Lovey dovey

Worn Out

We are all a bit tired from all the fun and excitement in Florida. Naptime for all. One last day of fun and a day of travel ahead tomorrow.

Animal Charades

Kate as a frog. :)

Merry Christmas from Florida!

Jesus liked fish, right?

Santa

There was crazy excitement today over Santa. Well, and everything else. The day started with a fishing trip. Jacob and I hung back so pics and more on that later.  Then there was two hours of trying to get missy to calm down enough for a nap. Then a nap. Then making maple cookies for Santa.

Then we braved taking three kids to Mass. We were obviously from out of town. For one thing we were five shades paler than anyone else in the church. For another, we were dressed up while everyone else had on t shirts and shorts. Texans and Floridians don't mix I guess. Two kids fell asleep during the service and one was enormously patient (Kate) . Afterwards we came home, had the Griesemer traditional shrimp dinner, each kid opened a present each, and then two hours later they are finally asleep.

Kate kept telling me how excited she was Santa is coming. I just found out that Santa took a gift out of the box to fit it in the suitcase and didn't pack the instructions for assembly...this could be ugly...

Sent from my Kindle Fire

Ah, Christmas

The times of giving... and playing in boxes...



What kills me about this video is Jacob just sits and watches.  Every once in a while he tries to get a toy that Paul has but just kinda takes it all in.

Thanks to Daddy

Paul is totally the one who did the sleep training this go round.  We had success, then a week of a cold (I gave in and nursed) and then retraining.  We couldn't figure it out though.  He would go down exhausted at 6:30pm, then wake at 7:30pm and cry until 8:30pm and then go to sleep.  For three nights.  Finally we just put him to bed at 8:30pm and voila!  Why didn't we figure that out earlier?  Now he's sleeping from 8pm - 10:30pm, we wake up to nurse (Which I'm about to drop because he doesn't even really eat), and then he wakes up at 6:30am for the day.  I think he'd sleep longer but no one can sleep through Kate banging around.

Working Backwards

Since I'm so behind, what is there to do but just go backwards.

Tonight we drove around and looked at Christmas lights.  Kate loved a few houses so much she and Daddy P got out to walk around.  It was adorable.

I went to the doctor today.  Saturday I went from feeling fine to within an hour throwing up.  Four days later, and still feeling shitty, I went to the doc.  Turns out I have vertigo.  Something about crystals in my ears acting like a snowglobe.  Whatever.  Apparently it's related to my migraines (because going blind isn't enough, but now I get to get intensely, fall-over dizzy once in a while and then so sick I throw up).  But, frankly, I was happy that he didn't say "tumor" or "pregnant" so we're all good.

Treatment, you ask?  I kid you not, the doctor said, go watch youtube videos and do the roll they tell you to.



It helped.  Hard to believe it, but it did.  Still there, so I'll try again tomorrow.  Doc said it shouldn't last more than a week at a time anyway, and we're creeping up on that timeline.

Coincidentally, Daddy P randomly had a fever two days ago.  For a while we assumed I had food poisoning, then the flu, and now... well, now I'm just dizzy I guess.  Daddy P never slowed down when he was "sick" -- I say "sick" because although he had a fever he was acting in good spirits and was more productive than he is when he's "well"!

First Meal Sitting

Jacob joins us tonight!

Daddy is done!

Semester is over! Time to play!

Sleep Training

So, after Paul winged the sleep training several weeks ago, we regressed due to colds and laziness and Jacob started again nursing every 2-4 hours all night long.  Four hours got to be a "good" stretch... which was showing up in my short temper and lack of patience.  I came home Saturday and broke down.  After working all day I had no patience left for my own children and was in tears as I realized that I was not the mom I wanted to be or knew I could be.  I have already adjusted the work piece and will shift to a TThFSat schedule starting in January.  (Right now I am working every day but Sunday... stupid, I know, but it just kinda happened in the name of saving money...)

The second piece, was getting Jacob to sleep.  I bought the Ferber book, read it Friday night during my nursings all night long, and then... well, we got home from a "date night" Saturday night at 10pm and he was still awake.  He was exhausted, a wreck, and wouldn't go to sleep because he was so wired.  Paul had taken Benedryl due to allergy problems, and I was alone with the kid, so... sleep training started!

Ferber says to go in after varying times, for no longer than 2 minutes, to soothe the baby without picking them up or stimulating them.
Night #1:  Cried for 3 minutes (then patted him and sang for two), 5 minutes, 7 minutes, 7 minutes and then fell asleep after the next 4 minutes
Slept from 11pm to 5am.  Nursed, went back to sleep until 7am.
Nap #1 Cried for 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 7 minutes, then fell asleep at 4 minutes.  Slept for 1.5 hours (longer than his usual 30 minute nap!)
Nap #2 cried for 3 minutes, then 5 minutes, then asleep after 1 minute.  Again, a 1.5 hour nap.
Nap #3 I wasn't around for, but Paul said it went well and lasted 45 minutes.

Night #2
Nursed to sleep.  OOPS!  I didn't realize he wanted to sleep but thought he was only hungry.  Tried to rouse him, but he was out at 8pm.  Work up at 9pm raring to go.  Apparently he thought that was a nap.
at 9pm, cried for 5 minutes, 7, 10, 10, and then asleep after 5 of the next 10.  It was longer, but I blame the nursing to sleep and the fake nap.
Day #2 Nap #1 Didn't cry at all!!!  He fussed a little for about 5 minutes and fell asleep.  He's been asleep for two hours!

Hopefully tonight will go better.  The book recommended shifting his last nap later to get rid of the 7 or 8pm "fake nap"... and also shifting "bedtime" a little later, too... we'll see how it works!

Ooooooh, Freak Out!

Kate and I were having a lovely Mom and Kate afternoon (see previous post).  We'd stopped at Walmart to get Daddy P some allergy medication and see if there were any cheap pants that fit Kate.  Standing at the counter, my phone rings and I (because I'm a loser who still doesn't know whether up or down means answer) answer my phone and then say "I'll call you back" and hang up to Paul since I'm mid-sentence with the pharmacist.  When I do call back I find out Jacob is a little pink and reacting to the formula Paul had given him. We had decided to try a bottle of formula to give me a break once a day.

I get a call back 10 minutes later that Paul is on his way to the ER because the swelling has gotten worse, and the nurse on call at the pediatrician's office said to take him to the ER immediately.

Paul got there and decided not to check in.  By then the swelling was mostly down and only some pink spots remained.  He still has a couple spots, but is doing fine.

We're under strict orders not to feed him anything besides breastmilk and to go the doctor asap this week.

A mama never gets a break...

Mommy and Kate afternoon

I said how much fun I was having. She said, "there's no crying"

Shopping and yogurt. Yum.

Decorating

Finally got out our Christmas gear, which is a sure fire way to make mama happy. Jacob's first Christmas is off to an awesome start. Kate is great decorator and enjoying being such a big help and big sister.

Upon completion, she remarked to Daddy, "Daddy, I'm impressed with you."

Couldn't stop laughing.

5 months!

Can you tell he's almost 17 lbs??