Updates

Updates on the ever-growing and ever-changing one-and-only LITTLE BUG:

She now naps without being swaddled in the Miracle Blanket! Instead, she naps with the blanket Grace made her! I was beginning to think Little Bug would be 5 years old and we would still be swaddling her! However …

… Little Bug still insists that we wrap her in the Miracle Blanket for night time sleep! Notice both arms are out and the Miracle Blanket is just wrapped around her middle! Also notice the positioner that she still likes to fall asleep on. Every morning though she has flopped off it and it is crumpled somewhere in her crib. Funny little girl!

 

We’ve tried two nights about a week apart to see if she would drop the Miracle Blanket at night and both times it was a complete disaster. We ended up going into her room, wrapping her up, putting her on the positioner and she’s out like a light. Hey, whatever works, right??

 

Look closely at this picture and you will see Little Bug’s TWO pearly whites on the bottom!! She cut the one on the right on December 6th and then the one on the left on December 8th.

Cutting the teeth really didn’t seem to bother her much at all. My pediatrician told me that fussiness due to teething is all subject to that particular baby’s tolerance level of the pain/irritation in the gums while the teeth come through. I did use these holistic teething tablets that my pediatrician recommended.

 

Little Bug’s straps on the car seat have been moved up (Thanks to her Grandma who noticed it was time!) and she no longer needs the head support that was in there. I also posted this picture because I think she favors me as a baby a lot in this picture!

 

Little Bug has several games she likes to play. Her favorite is playing “Pull Up” with Grandpa! Grandpa lays her on the floor in front of him and then pulls her up into a standing position. Little Bug has the hugest smile on her face every time they play. My Grandpa (my dad’s dad) did this with me when I was little!

Little Bug also just started playing “Peek A Boo” this week. So cute!

 

Little Bug sits up pretty good now with no support but sometimes …

 

… she is still a little wobbly!

 

Little Bug has the sweetest little personality and is loved by everyone who knows her!

Our Miracle Girl

The Solution?

So Little Bug’s naps have been all out of whack. Night time sleep has had some disruptions too.

Well, I was reading the Chronicles of a Babywise mom blog last night and came across this post: http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2008/01/easy-nap-fix.html

It’s titled “Easy Nap Fix”. The Babywise mom says that if a baby is staying awake too long, they will not take a good nap because they become overtired and overstimulated. This is especially true in younger babies, but can be true in babies Little Bug’s age too.

Babywise Mom also talks about how important it is to figure out your baby’s optimal wake time so that you know when to lay baby down for a nap before they get overtired and overstimulated.

Often times, parents keep baby awake longer in hopes that the more tired they are when they lay down to nap, the longer they will sleep.

The complete opposite is true.

I was laying Little Bug down for her first nap 2 hours after she woke up in the morning.

She was consistently only napping 45 minutes.

Babywise Mom says if you have a baby who isn’t napping well, the first thing to try to fix it is to lay baby down 15 minutes earlier than you had been. (I decided to lay Little Bug down 30 minutes earlier than I had been because I saw her sleepy signs around then this morning.)

At 9am I did Little Bug’s nap routine with her (change diaper, rock her and sing “Jesus Loves Me” then lay her in crib awake) and she did not cry one bit. (Another sign that baby is staying awake too long is if they cry for lengthy amounts of time when you lay them down.)

The 45 minute mark came and all was quiet in the nursery!

And now, here it is 11:00am and she is still sleeping!!

*****

Note: I wrote the above yesterday morning.

I’m sad to report that yesterday must have been a fluke. :(

Little Bug woke at the same time this morning and I laid her down for her morning nap at the same time this morning but she has yet to fall asleep half an hour after laying her down.

She is just in her crib talking and playing. :)

Which I guess would mean that I’ve laid her down too early because if she was tired, she’d go to sleep instead of play.

I can only guess that yesterday’s fluke might have been because she was so tired from not napping well during previous days.

I’ll be sure to notice when she stops playing and goes to sleep and then tomorrow that is the time I’ll lay her down!

Ugh … Why aren’t babies born with instruction manuals?

45 minutes on the dot

Here’s my first attempt at a real life post.

Naptime around here, for the past two weeks, has been anything but restful. Well, it’s been restful for the first 45 minutes and then it is chaos.

Before I go any further, let me say that I am a Babywise mom, which surprises even me!

Before having a child (key words there), I was under the impression that Babywise people put their baby on a strict schedule and let their baby cry hours on end in their crib.

This, however, couldn’t be further than the truth. And I learned that after A) becoming a parent and having to decided which parenting method works best for my child and our family as a whole and B) reading the entire Babywise book cover to cover, that Babywise teaches about routine feedings within a preset, flexible time frame.

I find it interesting how advocates of different parenting methods are so quick to judge each other!

The way I see it is this: Each parent needs to consider their own baby and chose the parenting method that fits their baby and their lifestyle.

As for me and my family, we have chosen Babywise. :)

For me, my goal has always been to just have a happy baby. A happy baby makes for a happy mom.

My problem is this: Little Bug gets on a routine and it is wonderful for both of us. Little Bug gets off her routine and life gets difficult for both of us.

Currently, I am trying to find a balance. And I think balance just may lie in not holding my standards so high and expecting Little Bug to do Babywise like the book says!

There is this blog out there that is a wonderful reference for anyone doing Babywise: Chronicles of a Babywise Mom

It’s just a typical Babywise mom who started the blog to give other Babywise moms a reference. She has 3 children: a 4 year old boy, 2 year old girl and an 8 month old baby girl.

While I LOVE her blog, it sometimes irks me that she seems to be able to get her kids to do Babywise with ease!

Then I read a comment that someone left on her blog. They were basically saying that while they do Babywise, they have tweaked things here and there to accommodate the individual needs of their household.

I think that may be where I am with Little Bug.

Back to naps …

So, I lay Little Bug down for a nap and she goes to sleep (no crying on most occasions). But then at the 45 minute mark to. the. dot. she wakes up.

Now this is not unusual for any baby because babies go through a sleep transition anywhere from 30-45 minutes of falling asleep. Many wake up during this sleep transition. Babywise teaches you to leave baby be and let them settle back to sleep. Or you could rush in to your crying baby and get them up only to have a tired cranky baby because they didn’t get a good nap in…

At 3 months old, I chose to let Little Bug start crying it out until she went back to sleep as long as I was 100% sure the cries were sleepy cries and not hunger cries.

It didn’t take long and we were over that hump. Little Bug, as a general rule, is a good napper.

So now we are back to waking right at 45 minutes every single nap! So frustrating!

Today, thinking there could be a slight chance that she was hungry because her eating was way whacky yesterday, I went ahead and got her up.

She would not eat.

So we played and then ate at the four hour mark from her last bottle.

Then it came time for her afternoon nap. She went right to sleep but woke after 45 minutes. (This is actually kinda funny. I was watching the clock and, right on the nose, she woke up!)

So I let her find her way back to sleep and she is now in Sleep Land once again.

You know, this feels good writing all this out! I’d been feeling like my blog was boring and not an accurate picture at all of life with a 6 month old!

Well, that’s about to change.

Life is anything but boring with a 6 month old and if you hang around you will soon see and I will have something Little Bug will really enjoy reading once she can!!

*****

NOTE: I wrote the above post a couple days ago…

I’ll soon be posting about Little Bug’s naps because I think I may have discovered the problem and fixed it.

THANK YOU, JESUS!

Little Bug went to bed for her morning nap today with absolutely no crying, and …

after 1.5 hours she is is still sleeping!

AND … that 45 minute mark … SILENT!

I’ll also be writing soon about what God’s taught me through these recent insane days.

Real Life

Sometimes I can’t believe how open and honest I was during my struggle with infertility because as a general rule in life, I am a very quiet and private person.

I know my boldness to share my journey through infertility came straight from the Lord.

Over the life of this blog, I’ve received numerous negative comments. Until this time, I’ve never mentioned one word about it on my blog.

My way of dealing with negative comments is quite simple: I read the comment and then instead of clicking “publish”, like I do for the majority of the comments that come in, I click “reject”.

Problem solved.

I take into account that negative comments stem from one of two things: 1) ignorance, 2) people who draw conclusions without knowing all the facts.

Since Little Bug’s birth, I’ve not been completely 100% open and honest about life as a mom.

I think it stems from a fear of giving the wrong impression that I am not grateful for the miracle that God has blessed me with.

I know that is the furthest thing from the truth!

I think women who go through infertility have this misconception that once baby arrives, life will suddenly be perfect because the very thing you’ve wanted for year after year and not had is suddenly in your arms.

Now I know that a perfect life after baby’s arrival is the furthest thing from the truth, as well!

I thought life would be ALL sunshine and roses once Little Bug was here! But over the past 6 months I’ve learned that I’ve traded the problems of infertility for the problems of parenthood!

I no longer deal with medications, shots, ultrasounds, growing follicles and semen samples (THANK GOODNESS!!!) but that certainly doesn’t mean my life is a bed of roses.

Parenting. is. hard. Very. hard.

The feelings of guilt that something is wrong with you because you don’t feel like life is perfect after a baby that you’ve wanted for years is finally here are REAL.

However, just because I went through infertility does not mean that my life with baby will be perfect.

I have never been so frustrated in all my life over matters concerning my Little Bug.

Why is she doing this? Why is she doing that? Am I doing this right? Should I be doing that? But I heard that isn’t a good thing to do with a baby.

I never in a million years was prepared for all the second-guessing yourself that comes with parenting.

I’m a writer. I love to write and writing helps me process.

I think this blog is going to become more about life with a baby (the ups, the downs, and all the in-betweens) because that’s where life has me now.

When the time is right to start thinking about another baby, I’m sure the blog will naturally become more about “trying to conceive” again.

During my trying to conceive days, I allowed myself to be so open and honest about it because I knew it would bring glory to God.

My purpose in life is to bring glory to God, through whatever circumstances God has me in at the time.

I’ve found that just as I needed God to get through infertility, I need God’s direction as I parent my Little Bug.

Parenting is no easy task, but I praise God He’s entrusted this little life to me and I want HIM to receive glory still through the imperfect perfect life he’s given me!

Turn the monitor OFF!

I've found the solution to waking with Little Bug during the wee hours of the morning. I've turned the monitor OFF! Being a first time mom, it never occurred to me that turning the monitor off would be an acceptable thing to do!

After talking with a friend whose twin daughters started doing the same thing around the 6 month mark, I decided this was the best thing to do. She told me to turn the monitor off because our rooms are close enough to where if Little Bug is crying in the night (and not just talking) I will hear her. Apparently, waking in the wee hours to "talk" for a time isn't extremely usual for a baby around 6 months old.

The first night I did that, I woke up around 7am, turned the monitor on and Little Bug was sound asleep! I have no clue if she woke up talking around 5am or not!

So now I need to get us back on a consistent daily routine. With Little Bug waking up anywhere from 5am to 8:30am, our days have been totally out of whack.

That routine I posted about a few weeks ago ... it was nice while it lasted! Hopefully, we can get back into some kind of routine this week.

That is going to take several days of figuring out when Little Bug is going to start waking up each morning so that we can establish a new wake time.

This morning she woke up around 7am. She was just content to lay in her bed and talk, so I let her. When I got her up at 7:30 to eat, she wouldn't eat! Finally, at around 8:30 I got her to eat 4 ounces (she usually eats 6 ounces). I'm thinking maybe she is ready to drop the dreamfeed that Dave does with her every night at 11pm. If she dropped that feeding, she would most likely wake up around 7:30am hungry.

Who knows! It's all a guessing game when it comes to figuring out a baby!

Tired

Things have been a little rough lately because somebody decided waking up everyday around 6am would be a GREAT idea!

I am praying this is just a phase and not a new norm!

I am so not a morning person.

I think it is obvious that I LOVE motherhood and, in particular, LOVE being Little Bug's Mommy, but there is one thing I dearly miss ...

uninterrupted sleep.

Which hasn't happened in ... six months!

And I know, overall, I've been VERY blessed with my Little Bug because she's a good sleeper compared to other sleep deprived parent's stories I've heard. (Of course, I give credit to The Miracle Blanket for that!!)

Speaking of the Miracle Blanket ...

Thinking maybe Little Bug's waking early was due to being tired of being all wrapped up all night long, I decided to see if she would sleep well without the Miracle Blanket for naps. She did fine without it. I gave her the blanket Grace made for her to hold.

We tried putting her to bed without the Miracle Blanket last night and ... BIG MISTAKE!

So Daddy wrapped her in the Miracle Blanket and she was out like a light!

Hopefully soon we will be back to waking AFTER the sunrise!

While waiting for the doctor we …

 

nibbled on toes …

 

ate our blanket … 

 

played with a toy AND …

 

of course, ate the toy …

 

gnawed on fingers …

 

and did some crunches on the scale …

 

(14 pounds 2 ounces)

 

Little Bug had her 6 month check up this week!

The doctor told us she is PERFECTLY on track!

The Baby Itch

Around the time of Little Bug’s birth, I imagined Little Bug hitting the 6 month mark and us getting word to the adoption agency that we are ready for them to start matching us with another birth mom.

Little Bug is 6 months old and I am so not ready to even begin thinking about that process again!

It’s not because I am totally overwhelmed with motherhood. The opposite is true … I absolutely LOVE where my life is right now and I cannot imagine anything better than being a stay-at-home-mom to Little Bug.

She is everything I dreamed having a child would be … and more. And at this point, I just cannot imagine parenting any other child in the world besides her!

This comes as a complete surprise to me as I have always desired to have four children.

I know one day I’ll get that baby-itch again but right now, that is the last thing on my mind!

And, truth be told, emotionally, I am just not ready to embark on the ups and downs of another adoption. It’s a wild ride and considering the fact that my life, for the past two years, has been a wild ride, I am just ready to live a normal life for a while, leaving adventure out of the equation for a while!

I know one day I (we) will be ready to add another member to our family and I definitely want Little Bug to be a big sister!

When that day comes I will stand strong in the Lord and watch His mighty plan unfold yet again.

When we first set out to have a baby, my heart was not softened to the fact that my plans may not be God’s Plan.

I know that when we set out to add a second child to our family, my heart will go at it in surrender to God’s perfect plan from the start.

Even now, I know God has another miracle awaiting. And just like He did with Little Bug, He will perfectly orchestrate every last detail of that child joining our family.

All I have to do is wait in obedience to Him and listen for Him to tell me it’s time.

And in the meantime, savor every day with my precious Little Bug.

It’s Beginning to Look a lot like …

CHRISTmas!!!

 

Little Bug is fascinated by the Christmas Tree lights!

I cannot wait for the year she becomes fascinated with the   CHRISTMAS STORY!

Thanksgiving

We made Grandma Rolls  I have fond memories of making these rolls with my Grandma at Christmas

 

We rocked in the rocking chair my Grandma used to rock me in

 

We did a photo shoot with Little Bug on her 1st Thanksgiving Day

My all-time favorite…The Goofy Face Little Bug makes all the time!

 

We took a cousins picture (my dad’s side of the family)

We took a picture on the bridge in the backyard like we do every year. This year’s picture was extra special! 

 

We enjoyed the beauty of Grandpa’s backyard

 

We took this great picture but somebody is missing …

We helped Grandpa pick a Christmas Tree

 

We experienced a Christmas Tree for the first time

 

We took another cousins picture with those that were present (my mom’s side of the family)

 

 

We enjoyed time with Grandpa!Little Bug will call him “Grandpa G” for Great-Grandpa

 

We saw a gorgeous sunset on the ride home

 

We are thankful for a faithful God and the blessings He has given.

6 months old!

My Little Bug at 6 months old:

• is getting mobile! She now rolls from back to tummy! First time she rolled from back to tummy was on 11/17/09 and my brother was the only one who saw her do it!
• is a very social and very happy baby
• loves to be carried facing the world (she does not like me to carry her on my shoulder because she “can’t see the world”)
• has enjoyed being carried in the front facing carrier (since birth she has never been a sling baby so I love that she now likes this carrier!)
• has this goofy face she makes all the time
• weighs 14 pounds!
• eats 4-5 oz. of formula per bottle
• wears size 3 diapers (she can still fit into size 2 but I’ve gone ahead and moved her up)
• wears 2 size three diapers at night (no leaking!!)
• no teeth!
• had her first taste of solids on 11/11/09 (it was rice cereal and she hated it)
• had her first taste of sweet potatoes a week later and loved them
• played in her jumperoo for the first time and enjoyed it
• still loves walks and bathtime
• can sit supported
• loves music and loves being sung to
• takes three naps a day
• loves Pup
• wore her first clip on hair bow!
• helped her Great-Grandpa pick out his Christmas Tree
• was dedicated to the Lord at our church on 11/15/09

Wow. My baby girl is half a year old. I can’t believe it but it just makes me cherish the days even more because they are flying by.

Six months ago we stood in that delivery room and held Little Bug for the first time. I immediately fell in love with her the moment she was placed in my arms. I couldn’t have imagined loving her more than on that very special day.

But I had absolutely no clue that the love I felt for Little Bug on the day she was born was only a tiny measure of the love I would feel for her on her 6 month birthday.

HAPPY 6 MONTHS, LITTLE BUG!!

*****

I took some absolutely adorable pictures of Little Bug yesterday in my Grandpa’s living room. I got her classic goofy look. I don’t have a way to upload pictures now but I will when we get home. Her 6 month picture with her Pooh Bear will be taken today but I’ll only be able to post it when we get back.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my Grandpa, my dad’s two brothers and their families. Little Bug had a wonderful day being the center of attention as there hasn’t been a baby in this family for 15 years!

Top Five …

… on my “I’m Thankful for” list …

1. The journey of this past year

I’ve gone from ashes to beauty over the past year and it has been one interesting ride. I’m thankful for the faithful Hand of God that lead me every single step of the way. I am thankful that when my plans didn’t match God’s perfect plan it was simply because He had Something More in mind.

2. My husband, Dave

When I think of the circumstances that brought Dave into my life I am astounded once again at the faithful Hand of God at work in my life – constantly at work in my life. I am so thankful that he values me staying home with our daughter just as much as I do. One of the first things we talked about after talking about marriage was how we both felt strongly that when children came along in our marriage, I would stop teaching to stay at home with them. I am so thankful that Dave fulfills the role God designed the man to be – the leader and the provider. He is my best friend.

3. My daughter, Little Bug

Where do I begin? Before Little Bug was born I wondered what she would be like and what she would look like. I never imagined a baby so sweet and a little girl who would actually look like her Mommy and Daddy. I absolutely LOVE spending my days with Little Bug watching her grow and learn new things on a daily basis. She is a complete joy and a constant reminder of a God who still performs miracles.

4. My mother

During those dark days, my mother was my greatest support, besides my husband. She is the one who reminded me of the faithfulness of God and that He had a plan and we just had to wait and see His plan unfold. She prayed for me and pleaded with God on my behalf to make me a mother on a daily basis. My mother is the definition of a prayer warrior. Not only did my mother support me every step of my journey through infertility, but she has supported me and loved me this way since my birth. I am thankful that God gave me a mother and a father who love the Lord and taught their children to love the Lord as well.

5. My family members and friends

I know having such a close knit family that enjoys getting together is a tremendous blessing. I am so incredibly thankful that we have a set time each week to spend time with both my family and Dave’s family. Not only is my immediate family close, but my extended family is too!

My cup overflows with friends. I have friends that I’ve known since childhood/teenager, friends that I’ve recently made and friends that I’ve made through this blog! Each person has touched my life in a way only they could. I am so thankful for friends to laugh with and, yes, to cry with.

I have many people in my life who aren’t technically family members, but they might as well be!

God has blessed my life tremendously by putting every single family member/friend I have in my life to journey with me.

 

Count your many blessings,

name them one by one.

Count your many blessings,

see what God has done.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

We've Made It ... FINALLY!!

Since Little Bug's birth, I've been striving to get her on a consistent eat/wake/sleep routine ... The EASY Routine. It has definitely been a work in progress.

During the month of November, we've made wonderful progress! Little Bug now has a pretty consistent daily routine that makes for a happy baby and a happy Mommy:

7:30am wake up
9:30am nap
11am eat
1:30pm nap
3pm eat
5:30pm nap
6:15pm eat
7:45pm bath
8:15pm (tank up bottle before going to bed...usually only 2oz.)
8:30pm bedtime
11:30pm eat
4-6am (sometimes she will wake to eat during this time - if she does I give her 2oz. and she goes back to bed until 7:30am)

For several months now Little Bug has been doing the EASY Routine. However, the times were never consistent from one day to the next until I set a wake time. She had been waking anywhere from 7:30 - 8:30am. We were not able to have a consistent daily routine until I started waking her every morning at the same time (7:30am)! Now, I do not have to wake her. She wakes up on her own at 7:30am.

So, if you are doing the EASY Routine with your baby and are trying to get him/her on a consistent daily routine, the key is making sure your baby wakes at the same time every day!

When I read about baby waking at the same time every day, I also read that waking at the same time every morning also helps baby start sleeping through the night (if, of course, they are at the age where sleeping through the night is an achievable goal). Sure enough, the week I started waking Little Bug up at the same time every morning was the week she consistently started sleeping through the night (11:30pm - 7:30am)!

Little Bug eats and sleeps within 30 minutes of the times written above. For example, at her 11am feeding, Little Bug eats anywhere from 10:45am to 11:15am. For her afternoon nap Little Bug lays down anywhere from 1:15pm to 1:45pm. This is also key in getting baby on a consistent daily routine. I found that if Little Bug ate or slept outside that 30 minute window it messed up her eating and she wouldn't get enough calories during the day and would wake more in the night for those missed calories. This 30 minute window also allows for some flexibility in baby's routine so that you are not tied down to a schedule.

When you first establish set eating/sleeping times, you may have to wake baby or keep them awake longer before putting them down for a nap. That, however, doesn't last long at all because sooner, rather than later, baby's metabolism and body clock set itself. For example, Little Bug almost always wakes by 11:15am and 3:15pm from her naps to eat. I rarely wake her but when we were really trying to get into this routine, I would have to wake her sometimes. It really is cool how their little bodies regulate over time!

The above routine can now easily be tweaked when Little Bug's eating and sleeping needs change over time. Eventually, she will drop that evening nap and I am thinking her other two nap times will be a little later than they are now. Only time will tell!

I know several of you that read my blog are doing the EASY Routine so I wanted to pass along these tid bits of information I've discovered by trial and error along the way!

Little Bug is (almost) 6 months old and we are just now getting into a consistent daily routine. I think, had I known these key components in getting baby on the EASY Routine, we could have gotten here sooner. But what can you say ... Little Bug is my first (the guinea pig!) and I'll remember what I learned with her for #2! (Which is another reason why I am writing it all down in my blog!) :)

I love the EASY Routine and so does Little Bug ... it really does make for an easy day because both baby and mommy know what is expected when in the day!!

Somebody likes …

… Sweet potatoes!!

Little Bug likes her some sweet potatoes! She only eats about 5-6 bites and then is done. But it’s a start and because she is only 6 months old she doesn’t yet need solids nutritionally speaking so 5 bites is just fine!

I am going to introduce veggies next and then fruits. Once I introduce fruits, I may give rice cereal with fruit mixed in a try.

Any suggestions on what veggie to introduce next??

Exciting Days

Exciting days ahead:

• Thanksgiving at Grandpa’s house with my dad’s side of the family.
• Road trip with my parents, my brother, Dave, Little Bug, Pup, Ellie and me! My dad rented a van and we will be making the trip together.
• Little Bug gets to meet my dad’s side of the family and my mother’s brother’s family!
• Decorating for Christmas once we return!

I LOVE the months of November and December. And this year, it’s just extra special with this little goofball everywhere I look.

And she really is a goofball … just like her Daddy. :)