Sleeping

Since my boy was sick yesterday and was quite the fuss pot today I'm gonna make this Topic Thursday kinda short.

Since the second Oliver was born he has this magical baby power over me. He can somehow sneeze and I wake instantly. Even while I sleep his very movement is captured by sleepy eyes and soothed until he falls peacefully a sleep. He sleeps like an angel, and sometimes not at all. His sleep is effected by the smallest noise and dimest of lights. He can't be tricked or rocked to sleep. He is wise beyond his years...or months rather.
Getting Ollie to sleep nowadays is like an Olympic sport, and I should be a gold medalist. He wakes at 8-9am and by 11-12 he's ready for a nap. Try telling him that. I'll nurse him to sleep and would rather be trapped with him a sleep on my lap then risk the chance of him waking by moving him. Too many times have I almost sobbed when he's gone into his swing only to open his eyes seconds after being put down. He's a cuddly guy, and that's all he wants....day and night. Afternoon naps are almost impossible. They're like a lunar eclipse; seen few times and AMAZING. When he has growth spurts, like now, I feel like these things you call "naps" are some rare bird that lives far away, one I'll only see in a zoo or on tv.
Naps are a walk in the park compared to the main event of nighttime sleep. I use to be greatful for the fact he started sleeping through the nights at 3 weeks. Then I had to start co-sleeping with him and realized I'd rather go back to waking every 2 hours and being awake for an hour inbetween. It was easier then. Co-sleeping with him was killing my back and racking my brain. I'd wake and check to see if he was ok every, oh 5 minutes... It was exhausting...
Now Oliver sleeps in his co-sleeper. It's easier on my back and my brain. He sleeps better and I can still obessively watch him breathe while he sleeps. Maybe one day We'll get him to sleep in his bassinet, during the DAY and night. I'm pretty sure that day will go down in history as the "best day ever".

Daily Life

Ollie is 14 weeks today, hard to believe. I use to think right after Ollie was born that there was no way we've ever have a "schedule" again. But like with most things baby related it just took time. Now at 14 weeks, after some trial and error, I can safetly say, we have a schedule. Kinda. Of course it varies every so often, throwing us curveballs such as last minute doctors appointments, sparactic grocery shopping, and the ever so fun last minute Walmart shopping trip. Even our trips to the grandparents have begun to sing the same song. We get there, they hold him, we eat, go shopping, he sleeps, we eat again, he fusses, we leave. At least our daily schedule involves more stradegy, then uncertainty.


Everyday somewhere between 8-9am our little dude wakes us. We change him and play with him a bit, then I feed him breakfast, which is usually 30-40 minutes of boob. He usually falls a sleep for a good hour-hour and a half, while I sip coffee and watch awful morning public tv. When Oliver wakes up, usually his morning poop, he gets changed again, and put into clothes then gets "brunch". After about an hour or so of eating he takes a light nap while I eat lunch/fold laundry/ do whatever needs to be done. Our afternoons consist of more nursing, playtime, attempts at tummy time, chores, and another nap or 2, depending on what his night was like (he sleeps through the night once he actually GETS a sleep!). Dinner is always a mess. I start around 5-6, and by the time were ready to eat, Ollie is screaming and just unhappy. The only cure for that is more boob. Sometimes I'll nurse while eating, or wait till it's cold, I can't remember the last meal I ate *hot* without him screaming. After dinner we hangout with him and depending on if he had one the day before, he gets a bath. After the bath he goes into his night time diaper and sleep sack and gets nursed again. He'll fall sleep but wake at least 2-3 times before "bed" to nurse a little more. I'm guilty of letting him sleep on the bobby on my lap. He's never had a nap in his bassinet, but he does frequently sleep in his swing/seat throughout the day. Around 12 we take him into our room and put him to sleep in his co-sleeper. He usually wakes up at 4 or 5 am to be changed. I like our schedule, it's not perfect, but it works for us.


Our weekends are about the same as the weekdays. The only difference being is sometimes we travel out to my patents house in Lancaster. It's about an hour and a half away. Ollie sleeps the whole way there, which can mess up his sleep schedule if leaving time isn't planned right. Most of out time there is spent hanging around the house or going to the local Amish markets nearby. It's really cool they live so close to one of the best grocery stores and smorgasbords in PA, Shady Maple. We went there right before Christmas for breakfast and it was INCREDIBLE. I ate at least 8 turkey sausages stuffed with cheese...and I'm not ashamed to say it. The grocery store is also like nothing I've ever seen. They have over 300 different hot items you can take home, not to mention an enormous spice section and a bakery with every pie/cake/muffin you can imagine. If you're ever in Lancaster,PA I highly recommend going there!


Cilantro and walnut "pesto" crusted pork medalions with red wine reduction, maple and sugar baked yams with romano, and ceaser salad with dried cranberries.


Coconut curry chicken with sweet potatos and cranberries, over jasmine rice.

We love food. Even more so "ethnic" foods of all types. I've always loved cooking and baking but just recently got in to cooking Indian, Thai, Mexican, Japanese and Korean food. I can't get enough of it. I still cook tons of "American" based dishes too, just the another night we had Tuna noodle casserole...not my first choice. I like doing fushions as well, even if they don't always really "fuze" together. You may thinking "wait you have a 3 month old baby, how do you have time to cook like that?!", well I'll tell you...PLANNING HOURS AHEAD. Sometimes days. I plan the meal, thaw what I need, and throughout the day come up with how to cook it and what to pair it with. But trust me when I say, I totally have those days where I'm like "make yourself a sandwich babe, I'm not cooking.". Some days just get the best of your free time to even cook some mac n cheese.



Ollie's obsessed with these rings his Aunt Aubrie got him. They go straight in his mouth every time he gets one in his hand. I can't believe how good he is at holding his head up already. He amazes me more and more everyday.
<3

Backstory

Last night was horrible. Today...was better. Last night Ollie refused to go to sleep at first, then passed out in my arms. Thev I woke up with him in my arms at 2:30am with the lights on, and Dave was passed out cold. So I woke Dave up to put him in the bassinet and of course he woke up and didn't want to be in the co-sleeper...only my arms. Can't lie and say I don't love holding my little guy to sleep.



Maybe I should give you guys a back story on Ollie thus far. He's 3 months and 4 days or 13 1/2 weeks. Born he was 8lbs, 21in even. Now he's 12lbs, 27 inches. He's exclusively breastfeed, but the first 2 weeks he was supplmented due to latch on problems, milk delay, and me being scared. I LOVE breastfeeding, it has been amazing. Not perfect by far though, I have to use a nipple shield everytime, which sucks. He won't take the nipple without it. Were co-sleepers, not completely by choice. For the first 3 weeks home he slept in his swing/seat in a swaddle. He hates to be swaddled, hates open spaces and the newborn body contour....so our bassinet sits un-used. I will admit I also have an EXTREME fear of SIDS and choking and anything else my little mind will scare me into thinking will happen. So we went out and bought the Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper. From the beginning of November to Thanksgiving. Then when were at my parents, his first trip away, he freaaakkeedd out, refused to sleep in it and ended up in my arms. I gave in for a month, for our sanity and sleep. But since Christmas I've been trying EVERY night to get him to sleep in it. There's been progress, but some nights like last, he'll regress.


He's been playing and rolling so much more. And he's been trying to talk and blow raspberries. He has a few games he'll play with us and things we can say or sing that make him squeal. His smiles are the best. I can see two little teeth nubs on his bottom row of gums. If he's teething it would explain the constant fist eating and drooling. I'm hoping tonight will bring more sleep! Wish us luck...