The Baby Who Cried It Out

I’ve tried CIO with Levi a couple times because we had such quick success getting Tru on a nap and bedtime schedule that way. But it’s been different with Levi. He cried harder and longer and unlike Tru, he has nothing to soothe him since he doesn’t take a pacifier. Within minutes I have to get him because he will choke-cry and it’s pitiful!

I have very mixed emotions about this.
1. Levi seldom naps for more than a few minutes and ONLY if I am holding him. The older he gets, the less sound he sleeps during naps.
2. I actually really enjoy holding him for naps. I love him falling asleep in my arms and napping on me. It’s precious and bonding.
3. He likes to nurse to sleep even at night which is challenging sometimes. Occasionally if he is really close to falling asleep, he will go to sleep in his bed on his own but only if all the conditions are right and only occasionally.
4. I am hesitant to give up that snuggle time because this time around I am aware of just how FAST babies grow up and how quickly they are totally over snuggling.
5. All this snuggling and non-napping means that I have essentially no time one on one with Tru. While Tru deals with this perfectly fine, maybe it would be better for me to give him some attention without having his brother right there 100% of the time. After-all, Levi gets at least several hours of time a day one on one with me while Tru naps and goes to bed early. So it’s kind of only fair. So if Levi learned to nap alone in his bed, that would probably benefit Tru.
6. Quite frankly, I know Levi needs more sleep. A few minutes here and there is just not enough for a 5 month old. I remember Tru did so much better after he learned to nap on his own.
7. I could actually use nap time to DO actual things. Like clean. Which is nice for DH and I because right now, I have to clean in the evening while he watches the boys since I can seldom get anything done during the day. That greatly cuts down on time we spend together. Our time together is very very very limited right now.
8. But cleaning isn’t as fun as snuggling my baby!!

I said all that to say, today I bit the bullet and laid Levi down in his bed and closed the door. The crying is instantaneous when I lay him down. I walked away …. he cried. It was sad. He cried a long time. I decided to time him so I looked at the clock. After an hour passed I looked at the clock again…. right. Only 2 minutes had actually gone by but it felt like an hour! I don’t know how long he finally cried but it wasn’t too long I guess even though it felt like ages. He’s been asleep over half an hour now and I’ve been in to check on him and he’s sleeping nicely. Longer than he might have in my arms maybe.

We shall see what happens next. This is probably harder for me than him. I know the crying spells will get shorter and he will fall asleep faster most likely. But I don’t think I can or would want to do this for every nap. Will it work if I’m not consistent?

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Truett – Month 22

I was hit by a wave of sentimentality last night when I realized that Truett is almost 2!!! That is crazy! He was just a baby last week.
This big boy is saying so many words now! DH and I sat there last night and tried to remember all the words Tru says on a daily basis. Every time we would say another word, Tru would repeat us. I think we hit somewhere around 50 words when we just gave up. He says too many words on a daily basis to reliably count now. I catch him trying to say ABC’s and count sometimes. He is a little sponge soaking up everything around him. He repeats our words and actions and we have to be careful what we say and do around him now! Some words include:
•horsie (horse)
•buggy (bug, butterfly)
•no (we hear this word lots!)
•cow
•ball
•fish
•Elmo
•cookie
•monkey
•pee, also the letter p
•poo (which is pretty much anything related to diapers)
•goggy (doggy)
•tree
•baba
•baby
•veevie (Levi)
•river (our dog)
•shoe
•toys
•food
•eat (also, eat some)
•some
•bye
•go
•gogo (yogurt)
•nose
•outside
•done
•hands (also used for gloves)
•uh oh
•bed
•banky (blanky)
•cry
•eggy (egg)
•binky
•dada, daddy
•mama
•pig
•turtle
•where’d it go
•what’s that
•fowee (flower)
•hair
•mine
•comb
•shirt
•I
•hi
•hey
•yes
•please (FINALLY!!!)
I think this will probable be the last words list as it’s getting pretty long.
I try hard to take a little time here and there to do a little something special that focuses on Tru. It doesn’t always go well since things are not predictable in toddler hood and going out for ice cream can somehow turn into throwing the ice cream cone down and crying for no apparent reason whatsoever. But I trust that he at least knows that I am interested in spending time with him one on one and that I love him regardless of how he feels about ice cream. 😉
I am having so much fun doing little art projects with Tru now that he actually understands to some extent what we are trying to accomplish. We made cookies the other day. I stood him on a kitchen chair pulled up to the counter and poured the ingredients into the bowl while he stirred. The cookies turned out deliciously but nothing was sweeter than watching my little boy learning and having fun. He has also helped make hummingbird food. It was just the sugar water recipe but he enjoyed pouring the water and sugar into the pan. (There may have been a small puddle on the floor too. 😉 )
Truett loves to:
•Hold his brother
•Kiss his brother
•Kiss his Mommy
•Wrestle with Daddy
•Take baths
•Swim
•Play in the sandbox
•Point out every yellow vehicle he sees
•Watch Elmo (Although I have really cut back on tv time. I don’t like how distracted it makes him)
•Play outside
•Talk

He is drinking almost entirely breast milk and water. Occasionally he gets whole cow’s milk. I think the reason he likes drinking breast milk is it makes him feel like he is being taken care of in a similar way to Levi. He sees me pumping and is aware of the process to some degree and I truly think this is one of the reasons why he hasn’t been very jealous of Levi – because he definitely was jealous of Levi nursing when we first brought Levi home from the hospital. It actually makes me a little embarrassed to tell people that he is drinking breast milk, people have such weird reactions like they think he is too old or it’s gross or something. I have to disagree on both counts. He is young enough that some toddlers would still be actually nursing and breast milk is food specifically for humans so… I don’t want to offend anyone and that is certainly not my intention. Tru doesn’t NEED breast milk but I enjoy that I have been able to provide it for him during this time.
I gave another try at cutting Tru’s hair at home and I think it turned out pretty well. It makes him look so much older somehow to get a fresh hair cut! I love how he looks like a little boy now. It absolutely melts my heart when he wakes up in the morning and comes out to sit on the couch with his blanket. Ever since giving up the binky, he has been more and more attached to having a “banky”. He doesn’t carry it around full time, but there are moments that he likes to have it with him. He kept biting holes in his pacifiers so I threw them away every time I saw one had a hole until they were gone (I found 2 more laying around but I hid them) and the transition to going binky-free was almost seamless. Occasionally I would see him with one during the day and I would try to get it from him and only let him have them at night and when we went somewhere but it’s so much easier not using them at all now. He doesn’t wake up crying at night because the binky has fallen out of the crib and we have to go find it. I was warned that it would be hard to take them away but thankfully, he hardly noticed. 🙂 Next step is taking away the bottle. I ordered a new sippy cup that is supposedly guaranteed to not leak (which is the only reason we are still using the bottle – I don’t like the milk leaking from the sippy cups that he uses plus they are hard to clean for anything besides water) so as soon as that arrives, bottles are gone. I am not going to his 24 month check up and admitting to the pediatrician that he still uses a bottle! 😉

This is getting long so I better leave you with pictures now.

 

He made cookies!

And melted my heart with his sweet smile.

And watched cartoons with his cousin after church.

And went for bug-proof rides with his brother.

And sat on the couch like a big boy – with a baba.

And enjoyed the M&M’s his honorary grandma at church gave him.

This was Truett’s idea. Levi was sitting in his Bumbo and Tru brought his chair over so Levi wouldn’t be alone.

Truett takes good care of his goggy. He sits him in the bumbo and watches cartoons with him. 🙂 LOVE!!!

He’s growing up too fast! I have to steal kisses while I can.

He reads books with his uncles. Whatever they do, he does. 🙂

Dear God, I am continually in awe of the incredible blessing that this little boy is. I know how blessed I am to have him and I thank You for him. I pray that You will watch over him and keep him healthy and safe. In Jesus’ name, amen

Levi – Week 22

Ever since Levi learned to roll over this week, that is all he does when we lay him down. But because he has only mastered rolling from back to front, we are constantly having to roll him back onto his back when his little neck and arms get tired. And then he rolls over again immediately….I looked in Tru’s baby book to see when he rolled over and it was 5 months exactly so Levi was just 4 days later. And, he is pushing up on his arms now! So getting on all fours may be just around the corner.

We have lots of clingy days where Levi doesn’t want me out of his sight let alone to be out of my arms. He is pretty content with Daddy or Grandma or an Aunt, but sometimes there is just nobody like Mommy. If that doesn’t just melt my heart… 🙂 I could totally see him being the kid who follows me all around the house while I do my stuff and I absolutely love that idea. 😉

I really feel like teeth are on the horizon somewhere because this kid is just constantly nom-nomming on his fingers and drooling is a big thing too. I can feel his little gums becoming more and more firm in preparation for those teeth. My boobs are scared. Levi already bites me quite often. I can imagine teeth feel a lot worse. My boobs just left the house thinking about it.

Speaking of boobs, I have lost all my pregnancy weight now and I noticed that with the loss of those last few pounds, I lost some of my super milk production. I am pumping a solid 4-8 ounces less per morning now. It’s ok, my body didn’t really need to keep producing for twins forever, but I have really enjoyed building a sweet freezer stash and having extra for Tru. I am big on back-up plans. But the thing I fear most is Aunt Flo. I know that with a decrease in production, AF is probably lurking around the corner somewhere with her red suitcase, bent on moving in for a solid 10 days a month. I love all my Aunts, but Aunt Flo? She can take a hike for at least a bit longer. But this post isn’t about my Aunt problem or my sagging baggy boobs which are wobbling around like 2 golf balls in some saggy skin – you’re welcome for that great mental picture.

Levi seems very restless at night now and does what I would consider tossing and turning. He flails about some and kicks his legs and feet down hard. He turns his head from side to side repeatedly like he can’t get comfortable. I’m not sure if he actually isn’t comfortable or not. We stopped swaddling with the blanket at night. He liked his arms held down for awhile but now he seems to be struggling against the blanket so I let them free again. I might move him to the pack and play. I’m wondering if he just isn’t comfortable in the co-sleeper anymore. The weight of his body has made a small imprint in the mattress sooo…. It’s possible.

He is still the best little giggle-box, smiley face and cuddle bug ever. We all love him so much. Tru always wants to know where *his* baby is at all times and wants to lay on the floor by him while they are both on their bellies and Tru pretends to be struggling as much as Levi is to keep his head up. I need to get it on video but as with all things cute, once you turn on the camera, it’s over. And that is why I blog!

“My big brother takes good care of me.”

“I WILL get the turtle!”

When babies take selfies!

Fell asleep holding onto his toys.

I can’t get over how old he looks here!

We can hardly use the playmat anymore because he kicks it over on himself.

Dear God, Thank You for healing Levi’s tear duct! I am so thankful that You care about Levi. Please continue to watch over and protect him all the days of his life. Thank You for the privilege and blessing of being his Mommy. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Roller!!

Only back to belly so far but getting really good at it already.

We have a roller! It started yesterday when the book he wanted was just out of reach. Now he is rolling over all day to get things. 🙂 I love him so much.

Levi – Weeks 19, 20 And 21

Levi is about 19 pounds now of sweet, squishy, lovable cuteness. He has such a personality coming about now! He acts a lot older just in the last few weeks. It’s clear that he has definitely gone through a “wonder week” recently. We had the sleep regression and everything to prove it. He is now doing such fun things and has even learned to fake cry from time to time which is so half-hearted and hilarious! I need to get it on video asap. It’s basically a very quiet, very fake “wah, wah, wah”. The first time I really noticed him doing it, I called DH to come into the room because it was just so funny. Of course I say that now but…..

Drooling is in full force now. Bibs are becoming necessary and if I rub my finger over his gum, I can feel the bumps starting to come closer to the surface. I am still hoping we can hold off on starting solids a bit longer. I tried to give him some boob “gogo” (Truett’s word for yogurt). It wasn’t really yogurt but I scraped the cream off some breast milk that had been sitting until separated and tried to feed it to him with a baby spoon. He didn’t like the whole spoon concept very well, and he spit it out quite a bit. He also slapped the spoon and sent gogo flying so I think we need to wait a bit longer to start purees and such as he just didn’t act ready. Not that I really thought he needed any extra breast milk cream 😉 but it seemed like a logical thing to practice feeding him. He nurses about 7 times a day now.

So, about the sleep regression…. Levi has slept through the night since he was really young, like 2-3 weeks I think. But the last few weeks, that all changed and he kept flailing about in his sleep and waking himself up, nursing several times a night and pretty much refusing to sleep past 5-6am unless he was in my bed. Which isn’t something we had been doing previously. I never swaddle my babies from the beginning, I just never started it. But with Levi, we learned that as he has gotten older these last few weeks, he needs his arms held down so he doesn’t wake himself up by flailing and slapping himself in the face which was never a problem until now. So, obviously he is too large to swaddle in the conventional way so I googled how to swaddle a 4 month old and found a youtube video showing how the blanket can be wrapped around the baby’s back and out over their arms and back under them (it doesn’t cross in front) to lightly hold the arms down. PROBLEM SOLVED! He slept through the night and has done much better since. I admit, I really hate holding his arms down, even though when he wakes up he can get out pretty easily, it just feels so claustrophobic to me. But if that’s what he likes… 🙂

Levi still likes to be held facing out for the most part. He’s never liked to be held facing inwards too well except occasionally if he is really tired he will fall asleep that way. I soak up all the snuggles I can get at this point. Having a clingy baby is such a change for me since Tru has always been very independent and never one to like cuddles much unless he’s sick. Levi is the exact opposite and even though there are times when I have things that need done and no time to do them because of Levi’s clingyness, I realize this is for a VERY short time and suddenly, whatever it is can just wait. 🙂

I think we may have a roller soon as Levi gets onto his side frequently. I see him almost flip onto his belly but not quite there. Any day now though seriously. He likes to sit in his walker and occasionally he will tolerate the bumbo seat for a few minutes. He loves his play mat with the toys hanging down. He LOVES his feet now that he has found them. He holds onto them and puts them in his mouth. I remember Tru going through this stage and I absolutely adore it. He hasn’t been sucking on his fingers much lately. I guess that was just a phase he went through. He still chews them though.

We had his dedication this week and our Pastor did such a wonderful job with it. He held Levi and the church prayed over him. We got a dedication certificate for him also which I framed to match Tru’s certificate. I am so happy that we got to share that moment with our church family who really love us and care for Levi and Truett like they are the churches’ babies. Which they kind of are since our church family prayed and prayed and prayed for us while we were TTC. I should write a post about that soon. It’s really a special story. Dedication is not salvation, it is us promising that we will do our best as Levi’s parents to raise him in church and to know who God is.

As for myself, postpartum hair loss is still well underway. The bare patches are huge and pretty hard to conceal now. The wads of hair I lose in the shower is still gross but the plus side is, my hair is so much lighter now and I’m sure that’s a good thing with the temps we’ve been having this summer. I am seeing lots of new hair coming in so now I have to get used to all the sticky-upies.
I have lost all but 1 pound +/- of baby weight. I wasn’t trying too hard to lose it really, it just came off. I do think the breast pumping and walking is helping. My SIL and I have been continuing with our twice weekly walks pretty well and have built ourselves up from a flat track to hills. Big hills. It’s some good cardio with pushing the heavy strollers. We usually do an hour or so and would probably be fine going longer but one of the babies always gets bored at that point and we have to stop. I hope we can continue going.

That’s all for now, this is long
enough already.

Dear God, Thank You for this day and for blessing us in being able to dedicate Levi to You. I pray that we will not fail to raise him to love and serve You and to do Your will with his life. I pray that we will teach him and raise him properly to be honest and respectful, caring and compassionate, selfless and loving. Please watch over him and protect him all the days of his life. In Jesus’ name, amen.

That is an 18 month t-shirt, yes it is. This boy rocks 9-12 month clothes and size 4 diapers. 😉

Those cheeks get kissed a billion times a day - minimum!

That sweet little hand on that soft little leg. My heart!

This is one of my favorite moments each day. That sweet, dependent innocence.

I wish I was this cute driving my car.

Bent on tackling his cousin. They are actually to the age where they notice each other.

The Dishes Can Wait!

On the days that my hair is lucky to get out of the towel…

Hold me!!

Or brushed!

Cousin It

And my nails haven’t been painted in ages.

Who needs toe polish anyway?!

On the days that the laundry piles grow taller than me….

One of many baskets

And 1 of many piles

And the dishes stack up in the sink, stinky and dried on.

Need to buy disposies

The toys are scattered across the floor like a mine field….

And they're still bored!

And the only thing I get done for the day is loving on you…

And you….

I will remember; the days that you will be here for me to snuggle are flying by. There will always be housework and there will always be things that need done. But none of that will ever be as precious as you are and the time I spend doing those things will not be the memories I will fondly look back on. The dishes can wait another hour. The laundry isn’t going anywhere. You don’t care how my hair looks. You just want Mommy to play with you and spend time with you. I love you sweet babies. Today and always.

Tone It Up!

My sil and I recently decided to start walking together twice a week. This is our second week and it is really fun! We take our 4 kids out in their double strollers and hit the pavement! We try to go early so as to not be falling over from heat stroke during our walks.

The first time, we did 2.25 miles quickly and it was so muggy and I skipped breakfast and I hate to admit it but when we got done, my legs felt weird for a few minutes. Can you say out of shape?! I could barely talk during the walk! The second and third time was much cooler and I did 3 miles and I was fine afterwards so I really want to step it up to a few more miles. I had went by myself once, with my sister once, and with my mom 3 times so this walking thing seems to be my easiest form of attainable exercise .

I’m not so interested in losing weight at the moment, seeing as I’m just a few pounds from my goal weight and I’m afraid my milk supply will vanish with the pounds. I’m also afraid to overdo it because I know that could lower my supply on top of causing other problems but I really feel pretty safe with just walking. Although, those double strollers are heavy! My main goals are to get in shape and tone up the flab ab. 😉 I have another friend who said she would meet up for walks so maybe this could be a great opportunity to hang out some fellow moms for an hour or so, and get some of the health benefits of exercise, albeit very light.

Levi – Weeks 17 And 18

Oh boy! This kid is growing up and becoming a little boy vs a baby! He’s holding toys now and putting them in his mouth. He does “crunches” in his car seat trying to sit up and he holds his toes and puts them in his mouth.

We also see the possible beginnings of a 4 month sleep regression. The last several mornings have seen him sleeping in bed with me for the last few hours. He just keeps waking himself up by slamming his arms and legs down over and over. He can’t seem to hold himself still. I remember Tru doing the same thing. So he ends up next to me and that makes me super nervous because I do not like bed sharing AT ALL. I mean, the whole snuggling thing is sweet and I like that but I am so worried the whole time.

I notice that he has certain times where he will jabber for a bit but he’s not nearly as talkative as Tru was at this age. So I think I can say with certainty that he is a quieter personality. We’ve always thought he was more calm and the older he gets, the more that seems to be the case. He laughs a ton though and smiles at us constantly. He laughs over the smallest stuff and I have so much fun making him giggle. He especially likes it when I talk in a growly voice and I had both boys laughing tonight at my Cookie Monster impression. 😉

 

Levi had his 4 month check up on the 25th of July. He weighed 18 pounds 2 ounces in the 91st percentile (I think) and was 26 inches long in the 80th. Still maintaining a smaller head growth around the 25th. I forget the measurement. I think it was 41+cm. Overall he looks to be healthy and happy and that makes me glad. He does have a rash in his neck crack (he just has a neck crack right now vs an actual neck) which I am concerned may become a yeast infection but for now the pediatrician wasn’t concerned. It’s likely from the heat and constant moisture. I can’t keep his neck dry anymore because he is a slobber factory. I can feel little bumps under his gums so I am sure the teeth are trying to push through here soon.

 

His pedi asked when I started baby food with Tru and I told her I had started at 4.5 months but I would like to get to 6 months with Levi for convenience sake if he is ok waiting that long. She is fine with that unless he starts waking up to eat all night etc. So I think we will play it by ear and see what happens. If we have to start sooner, we will. He’s a big boy! I know he might need baby food sooner to sustain this growth. He really doesn’t nurse that much though. He eats 6-10ish times a day. Most days is probably 7 or so now but here and there he will throw in a day where he eats more often. He’s at the age where he doesn’t like to nurse in public too well. He gets distracted. I had never used a nursing cover before but I got one and it does help a bit to keep him focused. But it’s super HOT in there.

 

We are having some problems with getting a good nap in now. He only wants to sleep in my arms and even then only for about 15 minutes. I have tried letting him CIO but unless the circumstances are perfect, he will just cry and cry and cry until he gets too worked up. He has always went down at night fine but naps have recently gotten so scarce. I guess it’s something to work on. Not that I actually mind him napping in my arms. Love it really. I just have to have to make sure I am taking care of Tru too and since Levi is pretty clingy, I already spend many of his waking hours holding him. He loves to snuggle! I am happy that I have a cuddly baby.. 🙂

 

When we were making do before our double stroller arrived. 🙂

The 2 finger suck. Love it!

“What do you mean I never nap, Mom? I nap on the porch!”

“I have to turn on my lights and pull mom over for a kiss. “

“Nom Nom Nom!”

“Mom doesn’t need a shower. She needs to hold me. All day.”

“Glad you’re out of the shower, mom. Hold me more!”

Always eating those fingers.

Even getting Daddy to snuggle him so he can sleep. 🙂

Trying out his cousins swing. Does sleeping with your tongue hanging out mean you like it?

More naps with Daddy.

 

 

Dear God, please continue to bless Levi in his growing and learning. Thank You for all the fun things he does and all the new things he's learning. In Jesus' name, amen.

Salad For Supper

Remember how I did the post-holiday diet clean up? Well, I continued it and stepped it up a notch. Does this mean we haven’t had Mc D’s or pizza since? Ha! Of course we have! EVERY day isn’t perfect… actually, most days aren’t perfect but better than they could be. Most days we do pretty well but there are plenty of exceptions which I don’t feel guilty for, too much.

I cook from scratch. Basically 97% of the time. So I get very tired of planning meal ideas. Usually I am ok planning the main course but when it gets to the sides, it’s just too hard to come up with something new every night. Therefore, I decided to implement the daily side salad so that I can take that one less step out of dinner prep. It’s a no-brainer and we can personalize it with tasty toppings as much as we want to keep from getting bored. It doesn’t hurt my efforts to get in shape either! Post on that coming soon Lord willing.

So generally it goes something like this: protein+carb+salad=dinner. Sometimes we make such an incredibly filling salad that we just have that.

I like to start with an organic spring mix.

Add a light drizzle of dressing.

A seasoned chicken breast, boiled egg, nuts and other toppers + corn on the cob made this salad a main course.

Salad topping ideas include:
•boiled eggs (I prefer pickled)
•shoestring beets
•green onions
•sliced almonds
•sliced red, orange, yellow peppers
•chicken, beef etc
•pecans
•walnuts
•avocado
•sunflower seeds
•fried jalapeños
•grapes
•craisins
•bacon (turkey for lower fat)
•wonton strips
•of course, croutons

There are tons more toppings but those are some of our favorites. 🙂 I try to stick to things that add protein and healthy fat. Initially, DH had his doubts that he could eat salad almost every day, but a few weeks later, we are still going strong! 🙂 

What do you like to dress up your salad with? Could you eat salad every day? Would you like to try?