I am learning one key lesson: if it ain't broke, don't fix it!
Our routine lately at nighttime has been that I feed Lily around 7 pm, she plays, then I feed her again around 8:30 and we swaddle her and put her in her swing. She falls asleep and gets into a nice deep sleep while we're able to have a bit of time to relax and watch a movie. Around 10 pm I feed her again while she sleeps, and she then goes in her crib, and we follow shortly. This has been working fantastic, and lately she's been sleeping right through until 8 am!
As a new mom, you get ALL sorts of advice (not always wanted). So, last night I thought that it was about time we stop relying so much on the swing. After her 8:30 feed, I rocked and sang to her and put her down in her crib. She woke up a few minutes later, Brian went in, and got her settled. Fantastic I thought! I'll feed her again at 10 and then we'll all be able to go to sleep. Who needs the swing anyway?!
Well at about 9:45 pm I could hear her stirring, but wanted to see if she'd go back to sleep on her own. Five minutes before I was about to feed her, we hear this screaming cry, much like the cry we heard after her shots. Now, Lily's not a crier, so it's always alarming the occasional time she does cry. We tried to get her back to sleep but it wasn't working, so brought her back out to the living room to be with us and where there was a bit of light. She calmed down after a little while and was her happy, cheerful self.
I think she'd woken up in the pitch black room and realised she was all by herself and got scared. This never happens when she's out with us in her swing. So, why did we bother? She sleeps great. We sleep great. Why mess with that?
Fortunately, she did sleep right through until 8 am once we got her down around 11 pm, so I can't complain, but the lesson of the day? If it's working, go with it. When it stops working, that's when you know to change.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
4 Months!
Wow, I am awful at updating this! Lily was 4 months old on Tuesday, and I've barely written in this blog since she was born. Maybe it's because I am just bad at blogs, or perhaps because I'm simply busy these days- busy feeding Lily, going for walks, meeting friends, doing laundry, changing diapers, laughing, smiling, trying to fit in a bit of exercise, giving tickles to my little girl, watching my angel sleep, wondering what Life Before Lily was really like... Life as Lily's mommy is full of challenges, but never before have I known the joy I feel as a mommy.
Lily rolled from her back to her tummy for the first time yesterday, and we couldn't have been prouder! Luckily when I noticed Lily was looking like she may roll over, I ran and grabbed the camera and caught it on video! Then, beaming, I called her Daddy right away to share the good news. I was bummed he missed it, but at least he saw it on video. She did it again right after, but hasn't since. She'll figure out that it wasn't just an accident soon enough. :)
She is such a happy little baby. Lately she has been letting me sleep 9 or 10 hours straight each night, which is fantastic! I am sleeping more now than I did when I was working. :)
We tried putting tiny little Lily in her monstrous room and massive crib one night. I barely slept, and she woke up in the middle of the night (not like her). Needless to say, Mommy wasn't quite ready to let her go, and she was back in her bassinet, right beside our bed, the very next night. It's amazing what goes through your mind as a Mommy after a simple act of moving your child into another room to sleep: Is this the beginning of an entire lifetime of slowly letting go, of letting your child do things only because you know it'll be best for them, while every part of you aches against it? Will the worrying ever stop, or will I be sneaking into my teenager's room at night, checking that she is sleeping ok? Somehow I don't think it will ever end. I read the Robert Munsch book recently, I'll Love You Forever, and understand now that once a Mother, always a Mother.
"I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
My baby you'll be."
Lily is napping in her crib unswaddled right now, which is new. Up until now she's typically napped in her swing while I've been home. I thought I'd try having her nap in her crib at least when I am home, and so far (20 minutes later!), so good.
We toured a daycare centre this morning and I was pleasantly surprised. The thought of leaving her in someone else's care terrifies me, but seeing how happy the children were and how obviously completely in love the workers are with the kids made me feel a lot better. Like everywhere else in Victoria, we're on a long waiting list, but are crossing our fingers that we'll get in there sooner than later.
We did a 3 month photo shoot with the fabulous Russell of Davidoff Photography, and are thrilled with the photos. He is such a patient guy and is really great to work with. Here are a few:
Life is good. Brian has a week or so of holidays to use within the next few months, so we are looking forward to spending some quality time together as our little family. Brian is an amazing Daddy, and already I see a special bond between him and his daughter that Lily and I do not share. I knew years ago how lucky I was to have him in my life, and I know Lily will know very soon how very lucky she, too, is.
Lily rolled from her back to her tummy for the first time yesterday, and we couldn't have been prouder! Luckily when I noticed Lily was looking like she may roll over, I ran and grabbed the camera and caught it on video! Then, beaming, I called her Daddy right away to share the good news. I was bummed he missed it, but at least he saw it on video. She did it again right after, but hasn't since. She'll figure out that it wasn't just an accident soon enough. :)
She is such a happy little baby. Lately she has been letting me sleep 9 or 10 hours straight each night, which is fantastic! I am sleeping more now than I did when I was working. :)
We tried putting tiny little Lily in her monstrous room and massive crib one night. I barely slept, and she woke up in the middle of the night (not like her). Needless to say, Mommy wasn't quite ready to let her go, and she was back in her bassinet, right beside our bed, the very next night. It's amazing what goes through your mind as a Mommy after a simple act of moving your child into another room to sleep: Is this the beginning of an entire lifetime of slowly letting go, of letting your child do things only because you know it'll be best for them, while every part of you aches against it? Will the worrying ever stop, or will I be sneaking into my teenager's room at night, checking that she is sleeping ok? Somehow I don't think it will ever end. I read the Robert Munsch book recently, I'll Love You Forever, and understand now that once a Mother, always a Mother.
"I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
My baby you'll be."
Lily is napping in her crib unswaddled right now, which is new. Up until now she's typically napped in her swing while I've been home. I thought I'd try having her nap in her crib at least when I am home, and so far (20 minutes later!), so good.
We toured a daycare centre this morning and I was pleasantly surprised. The thought of leaving her in someone else's care terrifies me, but seeing how happy the children were and how obviously completely in love the workers are with the kids made me feel a lot better. Like everywhere else in Victoria, we're on a long waiting list, but are crossing our fingers that we'll get in there sooner than later.
We did a 3 month photo shoot with the fabulous Russell of Davidoff Photography, and are thrilled with the photos. He is such a patient guy and is really great to work with. Here are a few:
Life is good. Brian has a week or so of holidays to use within the next few months, so we are looking forward to spending some quality time together as our little family. Brian is an amazing Daddy, and already I see a special bond between him and his daughter that Lily and I do not share. I knew years ago how lucky I was to have him in my life, and I know Lily will know very soon how very lucky she, too, is.
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