It's been awhile...

I realized tonight that it has been a few weeks since I have updated my blog!  It has been a busy few weeks as the holidays usually are :)   My grandmother has been sick so we had to travel to New Jersey.  It was Mark's first plane ride and he was such a good boy!  Everyone complimented me on what a well behaved little boy I have!  I was very proud :)  Mark also turned 5 months and started eating rice cereal!  He loves it :)  He is such a good boy and opens his mouth up when he sees the spoon coming :)  It's exciting to watch him gro up!  We had a great Thanksgiving this past weekend and celebrated my mother in laws 60th birthday. 

Getting Stronger!

Today we practiced sitting up again and he seems to be getting stronger and stronger!  He tries so hard and then tips over :)  It's a lot of fun watching him try to steady himself.  He definately seems to understand that he needs to keep his head up!  Today was a cold and windy day so we decided to stay in and play  :)  

On another note I started getting a toothache this past weekend and it seems to be getting worse :(  Time to find a new dentist in the new neighborhood.  Im not looking forward to that...

Sitting Up!

Today we started to practice sitting up on our own!  He seemed to like it and found it very funny that he was surrounded by pillows :)  He can stay sitting up for a few seconds on his own and then gets lazy and leans back :)  It was a lot of fun trying to get him to stay up!  I can't believe in a few short weeks he will be sitting on the floor without me! 

Last night he did really well with the one arm out of the swaddle.  He woke up around 10:30 and was crying for about 10 mins but went right back to sleep and didnt get up again until 3:30!  Tonight he was asleep in prob 10 seconds :)  He's growing up so fast!

More Changes....

Mark has been doing really well with his sleep training!  Yesterday we went for his 4 month checkup and he is healthy and growing well!  He is up to 14 pounds 11 ounces and 25 1/4 inches long!  He is in the 50th percentile for his age.  We have been swaddling him since we brought him home from the hospital and continued to do so up until now because it has always helped him to sleep a little better....especially when we were in the condo and all basically in one room :)  So now that we are in the house and that he's in his own room and sleep trained we thought it was time to start weaning him off of the swaddle.  I decided to do it little by little...althought the dr suggested going cold turkey...I thought that was cruel :(.  I swaddled him tonight but left one arm free.  It took him 16 mins tonight to fall asleep...that seemed long to me...he usually falls asleep in mins but I hope he starts to get used to being "free." 

Today was a beautiful fall day and we spent the day getting new library cards at the beautiful library near our house, getting a few things to upgrade the house and unpacking.  Mark was very happy today and giggling a lot!  He loved the xmas decorations at Menards!!  We had a great Saturday together. :)

Getting Better and Better!

Last night Mark fell asleep after 7 mins and tonight it was only 1!!  He has been sleeping really well...only getting up once at night to eat and then goes right back to sleep.  He even slept for 2 1/2 hours today during naptime.  He fell asleep while we were grocery shopping so I just left him in his carseat in the living room and he was out like a light!  It has been so nice actually getting some sleep and having some time to myself at night.  I have had so much more energy this week and have even started working out again!  I had been getting frustrated with my weight loss since having Mark so it feels good to get back into running and eating healthy.  I even joined a book club today!  Sleep is priceless :)

Ferber Night Three...and a big day for me.

Last night he did really well!!  He fell asleep after only 12 mins which was great.  He woke up at 3:15 and nursed for 10 mins and fell asleep at 3:35.  After that he didn't get up again until 7:30!  He was such a happy little boy today....smiling and laughing and really engaged in what he was doing.  As hard as this process is I am really really glad that we decided to do it.  We still don't have the hang of naps yet but it's coming along.  Today he slept for about 45 mins this morning while we were out running errands and then 35 mins in his crib in the afternoon.  I cheated a bit later in the afternoon and cuddled with him on the couch and he slept...couldnt help myself :)  Hopefully as we keep going with this process it will continue to get easier and easier. 

Today was also a big deal because I made the decision to not go back to work.  I am officially a stay at home mom!  As much as I love education and I loved teaching, being home with him is the most challenging and rewarding thing I have ever done.  I look at him and am amazed daily at how smart and beautiful he is.  I feel so lucky to be his mother and I am fortunate enough to be able to be at home with him and watch him grow into a man.

Ferber Night Two...

Last night was a huge success!!  We went through his regular bedtime routine and put him down at 6:55.  He fussed for about 12 mins and then was sound asleep.  He didn't wake up until 1:15....I went in to nurse him for ten mins and then put him back down.  I came back into my room preparing myself for the crying but in three mins he was asleep!!  I fell back asleep and he didnt get up until 6:45!!  It was a great night.  Naptime today was even a bit better.  He took a half hour nap in his crib this morning and then for his afternoon nap he fought it a bit but fell asleep.  He slept for a half an hour and then the doorbell rang.  Of course he woke up.  I let him cry it out for a half hour but he was done.  So I'm looking at it as progress and tomorrow will get even better!

Feber Night One

Shawn and I decided to use the ferber method to get Mark on a good sleep schedule.  We have heard many success as well as horror stories for these kinds of methods but I think the positive ones gave us some hope that it would work.  I decided to keep track of all of the "gory" details on my blog :)  I apologize for the overabundance of details but this is also my way of keeping track of whats happening.  With the move and trying to unpack and taking care of Mark my memory isn't what it used to be :).  Last night we started with his bathtime routine....bath, lotion, diaper and pjs...then reading some books, prayers and nursing.  I wait until he is almost asleep but still awake and I put him into his crib.  He kind of looked at me like I was nuts :)  He went to bed at 7:10...he didnt cry at first...he layed in there for maybe 10 mins and then realized nobody was coming back and started wailing!  We went into the room after 3 mins, 5 mins, and 10 mins.  It was an awful feeling and I spent most of the time sitting outside his door crying right along with him.  I felt awful but I knew it was for his benefit.  Shawn and I took turns going in and reassuring him...telling him that it was ok and that we loved him.  Our next interval was supposed to be 15 mins but he was sound asleep before that time was up!  Shawn and I were able to enjoy some time alone for the rest of the evening which was great!   He slept until 3:15.  I got up and nursed him and waited until we was almost asleep and then I put him back in his crib.  He started crying as soon as I put him in but I went back to bed and set the timer for 15 mins.  Shawn went in to check on him after 15 mins and then we set the timer again for another 15 mins.  This time he fell asleep at 3:58.   He woke again at 4:44 and I went in to reassure him but did not feed him.  I went back to bed, set the timer for 15 mins and he was asleep before the first 15 mins were up.  He was up at 7am for the day!  All in all it wasn't a bad night compared to the 7-8 times he has been getting up at night.

But then came naptime today.....it was AWFUL!!  I changed his diaper, put on a comfy onesie and nursed him.  Once he was almost asleep I put him in his crib and he started screaming!!  It was like he knew what was coming.  I put him down at 12:25 and set the timer for 15 mins.  I went in to reassure him after 15 mins and then set the timer for another 15.  He fell asleep at 12:55 and I made the mistake of smiling to myself and feeling confident that I had this under control. WRONG!!!  He was up again at 1:15 and was mad!  I went in to check on him and reassure him every 15 mins for two hours.  It was completely exhausting emotionally and physically.  Shawn's parents were here helping us unpack so there was some noise going on downstairs....not sure if that had anything to do with it.  We keep white noise on in his room to block out any outside noise while he sleeps so not sure?  After two hours I couldn't take any more and I went in to get him.  He was so upset and so was I.  I had had enough.  I will try again tomorrow and see if we can make any progress!

We Are Finally Moved In!!

We finally were able to close on our house Wednesday!!  It has been a VERY busy couple of days with the closing and moving.  Today was our first offical full day in the house and we started the process of unpacking.  We painted Mark's room and are almost all done with the unpacking in there.  It will be so nice for him to finally be in his crib and have his own space.  I'm also looking forward to getting him back onto a schedule and start sleep training.  I will update more tomorrow....time to watch Grey's :)

Enjoying a Beautiful Fall Day!

Today was a beautiful day and we saw the sun for the first time in about a week.  We headed out to the forest preserve to do some hiking and get some fresh air!  Mark seemed to enjoy looking at all of the leaves and we even saw horses!  Andy had a blast too and spent lots of time running through the leaves.  He on the other hand didn't know what to think about the horses :)  After we got home Mark was playing on his playmat and he turned over from his back to his tummy!  Now he can turn from his belly to his back and his back to his belly!  It was a great day! 

As a sidenote someone should really warn new mothers about daylight savings time.  Mark was up at 5:30am!!!  Needless to say it was a long day...but we survived :)  Tomorrow we are back to waiting to hear about our house.  I'm praying it moves forward and we can finally get in and get settled!