I feel like I am living in "almost".
I "almost" had a post with pictures a couple days ago, but something happened with our computer and it all disappeared. Wasn't even saved as a draft.
The schedule is "almost" working, but not quite.
Maddox "almost" started to sleep through the night.
He has "almost" outgrown coconut
He is "almost" done nursing
and the list goes on and on and on.
I felt sooo normal before Sat. Happy, energetic, excited about parenting and being home with the kids, and then my period started on Sat. Now I am exhausted beyond belief, crabby, irritable, etc... And Maddox is not falling alseep easily nor is he staying asleep. Skipped his nap yesterday, today has be up on and off throughout his nap, woke up 3 times last night. The last time was at 3:30am.
Who knows why. I am still staying committed to this schedule though. At the very least, Maddox is waking up at the same time every morning. Since my period started I have slept through the alarm every morning. How I miss that alone time in the a.m.
OK, this is a depressing post. I am frustrated though. I think I had realistic expectations, I am just soooo tired of him waking up or not falling asleep. I know I have learned to depend on God through all of this (in ways I never knew were possible) and I am grateful for that and I know God will get me through this and walk along side giving me what I need. And I know God does not live in "almost" he is "always". Thank goodness for that!
It's just that I felt soooo good before Sat. It was amazing to have energy, not be tired or feel like I need to sleep every minute of the day. It will come again I know. I also ran out of my multi-vitamins so that could be contributing. They are loaded with iron and all the B vitamins.
Maddox is much happier though in general and he and Mason are getting along so much better. He is also eating better, so I know the schedule is working and worth sticking with it.
Well, enough griping. Just wanted to update. Little guy woke up and informed me he "is pooping".
big news today: Maddox pooped on the potty chair!!! He was SOOOOOO excited he did a little dance in the bathroom kicking up his heels and everything.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
I really need some pictures
OK. These are boring posts and I know I need some pictures. I'm too tired at night to get them on the computer though. Maybe this weekend.
The schedule continues to go well!Hooray!! And thank you for your encouraging words and for being excited with me about all of this!
Last night Maddox fell asleep at 7:45 and slept until 7:00a.m. Glorious!
He is digging the schedule and remembering the order of events a lot of the time without the pictures. He and Mason are getting along soooo much better. I'm sure a lot of it is because Maddox isn't so bored and they are not left together alone as often. It is hard for me to get up in the a.m. There is something about having the bed to myself after Craig gets up for work. I just love spreading out in those flannel sheets. But, the payoff is too big.
I cannot believe the energy I have and enthusiasm for being with Mason and Maddox. I asked Craig tonight if I seemed "manic", because it was such an immediate change. But he thought I was just being my normal self, which I have not been for so long. I am not used to having energy. It feels wierd.
Today we went to Hoyt Lakes to see Alicia quick. so that changed things up a bit. He ended up taking his nap almost 2 hours later than usual and I had to wake him up 45 minutes into the nap. I felt bad for him, but we did go outside and that helped. He loves the Quiet Time and looks forward to it, which is nice.
I love the quiet time because I get to make lunch and supper in silence. Complete silence. ahhhh. It's a beautiful thing.
and even though today was a pretty "unscheduled" day,Maddox was asleep before 9:00. Hooray!
Mason is sort of liking it. He can't stand the quiet time, even though he can pretty much do whatever he wants. Although he just discovered LarryBoy chapter books, so he has been busy with them. He is also loving the show Rin-Tin-Tin. I found a DVD set with a bunch of seasons on it. He has so much fun watching the show and actually likes the black and white better than color. It is a good show and each show ends with a pretty good cliff hanger.
Maddox has been without TV since Mon or Tue (I can't remember) and that is going well too. We go outside for a hour before his shows start, then we color, then it's quiet time. So far it's going well.
Well, i am tired. Off to bed and hopefully another good night's sleep.
The schedule continues to go well!Hooray!! And thank you for your encouraging words and for being excited with me about all of this!
Last night Maddox fell asleep at 7:45 and slept until 7:00a.m. Glorious!
He is digging the schedule and remembering the order of events a lot of the time without the pictures. He and Mason are getting along soooo much better. I'm sure a lot of it is because Maddox isn't so bored and they are not left together alone as often. It is hard for me to get up in the a.m. There is something about having the bed to myself after Craig gets up for work. I just love spreading out in those flannel sheets. But, the payoff is too big.
I cannot believe the energy I have and enthusiasm for being with Mason and Maddox. I asked Craig tonight if I seemed "manic", because it was such an immediate change. But he thought I was just being my normal self, which I have not been for so long. I am not used to having energy. It feels wierd.
Today we went to Hoyt Lakes to see Alicia quick. so that changed things up a bit. He ended up taking his nap almost 2 hours later than usual and I had to wake him up 45 minutes into the nap. I felt bad for him, but we did go outside and that helped. He loves the Quiet Time and looks forward to it, which is nice.
I love the quiet time because I get to make lunch and supper in silence. Complete silence. ahhhh. It's a beautiful thing.
and even though today was a pretty "unscheduled" day,Maddox was asleep before 9:00. Hooray!
Mason is sort of liking it. He can't stand the quiet time, even though he can pretty much do whatever he wants. Although he just discovered LarryBoy chapter books, so he has been busy with them. He is also loving the show Rin-Tin-Tin. I found a DVD set with a bunch of seasons on it. He has so much fun watching the show and actually likes the black and white better than color. It is a good show and each show ends with a pretty good cliff hanger.
Maddox has been without TV since Mon or Tue (I can't remember) and that is going well too. We go outside for a hour before his shows start, then we color, then it's quiet time. So far it's going well.
Well, i am tired. Off to bed and hopefully another good night's sleep.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Still no Pictures
Ugh. I am too tired to put any pictures on here again. Soon though.
This afternoon went well with the schedule as well. What a difference. Who knew it could be so simple? Not that we didn't have any tantrums or defiance, but I was better able to handle it because the a.m. went so smoothly, and because I had time to myself in the morning before the boys got up. Thank goodness getting up so early was so rewarding. I'm not dreading it tomorrow.
Maddox ate a great supper tonight. Hurray! He had his snack in the time i wanted him to (I have a 1/2 hour leeway for snack..he refused the snack at first, but realized if he wanted to eat something, he had to eat what I offered...which by the way is one of his favorite snacks...the joys of being 2.)
He kept referring to his schedule and carrying it around, even to the point of folding it up and putting it in his "pocket"(the waistband of his sweats). I hope things continue on this way. He still didn't fall asleep until almost 10:00, BUT he wasn't screaming or crying the whole time. Just the last 15 minutes and when Craig went to help him out he asked to be put in the crib ( he hasn't asked for that in a looooong time). I'm sure it will take a while for him to fall asleep early after staying up so late for so long.
The other great thing, because the day went so well, I wasn't as stressed when he didn't fall asleep right away. Glory Day! Thank you God!!! Praying this continues and thank you for the prayers for us over here. The "no TV " thing went well, but only because my nephews came over during the time of the shows he would watch. Tomorrow could be a lot different.
The other neat thing about the schedule, was Maddox was retelling his day at bedtime while referring to his schedule. What a great way for him to talk about things he has done and for me to understand him! happy sigh. I really, really, really hope tomorrow goes as well. i may need to lower my expectations a bit.
The other "change" we are working on is how Mason and Maddox interact with each other. It has been horrendous (spelling?) lately. So, we are taking a week off of school (not completely but really doing less) to work on getting along and how to play with each other. It's "Brother Bootcamp". They just don't know how to play with each other. Maddox is 2 and well, you know how that goes, and Mason expects Maddox to act like a 7 year old and play like one and put the two together and we have the 4th of July over here. All. The. Time.
I know they are not going to be "perfect" and I'm not even going for that, but to be honest, I think I have been just expecting them to get along and leaving them to each other because I have been so tired. And they have fallen into this horrible thing. Hopefully Maddox won't be as destructive as he gets more sleep and hopefully Mason will be able to alter his expectations of Maddox when he is playing with him. We'll see. But I am really trying to be intentional about this to get a handle on it.
Lots of changes going on around here. Time will tell if they are for the better, but I really hope so!
This afternoon went well with the schedule as well. What a difference. Who knew it could be so simple? Not that we didn't have any tantrums or defiance, but I was better able to handle it because the a.m. went so smoothly, and because I had time to myself in the morning before the boys got up. Thank goodness getting up so early was so rewarding. I'm not dreading it tomorrow.
Maddox ate a great supper tonight. Hurray! He had his snack in the time i wanted him to (I have a 1/2 hour leeway for snack..he refused the snack at first, but realized if he wanted to eat something, he had to eat what I offered...which by the way is one of his favorite snacks...the joys of being 2.)
He kept referring to his schedule and carrying it around, even to the point of folding it up and putting it in his "pocket"(the waistband of his sweats). I hope things continue on this way. He still didn't fall asleep until almost 10:00, BUT he wasn't screaming or crying the whole time. Just the last 15 minutes and when Craig went to help him out he asked to be put in the crib ( he hasn't asked for that in a looooong time). I'm sure it will take a while for him to fall asleep early after staying up so late for so long.
The other great thing, because the day went so well, I wasn't as stressed when he didn't fall asleep right away. Glory Day! Thank you God!!! Praying this continues and thank you for the prayers for us over here. The "no TV " thing went well, but only because my nephews came over during the time of the shows he would watch. Tomorrow could be a lot different.
The other neat thing about the schedule, was Maddox was retelling his day at bedtime while referring to his schedule. What a great way for him to talk about things he has done and for me to understand him! happy sigh. I really, really, really hope tomorrow goes as well. i may need to lower my expectations a bit.
The other "change" we are working on is how Mason and Maddox interact with each other. It has been horrendous (spelling?) lately. So, we are taking a week off of school (not completely but really doing less) to work on getting along and how to play with each other. It's "Brother Bootcamp". They just don't know how to play with each other. Maddox is 2 and well, you know how that goes, and Mason expects Maddox to act like a 7 year old and play like one and put the two together and we have the 4th of July over here. All. The. Time.
I know they are not going to be "perfect" and I'm not even going for that, but to be honest, I think I have been just expecting them to get along and leaving them to each other because I have been so tired. And they have fallen into this horrible thing. Hopefully Maddox won't be as destructive as he gets more sleep and hopefully Mason will be able to alter his expectations of Maddox when he is playing with him. We'll see. But I am really trying to be intentional about this to get a handle on it.
Lots of changes going on around here. Time will tell if they are for the better, but I really hope so!
Going Well
So far, so good! Maddox loves his schedule. He keeps going to it and reviewing it. What a difference this a.m. was. I woke him up, he was snuggly, ate breakfast without screaming, and his tantrums decreased by at least 75%. I was able to dress him without fussing and screaming and change his diaper before nap without a problem.
He wasn't thrilled about quiet time, but he did and was so proud when it was over. Kept saying "I do quiet time" over and over.
Mason and Maddox fought much less and I made lunch during their quiet time (they were in separate rooms) and it was amazing!! I actually made a meal without yelling going on. And I was able to make mine too and eat with them and we did our devotional during lunch...which we haven't done in a long time.
Right now Maddox is wide awake in the crib. Maybe the earlier nap time won't work...but he isn't screaming!!! he's playing and talking and singing. Glory Day!! I know the novelty of the schedule is helping things and not every day is going to be this easy, but I am loving this!!
I also loved how I was able to get ready before they woke up! Much better way to start my day. Dressed and fed before the kids.
Now I need to make a schedule for afternoon, since he loved his morning one so much.
Thanks for putting up with these boring posts. I am going to try and add pictures tonight.
And yesterday Craig took the boys out of the house for an hour and half so I could get the house in a bit of order. I had been washing laundry but not folding it or putting it away and the house had literally imploded on itself. It's amazing what a person can get done in 90 minutes without interruptions.
He wasn't thrilled about quiet time, but he did and was so proud when it was over. Kept saying "I do quiet time" over and over.
Mason and Maddox fought much less and I made lunch during their quiet time (they were in separate rooms) and it was amazing!! I actually made a meal without yelling going on. And I was able to make mine too and eat with them and we did our devotional during lunch...which we haven't done in a long time.
Right now Maddox is wide awake in the crib. Maybe the earlier nap time won't work...but he isn't screaming!!! he's playing and talking and singing. Glory Day!! I know the novelty of the schedule is helping things and not every day is going to be this easy, but I am loving this!!
I also loved how I was able to get ready before they woke up! Much better way to start my day. Dressed and fed before the kids.
Now I need to make a schedule for afternoon, since he loved his morning one so much.
Thanks for putting up with these boring posts. I am going to try and add pictures tonight.
And yesterday Craig took the boys out of the house for an hour and half so I could get the house in a bit of order. I had been washing laundry but not folding it or putting it away and the house had literally imploded on itself. It's amazing what a person can get done in 90 minutes without interruptions.
Baby Steps
I haven't exactly followed the schedule from the last post.
Well, I woke up at 6:30, but stayed in bed until almost 7:00. It is now 7:30 and I am just finishing breakfast before waking up Maddox. I actually got ready in peace and quiet. It was amazing! I even added a little curl to my hair this morning and took 25 minutes to get ready slowly instead of rushing through 15 minutes with the boys arguing or our little one hanging on my legs.
I am going up to wake Maddox in a couple minutes. i think I'll wake him at 7:30 instead of 7:00 for now. I think that will be easier for him. I can't tell you how hard it is for me to wake him up. To see that little boy actually sleeping, and then have to wake him up is painful.
Last night he fell asleep at 9:00 and got up at 3:00a.m., but he was easy to console. He woke up saying "I want to eat". because he didn't eat supper and only had a small snack before bed. He settled for some water though.
OK, I am putting off the inevitable (I'm sure I butchered that word). I am heading up to wake him now. I pray this is the start of refreshing sleep around here and the end of tired black bags under my eyes.
Well, I woke up at 6:30, but stayed in bed until almost 7:00. It is now 7:30 and I am just finishing breakfast before waking up Maddox. I actually got ready in peace and quiet. It was amazing! I even added a little curl to my hair this morning and took 25 minutes to get ready slowly instead of rushing through 15 minutes with the boys arguing or our little one hanging on my legs.
I am going up to wake Maddox in a couple minutes. i think I'll wake him at 7:30 instead of 7:00 for now. I think that will be easier for him. I can't tell you how hard it is for me to wake him up. To see that little boy actually sleeping, and then have to wake him up is painful.
Last night he fell asleep at 9:00 and got up at 3:00a.m., but he was easy to console. He woke up saying "I want to eat". because he didn't eat supper and only had a small snack before bed. He settled for some water though.
OK, I am putting off the inevitable (I'm sure I butchered that word). I am heading up to wake him now. I pray this is the start of refreshing sleep around here and the end of tired black bags under my eyes.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Everything Changes
We are going to start some changes around here to help Maddox learn how to sleep. I've been taking a look at our schedule around here and his sleeping habits and such. I also started reading "Sleepless in America" by Mary Sheedy Karckina (I think I spelled that wrong). I really liked her book "Raising the Spirited Child" and I like the sleepless one too.
Some observations of mine: Maddox does not have a regular wake-up time. Sometimes it's 6:30, 7:00, 7:30. 8:00 or 9:00. It's all over the board. I have been too tired to get up before him and wake him up at a regular time each morning.
He doesn't seem to have a regular time that he is hungry and we have a pretty regular eating schedule, except his hunger doesn't always fit with our schedule.
If he doesn't get some good exercise in the morning and afternoon he has a hard time falling asleep.
He has been watching an hour of TV from 4:30-5:30 while I get supper ready.
Craig and I have been talking about getting a regular wake-up time for Maddox and waking him up at that time no matter what. After reading parts of the book, it confirms what we have been thinking about that. SOOOOO that means that no matter how tired I am, I MUST get up at 6:30 to get dressed and then wake him up at 7:00. (that is the time we came up with). When Mason was this age, I was working everyother day, so he naturally had a regular wake up time and I kept up with the wake up time so it wouldn't be too hard for him on the days I worked. (It was 6:30). So, being a regulated child to begin with and having a regular schedule helped him to fall asleep and stay asleep.
The book also talked about not "lolling around in the morning" The body needs to know that when there is light, it is supposed to wake up and get moving. We loll around all the time, unless we have to be somewhere. We really don't have a "schedule" for the morning and I have noticed how badly it is hurting him. I just need to get over being tired and get moving.
SOOO that means I am coming up with a morning schedule. We tried one out today and it went pretty well....hold on. He's screaming upstairs, I should check this one out.....OK. He had taken his pj's off and couldn't get them back on and was freaked out. Hopefully he will fall asleep soon.
the a.m. schedule went pretty well. I am going to make pictures for the schedule so he can follow along. i think I did this when Mason was around this age with him and that worked well. for both of us.
Our other big problem is he is not eating much at supper and then as we get him ready for bed he says he's hungry and cries. If we don't feed him, he will stay up for hours crying off and on about it. If we feed him, he gets revved up and stays up for hours but doesn't cry as much. You see the dilema. How do we get him feeling hungry at supper? I am going to try and make his nap a little earlier, make sure he is awake by 2:30, snack by 3:00 and maybe he'll be ready to eat at 5:30.
I don't know if this is going to work. I am going to try it for 3 weeks. I am also going to stop letting him watch t.v. (gulp!) to see if that will help too. It doesn't affect Mason, but maybe it is Maddox.
I really think that because he was so incredibly miserable for so long and couldn't sleep that he never really figured out how to sleep and his body never really got a body clock going. It's all a mess. Although, before he got that cold at 3 weeks old and the allergies kicked in, he was regular. He could put himself asleep and did. He went down at the same time each night, and for nap and got up to eat every 4 hours and went right back to sleep. i would put him in the bassinet awake and he would fall asleep on his own.
I think the eczema and allergies make it hard for him to settle down. Which makes me angry and sad. (I realize this is a pretty boring post. I just needed to get it all down and know that others know what I am going to try so I actually do it.) I am hoping that if he is able to actually sleep, he will be a happier little guy.
I really think he is happy by nature, but being tired all the time makes it so hard for him. Yes he is 2, and 2 year olds can be really tough, but this is beyond that. The meltdowns and tears and frustration and irritation are so much more. I feel like I have more negative interactions with him than positive ones, and it has been that way most of his life.
The other thing is that he has had a cold for a week now. No runny nose or fever, but he has been plugged. He hasn't been able to drink from a glass without coming up for air, or use his pacifier, so we have had to rock him to sleep and get up with him several times during the night and hold him upright so he could be comfortable and sleep. This is not helping the sleep issue. Tonight he is breathing out of his nose, so hopefully that will help. Yesterday I tried nose drops and it seemed to help break up the snot.
Tomorrow is the 1st day of me getting up at 6:30. I'm a little scared. I do get up at the time and earlier if I fill in for work, so I know I can do it. This is my job, and right now the priority is getting Maddox some sleep and the rest of us sleep. I pray this works.
Some observations of mine: Maddox does not have a regular wake-up time. Sometimes it's 6:30, 7:00, 7:30. 8:00 or 9:00. It's all over the board. I have been too tired to get up before him and wake him up at a regular time each morning.
He doesn't seem to have a regular time that he is hungry and we have a pretty regular eating schedule, except his hunger doesn't always fit with our schedule.
If he doesn't get some good exercise in the morning and afternoon he has a hard time falling asleep.
He has been watching an hour of TV from 4:30-5:30 while I get supper ready.
Craig and I have been talking about getting a regular wake-up time for Maddox and waking him up at that time no matter what. After reading parts of the book, it confirms what we have been thinking about that. SOOOOO that means that no matter how tired I am, I MUST get up at 6:30 to get dressed and then wake him up at 7:00. (that is the time we came up with). When Mason was this age, I was working everyother day, so he naturally had a regular wake up time and I kept up with the wake up time so it wouldn't be too hard for him on the days I worked. (It was 6:30). So, being a regulated child to begin with and having a regular schedule helped him to fall asleep and stay asleep.
The book also talked about not "lolling around in the morning" The body needs to know that when there is light, it is supposed to wake up and get moving. We loll around all the time, unless we have to be somewhere. We really don't have a "schedule" for the morning and I have noticed how badly it is hurting him. I just need to get over being tired and get moving.
SOOO that means I am coming up with a morning schedule. We tried one out today and it went pretty well....hold on. He's screaming upstairs, I should check this one out.....OK. He had taken his pj's off and couldn't get them back on and was freaked out. Hopefully he will fall asleep soon.
the a.m. schedule went pretty well. I am going to make pictures for the schedule so he can follow along. i think I did this when Mason was around this age with him and that worked well. for both of us.
Our other big problem is he is not eating much at supper and then as we get him ready for bed he says he's hungry and cries. If we don't feed him, he will stay up for hours crying off and on about it. If we feed him, he gets revved up and stays up for hours but doesn't cry as much. You see the dilema. How do we get him feeling hungry at supper? I am going to try and make his nap a little earlier, make sure he is awake by 2:30, snack by 3:00 and maybe he'll be ready to eat at 5:30.
I don't know if this is going to work. I am going to try it for 3 weeks. I am also going to stop letting him watch t.v. (gulp!) to see if that will help too. It doesn't affect Mason, but maybe it is Maddox.
I really think that because he was so incredibly miserable for so long and couldn't sleep that he never really figured out how to sleep and his body never really got a body clock going. It's all a mess. Although, before he got that cold at 3 weeks old and the allergies kicked in, he was regular. He could put himself asleep and did. He went down at the same time each night, and for nap and got up to eat every 4 hours and went right back to sleep. i would put him in the bassinet awake and he would fall asleep on his own.
I think the eczema and allergies make it hard for him to settle down. Which makes me angry and sad. (I realize this is a pretty boring post. I just needed to get it all down and know that others know what I am going to try so I actually do it.) I am hoping that if he is able to actually sleep, he will be a happier little guy.
I really think he is happy by nature, but being tired all the time makes it so hard for him. Yes he is 2, and 2 year olds can be really tough, but this is beyond that. The meltdowns and tears and frustration and irritation are so much more. I feel like I have more negative interactions with him than positive ones, and it has been that way most of his life.
The other thing is that he has had a cold for a week now. No runny nose or fever, but he has been plugged. He hasn't been able to drink from a glass without coming up for air, or use his pacifier, so we have had to rock him to sleep and get up with him several times during the night and hold him upright so he could be comfortable and sleep. This is not helping the sleep issue. Tonight he is breathing out of his nose, so hopefully that will help. Yesterday I tried nose drops and it seemed to help break up the snot.
Tomorrow is the 1st day of me getting up at 6:30. I'm a little scared. I do get up at the time and earlier if I fill in for work, so I know I can do it. This is my job, and right now the priority is getting Maddox some sleep and the rest of us sleep. I pray this works.
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