weekend, I experienced life as a single mom for 3 nights and days while my husband went out of town for a bachelor party weekend with the boys. Every single mom out there deserves the highest amount respect possible.  That is one hell of a job.  Being a mom with a partner is hard enough, but alone was even harder.  Here's how it went.

1st night started off great.  We had company over, dinner and off to a good bedtime start.  Liam went down well after his new routine of new diaper, book and bottle around 9:30.  I was feeling pretty good around 10:30 when he was still sound asleep and started to hunker down myself.

Then 11pm hit and little man awoke.  I went in to soothe him, put his fallen pacifier back in and turn the Sleep Sheep back on.  12:30, again, same thing. 2:30, again, same thing. This time, not working. 3am I fed him a bottle and rocked him back to sleep by 3:30.  4am - again, more soothing.  6:30, up again, this time wide awake.  Except I was dog tired.  So I tried to soothe him a bit to catch some extra zzzz's when we really should have been getting up for the day.

7:30am we got up for the day to try to get myself and him ready by 8am (hah).  At 8am, I was at least dressed and working on getting him dressed when I noticed he had had a huge blowout. I noticed this while holding him against me, so naturally I got covered in poo.  It was bad enough that he should have gotten a bath, but we were already running late.  So I used about 15 wet wipes and got him cleaned up and changed.  Now I had to get re-dressed myself.  I left our poo clothes on the floor and started to pack him up when I realized the poor dog hadn't been let our or fed!

All in all, we made it to school 30 minutes late, then I was off to work with no make up and a messy (bad) bun. With only 3 hours of sleep all broken up, I was super tired, but made it through the day and even managed to get home to take a shower before picking that little guy up from school.

We spent Friday night at our friend's, whose husband was on the same trip as mine.  We had pizza and played with the kids.  It was a fun night!  I changed Liam into his pjs and a new diaper before heading home, so we ended the night with a bottle in his room and he was asleep by 10.  And didn't.wake.up.until.5. O.M.G.  SEVEN hours!  It was a miracle!

At 5 I changed and fed him and he was back to sleep by 5:30 until 8:20 (and so was I).  We got up and played and then about 10:15 went and picked up my sister who came in from Chicago!!  She was going to spend the whole next 2 days with us!!

She even came bearing new cool duds for the little dude!

Saturday we napped, took a long walk and then went to my parents' house for a party they were having for friends.  We partied until about 9:30, then changed the little man into his jammies (like the night before) and headed home.  I gave him his last bottle and rocked him in his room and he was down by 10:30.  At 3:30 he woke me up for a quick soothe and pacifier check and then back to sleep.  Then he got at 5:15 for a feeding, and again at 8am.  Another pretty good night!  We then cuddled until 10am (when my sister finally got up - jeesh, to be young again).

We went on another walk, and hit up Einstein Bros Bagels for breakfast.  Then we went to the plaza to shop the day away.  

We ended the weekend with husband returning, family over and watching the Jayhawks win to advance to the Final Four.

Things got off to a rough start, but with help from my family and friends, we ended up having a pretty good time.  It was good to know that I could do it by myself and we even had some special bonding.

But I have to say, those middle of the night up and down are not only exhausting, but lonely.  It's nice to have another adult there, even if they're sleeping.  Just in case you get so tired you just can't do it.  Or if something goes wrong.  I imagine things get easier as the child grows, but with a 3 month old, life and nights are still very unpredictable.  Which is a little scary to face alone.

And I'm a wimp.   

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Resemblance

Liam is definitely our child.  No doubt about that.  I love looking at him and seeing my husband, and then a second later seeing me.  He has such a great blend of the two of us.  What do you think?

 Baby Liam and me

Baby Liam and Greg

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P.S. 20% off coupon for H&M Kids clothes here!

Into his own room...

I swore my baby would sleep in our room, right next to our bed in his cradle until about 6 months.  But at 14 weeks, we decided to make the switch.  I caved for a few of reasons.

1).  Liam was not on any kind of schedule and we were having a hard time implementing one with him going to sleep in our room.  We didn't have the monitor set up in there, so I didn't want him out of my site.  He'd usually begin the night sleeping in a pack n' play we have up in our living room (or in my arms), and then we transfer him to the cradle after a late night feeding.

Everything I read hammers home the importance of getting your baby use to a night time routine early and especially at the 3-4 month mark. It's important to be consistent and get them use to their room.

2). He has never been a good night sleeper.  He sleeps in 2-3 hour chucks all day long - loves the nap length of sleep.  So, I figured we needed to change something.  Maybe being in his own room would help.  Maybe we were keeping him up/waking him up?

3). The boy was keeping me up!  While I was actually lulled to sleep by the sounds of his breathing and snoring, he is an active sleeper and moves around. I was constantly thinking he needed something, when really he was just moving in his sleep.  I would wake up to what sounded like calisthenics coming from his cradle.  He lifts his legs up in the air and then flops them down... this boy will have strong abs.

4). He was starting to outgrow his cradle.  While it's bigger than a bassinet, with his wild night time movements, he'd hit the solid wood walls waking us all (him included) up.

So I started having him take naps in his crib to get him use to his new bed...

Then we made the switch a few nights ago with a bedtime routine in his own room and all!  This way he wouldn't feel banished to his room just to sleep.  Our typical routine (as of now)...

1). Once he starts to get sleepy (I can usually tell by him rubbing his eyes or starting to get cranky), usually between 8 and 9:30pm depending on his naps that day, we start the routine.

2). We go change him into his pjs in his room and get him a fresh diaper.  If it's bath night (2x a week) we'll do that first.

3). Then we sit in his big comfy rocking-recliner chair, and read some books until his eyes start getting really sleepy.

4). Then I give him a bottle.  He usually falls asleep eating, but when I burp him, it kind of wakes him back up.

5). So then we read some more, or I talk to him or sing (but I'm not sure that's pleasing to the ear so we're working on a lullaby play list).  I've started asking him what the best and worst part of his day was (the peaks and pits), but he hasn't answered me yet, so I just tell him mine.

6). Then when he is almost asleep I transfer him from my arms to his crib.  He usually kind of wake up again (I swear he'd sleep 12 hours straight in my arms if he could) - so I put on his Sleep Sheep sound machine, rub his belly and head and tell him I love him and good night with a few Shhhs (he likes that sound).

Then the hardest part.

7). I walk away and out of his room.  I quickly grab the video monitor and watch him the rest of the night...

Sometimes he'll start fussing a bit and it'll take a few trips of me going in to rub his belly and Shhh him, put his pacifier back in or turn back on the Sleep Sheep (which is on a timer) before he's really asleep for the long haul. The main thing is, I am trying to be consistent.  I know it'll take a little time till he gets use to it, but so far I think his sleeping is already a little better!

And I'm getting use to it, too.  The good news is - our house isn't that big and his room is right across from ours.  At night, when all is quiet, I can even hear him without the monitor, though I have that right by my head any ways.

What is your bedtime routine?  When did you move baby to the crib/own room?

Visit me and my mothership blog - Chasing Davies

Summer Baby in the Making

So I might be having more fun throwing the little mister up in the air than he.

If you look close enough, you'll see a spit bubble.  And no, I'm not pregnant again.

So pensive.

Loving the sunnier days.  Liam will love it too... as soon as we get him some sunglasses.

Outfit details over at today's post on Chasing Davies.

Three Months

The last three months have been the longest shortest months of my life.  I feel like I've had Liam forever.  I can't remember life without him, yet he's grown so fast!  My little boy is 1/4 of a year old.  Now that is weird.

Happy Three Months Sweet Boy!!!

First Day of Daycare

Don't be fooled by that Nars Heat Wave covered smile you see...the minute I left the daycare leaving my little man behind I balled and balled all the way to work.  Probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do.

And it wasn't like Liam was upset - no, he was smiling at his new teacher, being held and chewing away on his hands.  In fact, I think he'll really enjoy being around other tiny people more his size (at least here's hoping).

And of course when I was pregnant, my husband and I toured several daycares and we picked this one.  We like this one.

But he has been my whole world for 3 months (or 1 year counting in utero) and now I'm missing every little smile and tear.  I can't hear his little coos and the sound of him trying to talk to me or his little grunts as he eats.  I can't cuddle him or smell him.

I'm devastated missing him.

In the end, we all made it through.  He was taking a little siesta when I picked him up and after he came out of his daze gave me those coveted smiles.  He remembered me, and his daddy.

I know it'll get better.  With time, it'll be easier to be away from him. Many many moms do this everyday.  I can too, right?  Time to buck up.

Other working mamas - what are your coping strategies?

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One Week to Twelve

How did this happen so fast?

Next I'm going to turn around and he'll be 1 years old.  Slow down time.  But he is super fun these days.  Those smiles melt my heart.

Visit me and my mothership blog - Chasing Davies