Baby Wise

Madelyn is now five weeks old. One would think that by this point in time, we would have a normal routine and she would be sleeping most of the night. Ella did. But, Madelyn is not sleeping well at night. She still wakes up to eat every three hours and she has trouble falling back asleep on her own. I've asked myself, what am I doing wrong with this baby? I've turned into a fatigued and weary mom, and I don't like it.

Last night I pulled out the book, Baby Wise, which is a fabulous sleep reference guide that I used with Ella. I reread the important chapters and fell asleep last night with a new resolve. We can do this! I think I've been unfocused and unstructured the past month. So here is my new plan. I'm writing this more for me than for you, but feel free to hold me accountable or ask me how it's going.

1 - I'm going to focus on making sure Madelyn gets a full feeding at each feeding time, about every 3 hours. No snacking in between meals and no falling asleep while eating. This part should be the easiest for me to do, cause she is really nursing great now.

2 - During the daytime hours, I'm going to keep Maddy awake for 30 minutes after she has eaten. Usually changing her diaper will help her to wake up and stay alert. We can spend this time rocking, visiting friends, tummy time, bathing, family time... you get the picture.

3 - Next, I will try my hardest to always put the baby down for a nap while she is still awake. It's ok if she needs to cry for a few minutes in the process of settling herself to sleep. Even though I want to hold, rock, or feed her at this time, it will only lead to a fussy baby who cannot fall asleep on her own or sleep through the night.

The above, feed-wake-sleep cycle repeats itself. The only thing that changes at night is that you eliminate the awake time. Just feed, change the baby's diaper, and put her back in bed... awake. I really should stop using the bassinet and start using the crib in the nursery. Then I won't wake up at every grunt, sigh, or whine the baby makes.

I'm giving myself three weeks to try this. If I follow these principles, within three weeks the baby should drop her nighttime feedings and begin sleeping seven to eight hours continuously. That would be heavenly! I'll let you know if it works :)

Welcome to the family, Lily!

This weekend I took the girls to Ft. Wayne for the weekend to escape the paint fumes in our house. Tyler has been busy sanding, priming, and painting our new kitchen cabinets. The day before we were going to leave, my sister Michelle had her baby... a week early. What perfect timing so that we could all spend some time together. Below is my sister Michelle and her husband Michael with their baby daughter, Lily Isabelle.


















Cousins Maddie and Lily meet for the first time.

Lily, only a few days old, sleeps through everything.



















Ella still loves babies! She loves to give me the alert if the baby is crying or needs something.

Our Sleeping Beauty

Home for Two Weeks

We've been getting used to having two kids now instead of one... really we have three kids if you count our dog, Gray. Things have been busy around here. The past week Ella decided that she didn't need to take naps anymore. She needed my love and attention ALL the time and was very crabby in the afternoon and evenings. Today, she is finally taking a nap!!! This gives me time to blog. Yeah!

Ella loves her baby sister and likes to hold her, help change her diaper, and give her a nuk nuk. Ella even shares her favorite Duck with baby which is a super sign, since she won't even share Duck with Mom. We have to keep a close watch when Ella and Maddie are in the same room because Ella likes to share her other toys too, like Mr. Potato head and her favorite books... even when baby is sleeping.

Madelyn is getting used to her new home. She doesn't seem to mind when Gray barks at the "strangers" outside, or when Daddy uses his power tools in the addition. She sleeps all the time it seems! When she does awaken, she is hungry and ready to eat. The doctor says she is doing really well. Our tiny baby who measured only in the 9th percentile in the womb is now in the 50th percentile. She is currently 20 1/2 inches long. No, she couldn't have really grown 2 1/2 inches in 2 weeks. She probably was longer than 18 inches when she was born. And her current weight is 7 pounds, 4.5 ounces. Go baby! She's nursing well (finally!!) and can sleep for more than 2 hours in a row.

We've been very blessed with great neighbors and friends who have kept us well fed. Thanks for all the yummy meals! It sure has helped us tremendously. And we have enjoyed your visits. I especially enjoy the adult interaction. It's a long day at home with the two girls. I'm trying to limit our time outside the house because there are so many winter germs going around right now. The doctor wants baby Madelyn to stay away from public places until she is two months old, so she can stay healthy.