I got lucky the other day and snapped this photo of Tyler. He is all smiles and giggles these days (except when the teeth bug him).

So it seems the answer is that some evenings I am not going into REM sleep. I probably hover in this light sleep mode. Usually, you hope to be in sync with your child - waking up a little before he does. I guess I am just out of sync right now… Even though I woke up more with him last night, I do feel better rested today.

CookingParty.Net
I am going to a cooking party Thursday and can’t wait! This will supplement my cooking so that on days I am too tired or too busy, I can pull a yummy meal out of the freezer. The insane thing is that it is actually cheaper than if I cooking it all myself. My friend, Susan, and I are splitting one order since the whole thing would never fit in my freezer… I totally wish I had this idea - such a cool business!

So last night Tyler didn’t go to bed until 11pm (with us) and didn’t wake up until 6AM. That should have meant a sweet 7 hour stretch for me, but I don’t feel like I got that kind of sleep.

I remember last night waking up around 3pm. I had been dreaming that he was up nursing and I was lying awake in bed trying to get comfortable. The point being I was awake in the dream. But at 3am I did wake up to realize that no, he was in his bed asleep. At that point, I turned over and “went to sleep”. Even though I was dreaming, it didn’t feel like it. When I woke up and saw him in bed it was like, great, I can finally go to sleep.

Dreaming should mean that I am getting good sleep right? Dunno - I just don’t feel as rested today and I should… Any thoughts? Am I just crazy?

Yup, nighttime requires different parenting skills hence “nighttime parenting”. It all has to do with your babies sleep habits and helping them back to sleep when they wake. I think I am failing in this department. Why?

Well, everytime Tyler wakes I nurse him back to sleep. Now, when he was younger and hungry - this was what you did. Apparently at his current age, he shoudn’t need to nurse. I have a big boy - so if he wakes up around 6 hours since he went to bed, I will assume that his is hungry and have no problem feeding him.

The problem is that he wakes up every 2 to 3 hours. Is he hungry? Is it teething pain? Is it his stuffy nose? Do I want to troubleshooting this at 3 AM? I want to get back to sleep as quickly as possible, so I just put Tyler on the boob.

The worry is that I setting myself up to ALWAYS have the nurse him back to sleep. Ug - but I am so tired these days that I don’t have the energy to troubleshoot or try some other way to get him back to sleep. Also, I don’t want to wake Chris, so I want to keep the baby quiet.

Craziness I tell you… I can’t wait to be a grandma and chuckling to myself asmy own kids tackle these issues..

Yes, Tyler is REALLY teething. Evidenced by the seemingly random scream sessions when his gums hurt and is insatiable need to gum and chew on everything. Poor guy. I have started with the commercial rememdies - Tylenol, teething tablets and Orajel and am working my way to more homeopathic ones. The aforementioned items will be helpful in daycare while I figure out some other ways to help him. One I am looking forward to is a frozen washcloth that has been soaked in chamomile tea. We will see how he likes that.

Ya get one thing figured out and the next challenge arises. Kids are truly great training for life. You can develop and hon some great skills - patience, creative thinking, problem solving, etc.

Well, we are all a bunch of germ bags right now. Chris and I never used to get sick. That has all changes with a baby in day care and Chris at Dell (just as bad). This past Friday I developed pink eye and Chris developed strep throat. This morning I also woke up with a sore throat. We are glutton for punishment or something. Yesterday ended up being “family doctor day.”

Tyler is infection free luckily. He has been plagued with this stuffy nose for weeks and weeks now. The doctor says it is either allergies or some viral infection that just won’t quit. There is really not much we can do. It is most bothersome to him at night when he gets badly blocked up or while nursing. I have not given up though and think I will check out the Herb Bar and look form some homeopathic remedies.

It is madness! I shouldn’t be too surprised really, we are short on sleep around here. My immune system is pretty weak I am sure. Just another adventure…

Geez with all the excitement of people having babies (our friends Mike and Elizabeth and Kirby and Liz very soon) I am focused on putting together post-partum care packages. Then my email and lists have been buzzing today. I guess it must be a Friday…