The end of November

It's almost December already. I can't believe it. Before we know it, it will be 2009. Heck, at the rate things are going, before we know it, Audia will be going off to college!!

Thanksgiving was really nice. Good food, good company, and very relaxing. We took some family pictures and ate a ridiculous amount of food. I couldn't have asked for more.

My parents head back to MN today. It has been really nice having them here the past week and a half. Only two more weeks and I'll be heading out there to spend another two weeks with them. At the rate that Audia has been growing both mentally and physically, she'll be talking and running by Christmas. LOL. Ok, maybe that's a little bit of an exaggeration. But it sure feels like that's how fast she's growing. She's been pushing herself across her playmat with her feet for a couple of days now, and she's more and more vocal every day. I am constantly amazed at how aware she is of her surroundings; watching the pets walk across the living room, turning her head as far as she can to see the tv, looking from object to object on the kitchen counter (you can almost see those little wheels turning, trying to figure out what everything is!) and most recently, mimicking the raspberry noise I make at her when I'm changing her diaper! It is so funny how proud and excited you get over the littlest things when you become a parent.

I'm going to spend today gardening; by the time my flowers are blooming Audia will be 5 or 6 months old! Certainly old enough to appreciate the yummy scents and bright colors :-) And tomorrow will be spent baking gingerbread. mmmmmm.......

In closing, I've been doing a lot of research on, talking about, and thinking about sleep training lately. I found this online and thought it was pretty doggoned funny. Enjoy.

A Baby's Perspective on Sleep Training...

OK, here's my situation. My Mommy has had me for almost 6 months. The first few months were great--I cried, she picked me up and fed me, anytime, day or night. Then something happened.

Over the last few weeks, she has been trying to STTN (sleep thru the night).
At first, I thought it was just a phase, but it is only getting worse. I've talked to other babies, and it seems like it's pretty common after Mommies have had us for around 6 months.
Here's the thing: these Mommies don't really need to sleep. It's just a habit. Many of them have had some 30 years to sleep--they just don't need it anymore. So I am implementing a plan. I call it the Crybaby Shuffle.

It goes like this: Night 1--cry every 3 hours until you get fed. I know, it's hard. It's hard to see your Mommy upset over your crying. Just keep reminding yourself, it's for her own good.
Night 2--cry every 2 hours until you get fed.
Night 3--every hour.

Most Mommies will start to respond more quickly after about 3 nights. Some Mommies are more alert, and may resist the change longer. These Mommies may stand in your doorway for hours, shhhh-ing. Don't give in. I cannot stress this enough: CONSISTENCY IS KEY!!
If you let her STTN (sleep through the night), just once, she will expect it every night. I KNOW IT'S HARD! But she really does not need the sleep, she is just resisting the change.
If you have an especially alert Mommy, you can stop crying for about 10 minutes, just long enough for her to go back to bed and start to fall asleep. Then cry again. It WILL eventually work. My Mommy once stayed awake for 10 hours straight, so I know she can do it. Last night, I cried every hour. You just have to decide to stick to it and just go for it.

BE CONSISTENT! I cried for any reason I could come up with. My sleep sack tickled my foot. I felt a wrinkle under the sheet. My mobile made a shadow on the wall. I burped, and it tasted like pears (I hadn't eaten pears since lunch - what's up with that?) The dog said "woof" (I should know. My Mommy reminds me of this about 20 times a day. LOL.) Once I cried just because I liked how it sounded when it echoed on the monitor in the other room. Too hot, too cold, just right--doesn't matter! Keep crying!! It took awhile, but it worked. She fed me at 4am. Tomorrow night, my goal is 3:30am. You need to slowly shorten the interval between feedings in order to reset your Mommies' internal clocks.

P.S. Don't let those rubber things fool you, no matter how long you suck on them, NO milk will come out! Trust me.

Author Unknown.