We're Getting There

So...sleep has been going a bit better. I've begun topping off S with a few ounces of formula after every feeding. It takes a bit of time, but I'm finding a full belly all day long helps with the sleep at night more than just a top off in the evening. After some feedings he takes an extra ounce, after others he takes 3. It just depends. But, the important thing is we are back to sleeping til 5:30 or 6...and on 2 occasions a little bit later. Phew.

Sleeeeeeep...I miss it.

So. Sawyer will be 6 months in less than a week. And I hate to admit it, but I am still up once for feeding with him each night. Yes, there have been 3 days in the past 175 that he has slept until after 6 a.m. but they are few and far between.

This is new ground for me. Grayson was sleeping through the night every couple nights at 2 1/2 months. Then at 4 months I did a little tough love and over the course of 3 nights he cried it out and dropped it. Night 1 - 20 minutes, Night 2 - 10 minutes, Night 3 - 3 minutes. Pssht. Easy peasy.

Sawyer, well he's got a whoooole different attitude. Crying it out simply doesn't work. Or maybe I'm just not letting him go long enough. I've let him go up to 1:15 minutes before. Boy was that tough. And the end result was only me being up for that whole hour and fifteen minutes and listening to him wail...then tagging on another 30 minutes of no sleep to feed him. So lately, yes, I've gotten a bit softer. I let him go 30 minutes tops and I get in there and feed him, cause let's be honest. I. want. to. sleep. And once he's fed, he's happy and will go back to sleep til anywhere between 7 and 8:30.

But I'm tired. And I'm done. And I've tried it all. He's been topped off with formula. Been given rice cereal. We've played paci tag. None of it seems to work. He's quite stubborn.

Honestly I'm half tempted to just stop breastfeeding altogether to see if a few days of full on formula make his belly nice and full and make him happier and sleepier. (And i love breastfeeding...so this is saying a lot).

Now....I will say this - he goes to bed super early. I've tried keeping him up later to see if it makes a difference and it doesn't. So he has kept his 6:30/7:00 bedtime going down at the same time as his big brother. So this is nice. No complaints there since I get a few hours of quiet adult time each evening. But, depending on the night, he will be up screaming anytime from 3:30 to 5:30. There really is no consistency. And 5:30 I really don't mind. At all. But he seems to be rarely making it there these days. A little regression perhaps? He knows his mama is a little bit of a softy in her older age?

Any advice for a fellow mama here? I just want some sleep.

(oh and p.s. - as i'm typing this he also has totally boycotted naptime today. arghhhhhh!!!!)

Christmas is Almost Here!

Yes, I know I've been a very very bad blogger of late. Getting started on my New Year's resolution a little bit early, and am planning on being more active around here. There is so much to catch you up on, Gall Bladder surgery, Sawyer's growing up, being re-hospitalized after surgery, etc., etc., - but I will save that for later. For now, Merry Christmas from my beautiful boys!

The Santa Pic. Yes I am that mom that tortures her 2 year old and puts him on Santa's lap then runs.

My beautiful baby boy with a smile that will melt your heart. Can't believe he's 5 months already!

My big boy in his "Shanta Kwaus" hat.

Christmas card shot #1. Please excuse the snot dripping from G's nose...colds season is here.

Christmas Card shot #2. I love my sweet boys!

Today I remember

Oct 15 2006. Worst day of my life to date.
Due date of baby #1 - Loss date of baby #2.

Time heals, and so do my boys Grayson and Sawyer. But nothing will ever make me forget. And I can't imagine an Oct 15 rolling around without remembrance and tears.

Also, today another blogger I read lost a baby at 18 weeks - please give her some love over here: http://www.couponingtodisney.com/2010/10/15/i-lost-the-baby/

Travel Week Highs and Lows

We spent a week on the road and in the air....traveling first by plane to Michigan for a cousin's wedding and then by car to Ocean City, MD. Sunday of Labor Day weekend was quite the day as we woke up in Detroit, flew to Virginia and drove to the beach - with an ER stop for Grayson - he had a bad cough that they diagnosed as pertussis. Which ended up being a misdiagnosis. On Wednesday we were back at the ER because he was getting worse and had a 103 fever. Chest xrays revealed a mild case of pneumonia. An antibiotic shot and prescription in hand, we were sent on our way. Thankfully he started to immediately improve and was even able to enjoy the sand at the beach on our last day.

Here are the highs...and lows of the trip....

doing his "funny face"

whatchyou lookin at mommy?

even the dog enjoyed sunbathing on the deck

the entire town was sold out of plastic or inflatable pools - so we improvised with an underbed storage container - and he didn't know the difference!

At the ER...passed out and sweetly pathetic

so sick he couldn't even bring himself to eat his donut

failed attempt at matching pj's pic....grayson wouldn't stay still

sawyer!

cutest lil footprints ever

playing in the sand

Chasing the birds

Jump!

Lining up his shot

He really didn't want to leave putt putt

enjoying the sunset on our last night

Goodbye ocean city! Hope to see you again soon!

I'm sure this will backfire on me, but....

I know that me speaking of this will backfire on me, but I just have to say I'm so proud of my little fella. He slept 10 hours straight last night! 1-0. Wow! He went down at 7:30 and didn't wake up til 5:30. Momma went down at 9:30 and slept til 5:30 (8 hours of sleep? unheard of for me!). It was a dream.

When he went back down at 6 I was actually rested enough to stay up and get some stuff down around the house before Grayson woke up. Heavenly is the only word to describe it.

And now that I've spoken of it, I'm prepared for a night of every hour on the hour feedings tonight. ;-)

Post Pregnancy Weight Loss Tip

Anyone out there looking for the secret to weight loss after baby? The answer is apparently gall stones. :-)

Over the past couple weeks between the stomach problems and the new diet I have to live by in order to stay pain free, the pounds are falling off. I've gotta say I can't complain. The pain I had was horrendous....but the vanity in me thinks it was almost (but not quite) worth it for what I'm seeing on the scale.

Pounds put on with pregnancy: 50. Pounds currently down: 35. Fifteen to go is still quite a bit....but I wasn't down this far after Grayson til he was almost a year old. It was a looooong journey of weight loss for me last time. So this is a nice change...albeit for a crappy (haha...no pun intended) reason.

I met with the surgeon on Friday and the gall bladder is definitely coming out. Probably around the 15th or so of the month (exact date tbd later this week). So for 2 1/2 more weeks I am living on the most boring, bland, lowfat diet ever. I really am starving and going crazy. But the results on the scale help keep me sane. And the great thing is, since I changed the way I eat last weekend I haven't had any pain. Phew. I don't think I could live with that another day even.

So for now, I'm cranky and hungry....but slightly smaller. Which is almost kinda sorta worth it.