Another First

Today was Eli's first time giggling at me making a funny face at him. He's been laughing in response to me doing something physical to him (tickling or blowing on his feet) for a few weeks now, but he hasn't laughed at anything non-physical until today. So this morning I was just making a face at him and snorting [she admits sheepishly] and he started cracking up. I wasn't sure if it was a fluke so I waited and while and did it again, and sure enough, he started giggling. So there's another first. It melted my heart.

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And on a humorous note: today Eli pooped through his diaper while Eric was holding him. Moments later I caught brave ol' daddy walking him to the changing table...arms outstretched, holding Eli as far away as possible. It reminded me of that old 80's movie "Three Men and a Little Lady". Why men can deem flatulence hilarious and then come unglued at a drop of scentless poop I'll never understand! :)

Our First Try

Ever since the time change and our trip to Spokane, Eli's "schedule" (if a 7 wk old baby has a schedule) has been all thrown off. He sleeps too much during the afternoon (despite efforts to keep him awake) and then wants to be awake until 2am or later. Granted, he still sleeps about 5-6 hours once he actually goes down - but I certainly don't like staying up that late. I miss going to bed at the same time as Eric. And not only does Eli want to be awake that late, he likes to give me little false alarms by falling asleep earlier but then waking up once I lay him down in the bassinet and crawl into bed. Ah!!! Very frustrating.

Well last night I had had enough. I was up and down with him about 3 times and then finally decided I wasn't going to play the game anymore. So last time was my first try at laying him down in his own room while he was wide awake. I figured that since he was fed, changed and warm, there was nothing else I could do for him...so it was time for him to cry himself to sleep for the first time.

Ironically, when I laid him down he didn't cry. I turned on soft music for him and left the lamp on so that he could look at this mobile and then I tip-toed out of the room and went to bed. What do you know, the kid fell asleep all on his own and didn't even cry about it.

Of course this was a hard thing for mommy. I didn't like him being in a different room where I couldn't see him or hear him clearly. And I guess it sort of made me feel like my baby was growing up (sniff sniff). But.....lol.....I was asleep by 1:40! :) Saweeet!

Little Boy slept until 6am in his own room. Of course you want to say that I'm a lucky mommy, but the truth is that he slept until 6am, I however did not. I got up 2x's during those hours to check on him. lol.

...guess it's hard to let them go, isn't it?

:)

Love,
Sleepy Mommy

Eli's First Trip!

Last night we returned from our first trip to Spokane with Eli. He handled the 6 hour drives beautifully. He slept the entire time, both ways. That was such a blessing to us. We were completely sure that we would have a screaming baby for at least a few hours of the trip...what a happy surprise!

While in Spokane we stayed with Eric's family, the Dibbles. Debby Dibble and my sister LeAnne threw us a baby shower. Here are pics:

My best buddy since we were 13 years old, Krista Martinez.
She moved to Spokane about 2 years ago (she beat me to motherhood by, oh, about 7 years).

My twin...or at least that's what everyone thinks (even though she's 4 years my senior), LeAnne.

Mommy writing a note to Eli for his scrapbook.

Eli and "Great-Nanna" Delaney

Krista holding my baby for the 1st time. :)

Eli and "Nanna Debby"

Friends: Mary Allen (left) and Karin Ray (right)

Uncle Runge

Those who have known me for a long time know that I have been friends with a man named Eric Runge for close to...oh, I guess something like 6 or 7 years. We met at my old church, Westminster PCA, and stayed in contact ever since (even when he moved away for a few years). He and I have always been like brother-and-sister...iow, we tease and annoy each other constantly and find great delight in doing so. Eric doesn't have any siblings, so I've made it my job to act like a real little sister so that he doesn't have to go through life without knowing all the cons of siblings! :)

Anyway, he has affectionately taken Eli on as his nephew and considers it his "Uncley" duty to hold him whenever possible...

Here's Uncle Runge...

Meeting Eli for the 1st time at 1 week old.

Uncle Runge after a little cat-nap with Eli (5 weeks old).

Baby's Perspective

SLEEP TRAINING FROM A BABY'S PERSPECTIVE:

OK, here is my situation. My Mommy has had me for almost 7 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 have talked to other babies, and it
seems like it is pretty common after Mommies have had us for around 6
months.

Here is the thing: these Mommies do not really need to sleep. It is just a
habit. Many of them have had
some 30 years to sleep--they just do not need it anymore. So, I am
implementing a plan. I call it the Cry-baby Shuffle. It goes like this:

Night 1--cry every 3 hours until you are fed. I know, it is hard. It is hard
to see your Mommy upset over your crying. Just keep reminding yourself, it
is for her own good.
Night 2--cry every 2 hours until you are 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. Do not 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 IS HARD!
However, 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
is up with that?
The cat said "meow". I should know. My Mommy reminds me of this about 20
times a day.
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--does not matter! Keep crying!
It took awhile, but it worked. She fed me at 4 am. Tomorrow night, my goal
is 3:30 am. You need to slowly shorten the interval between feedings in
order to reset your Mommies' internal clocks.

P.S. Do not let those rubber things fool you; no matter how long you suck on
them, no milk will come out. Trust me.

Being a Mommy

Hi People!

I'm glad to see that Eric has been keeping up on our blog because I've been too busy to do much blogging. Right now he is holding Eli for me so that I can type with two hands (a novelty around here lately!).

So what's been keeping me so busy? Well, being a mommy! We've had BEAUTIFUL weather here these last few weeks so Eli and I have been taking lots of great long walks, visiting grandma (my mom) and sleeping when we can.

Being a mommy is great! I love it! I keep finding myself staring at Eli's little face and smiling. I couldn't even imagine how sweet an experience it is to be a mother. I'm a sap. :)

Here are some photos of my handsome little man:

Busy Weekend

We had a great weekend. Saw a fantastic basketball game Friday. Saturday Dr Lo came down to join the Dibbles in meeting Eli. Shaunna and Debby went to a great shower Saturday (thanks Rhonda and Kristine). Don and I went to the Bridgeport Brewery and then toured 23rd Ave with the Los. After a quick jaunt through the Lincoln Dinner with Clark County's GOPs finest, then dinner with the Dibbles, and the Halls at Shaunna's favorite Chinese restaurant - Hunan's.

So now - after the busy weekend, I got in a quick cat nap....

With Eli of course...