It has been a really long time since I've blogged regularly. I blame this on several things:
1. Rather than spending time online during naptime, I am taking a nap. Pretty much every day.
2. I've been hesitant to write about much of my "mommying" experiences of late for fear of what certain people may think, which I've come to realize is silly. I want to record my mommying thoughts/experiences, and if they/you don't like it, then don't read it! :)
We've been dealing with some mega bedtime upheavals lately and I've gone back and forth between "This is really working!" and "Crap, I'm going INSANE!" quite often.
The first step I took to relearning our bedtime routine was to take the advice several people have given me (either directly or indirectly) and we've moved Burkley's bedtime to about 8:00-8:15 rather than 8:50-9:00ish. Either way, our whole routine from start to sleep still takes about an hour, but he is at least asleep now earlier than he was before, and BONUS (!) he's sleeping in until about 7:15-7:45 or rather than getting up around 6-6:30am.
A couple of weeks ago I started to have an absolute terrible time of nursing him. Being pregnant, I know this is normal, but wow, it really is unbearable at times. He has a few habits I had just grown accustomed to that I no longer have the patience for due to being pregnant and therefore quite sensitive as well as the fact that I don't seem to have anything coming out in the way of milk or colostrum (though last month at my midwife appointment, she was able to express some colostrum). So, we've had to put a few new rules in place with nursing. For starters, we have a new phrase we use now when nursing before naps and before bed. I say, "Remember..." and he says, "No hands!" And I say, "That's right!" That was where it ended for a few days, but then he added on, "Just eat it!" at the end of that exchange which really cracks me up. I also remind me him to do a "big open" to get a good latch because lately he's just been slurping my nipple into his mouth like a straw. SO. Annoying. So, now that his hands are OFF my other boob while nursing (though he still requires the other one to be "open," as he says), life is much better. I'm also only letting him nurse for about a minute on each side. He had developed the habit of nursing on each side for a minute or two and continuously going back and forth "This one," "Now other one," he'd say and back.and.forth.again.and.again. till he fell asleep. I just couldn't take it anymore. So now, he does a minute or so on each side and I cut him off. I just tell him, "Milmies are all done," or that there's no more milk or that it's hurting or whatever. Sometimes he's sad about this, and for a few nights he'd then get up off the bed to go leave the room, but we've finally learned that after that, it's just time to snuggle. And he'll cuddle me, or milmies, or my belly until he falls asleep, which takes FOREVER (at least 30 min, if not more), but I'm still really pleased that he's falling asleep without nursing.
Some nights, however, it takes us a really long time to get the point of nursing. We'll do our usual routine of potty, brushing teeth, reading books with Daddy (sometimes while drinking a cup of almond milk), reading our Bible, and praying, and then we'll turn off the light and get into bed. He will then immediately climb back out of bed and just wander around the bedroom for 15 minutes or so. This is an agonizingly long time to me of him just wandering, me asking him to come to bed, and him telling me, "No." Eventually I either tell him I'm leaving, which makes him cry (I feel mean doing that, so I use that as a last resort), but it does make him nurse and snuggle, or he'll eventually climb back into bed and nurse and snuggle on his own accord.
Once asleep I either move him to the sidecarred crib or take him to his bed in his room, whichever I'm physically up for that night, or I have the hubby move him. He comes back to our bed somewhere between 1:30 and 4:00 am, sometimes nurses for a few seconds, but often does not, and falls back asleep almost immediately, and stays there till morning. This routine is more than fine with both my husband and me except for that fact that things are continuously getting tighter and tighter in our little full-size bed. But, there's not much we can do about that. He wants to be right inbetween us, so we just make it work. However, that will not work when there's a newborn in the bed, so we'll have to rethink that plan eventually.
I never really thought about it, I suppose because I never had a conscious decision of "That's it, we're done!" but I guess in a way we are working towards Burkley being weaned. Not sure though. We'll see what happens as the pregnancy progresses and when Baby C is here where things will be. I'm happy though that he is not upset and things are going smoothly with restricting him. I just wish there was another way to keep him in the bed before he's ready to snuggle, but we'll work on that. :)
1. Rather than spending time online during naptime, I am taking a nap. Pretty much every day.
2. I've been hesitant to write about much of my "mommying" experiences of late for fear of what certain people may think, which I've come to realize is silly. I want to record my mommying thoughts/experiences, and if they/you don't like it, then don't read it! :)
We've been dealing with some mega bedtime upheavals lately and I've gone back and forth between "This is really working!" and "Crap, I'm going INSANE!" quite often.
The first step I took to relearning our bedtime routine was to take the advice several people have given me (either directly or indirectly) and we've moved Burkley's bedtime to about 8:00-8:15 rather than 8:50-9:00ish. Either way, our whole routine from start to sleep still takes about an hour, but he is at least asleep now earlier than he was before, and BONUS (!) he's sleeping in until about 7:15-7:45 or rather than getting up around 6-6:30am.
A couple of weeks ago I started to have an absolute terrible time of nursing him. Being pregnant, I know this is normal, but wow, it really is unbearable at times. He has a few habits I had just grown accustomed to that I no longer have the patience for due to being pregnant and therefore quite sensitive as well as the fact that I don't seem to have anything coming out in the way of milk or colostrum (though last month at my midwife appointment, she was able to express some colostrum). So, we've had to put a few new rules in place with nursing. For starters, we have a new phrase we use now when nursing before naps and before bed. I say, "Remember..." and he says, "No hands!" And I say, "That's right!" That was where it ended for a few days, but then he added on, "Just eat it!" at the end of that exchange which really cracks me up. I also remind me him to do a "big open" to get a good latch because lately he's just been slurping my nipple into his mouth like a straw. SO. Annoying. So, now that his hands are OFF my other boob while nursing (though he still requires the other one to be "open," as he says), life is much better. I'm also only letting him nurse for about a minute on each side. He had developed the habit of nursing on each side for a minute or two and continuously going back and forth "This one," "Now other one," he'd say and back.and.forth.again.and.again. till he fell asleep. I just couldn't take it anymore. So now, he does a minute or so on each side and I cut him off. I just tell him, "Milmies are all done," or that there's no more milk or that it's hurting or whatever. Sometimes he's sad about this, and for a few nights he'd then get up off the bed to go leave the room, but we've finally learned that after that, it's just time to snuggle. And he'll cuddle me, or milmies, or my belly until he falls asleep, which takes FOREVER (at least 30 min, if not more), but I'm still really pleased that he's falling asleep without nursing.
Some nights, however, it takes us a really long time to get the point of nursing. We'll do our usual routine of potty, brushing teeth, reading books with Daddy (sometimes while drinking a cup of almond milk), reading our Bible, and praying, and then we'll turn off the light and get into bed. He will then immediately climb back out of bed and just wander around the bedroom for 15 minutes or so. This is an agonizingly long time to me of him just wandering, me asking him to come to bed, and him telling me, "No." Eventually I either tell him I'm leaving, which makes him cry (I feel mean doing that, so I use that as a last resort), but it does make him nurse and snuggle, or he'll eventually climb back into bed and nurse and snuggle on his own accord.
Once asleep I either move him to the sidecarred crib or take him to his bed in his room, whichever I'm physically up for that night, or I have the hubby move him. He comes back to our bed somewhere between 1:30 and 4:00 am, sometimes nurses for a few seconds, but often does not, and falls back asleep almost immediately, and stays there till morning. This routine is more than fine with both my husband and me except for that fact that things are continuously getting tighter and tighter in our little full-size bed. But, there's not much we can do about that. He wants to be right inbetween us, so we just make it work. However, that will not work when there's a newborn in the bed, so we'll have to rethink that plan eventually.
I never really thought about it, I suppose because I never had a conscious decision of "That's it, we're done!" but I guess in a way we are working towards Burkley being weaned. Not sure though. We'll see what happens as the pregnancy progresses and when Baby C is here where things will be. I'm happy though that he is not upset and things are going smoothly with restricting him. I just wish there was another way to keep him in the bed before he's ready to snuggle, but we'll work on that. :)
I'm sure everything will fall into place with a new routine once the sib' is born! Bedtime struggles are really exhausting though!
ReplyDeleteHope you're sawing logs by now :-)
-L
I am right there with you! I'm 18 weeks pregnant and my 2 year old (27 months) is dry nursing and it's not very comfortable. Luckily he has cut back a lot and doesn't seem upset by it. He does ask for "milkies" to fall asleep and maybe a couple of times during the day. I'm curious what will happen when colostrum comes in and when the baby is born. Thankfully he mostly sleeps through the night now - We just need to practice having his dad respond to him when he does wake up.
ReplyDeleteWe have a full size bed with a twin bed side-carred. We're saving up for a good king-size mattress in the next few months, and then will be setting up the twin in his own room (and he'll be able to choose where he sleeps, with room no matter what). Your son's bed/room setup looks really cute! Good luck with everyone's sleep.
I have the same thing where I say I'm leaving if Sasha fights me on bedtime routine. She immediately wants to cooperate, most times. I don't like to use it, either.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you're managing well. When Spencer was a newborn, I often rocked him to sleep ON my belly. I would lie on my back and really more like wiggle him up and down on my body. Sometimes I would go to sleep like that, too. I only mention it because it doesn't take up any more room than YOU on the bed.