A full night's rest--Are you jealous? Don't be just yet

It happened. Something miraculous. I had my first full night of sleep and I couldn't believe it. Yes, after five months, my daughter slept longer than she ever has through the night. Four blissful hours, followed by five minutes of nursing followed by... Wait for it... SEVEN hours of sleep. I couldn't believe it. And do you know how it was done? I GOT THE HECK OUT OF HER ROOM!

Ladies and gentlemen, this is how it's done. At least for my daughter, this was key for both of us.

I'd been telling my husband we should sleep in our room for months now. But his lack of eagerness to move made me in no rush to move, and so we stayed in the guest bed (which is much more comfortable than our own if I might add) in the nursery.

The night our daughter tried rice cereal for the first time I figured would be a good night to start sleeping in our room again. Just do it cold turkey. Like ripping a band aid off.

I'm not sure what I was so afraid of. She'd been sleeping in her crib for a couple of months now on her soybean mattress. Why does that matter? Well, before having my daughter I researched mattresses like a mad woman paranoid about SIDS, and found one I liked. It's more durable than traditional foam mattresses and uses renewable sources instead of crud oil, it keeps her warm in the winter and cool in the summer, and a bunch of other benefits.

Anyway, as usual she went to bed at 9pm. I put her in her cozy little long sleeved jammies and her Baby Sleep Bag to keep her warm--Or cool, whatever she needs cause it's supposed to regulate her temperature. I passed out shortly after but we crashed in our room for the first time without her since she's been born. I kept her monitor near my head but had it turned down pretty low. Which sorta explains why my husband woke me up at 1am saying Lil' J was crying. I couldn't believe he heard her before me and for some weird reason I felt a little guilty.

I fed her then put her back to bed. She woke up again at about 4:30 to eat and quickly fell back asleep. She didn't wake up again until the sun was up at 7am, and by then I was ready to snuggle with her so I did, and rested with her before I had to get ready for work. Waking up just twice in a night was really good for her.

The next night I had her monitor up louder so I heard her when she woke up at 1am. She whined a little when I put her back down but I patted her bottom for a few moments and she was back asleep. I woke up at 4:30 hearing her laugh in her sleep. I realized had I heard that when we were in her room I probably would have sat up to feed her. I dozed back off.

I woke up again at five wondering if I slept through her cries. I dozed back off.

I woke up again just before 7am to use the restroom and couldn't believe she wasn't awake yet. She had slept six hours straight for the first time in months. I felt fully rested so I decided to pump a little while I waited for her to wake up.

An hour and a half later she finally called to me to come and get her. My daughter slept seven and a half hours in a row! She went to bed at 9pm and woke up for the day at 8:30am.

HALLEFREAKINLUJAH. Was her sleep bag actually keeping her asleep? That's what it says on the box! It says babies wake up a lot cause they get too hot or cold and the natural fibers (merino wool) it's made of keeps her cozy. Or was it because we were out of her room? Who cares?! I got sleep!

I picked her up, snuggled and nursed her for quite awhile and told her repeatedly how much I loved her. She smiled, looked so refreshed, and so did I.

The world seemed a little brighter that day and has as she's slept stretches of 6-10 hours. Yes 10 hours. I didn't know that was possible. Houston, we've had a breakthrough, and it ROCKS! ...Or at least it did while it lasted.

Yea, by ROCKS, I mean it rockED. Her new awesome sleep routine lasted, for several weeks. But this week it's been horrible again. Up every two hours! I'm wracking my brain trying to see what we're doing differently. Every night is a new experiment. We're still using the sleep bag, still not in her room, still using the same mattress. What's up with my crazy daughter? I haven't a clue! My husband and I always joke that maybe she's teething or having a growth spurt, because that's the excuse everyone gives when your baby is getting on your nerves.

So that's my guess. Another growth spurt. Or maybe her first little tooth is about to pop up. Just pray for me and that my baby who loves to sleep will return. I'm also going to try some Karma. Maybe doing a giveaway for a $260 crib mattress will bring good sleep Karma.

PS: Karma worked cause I wrote this post last night before bed and am waking up now, BEFORE my daughter who has been sleeping for more than 8 hours straight (yes I went and checked on her, she's still breathing)!! Yay!! So hopefully the following prize will help in bringing another mama some much needed rest!

It's a Sealy® Posturepedic™ Springfree® Soybean & Latex Foam-Core Crib Mattress. It's by the #1 baby mattress brand. There are no springs, so it's insanely light. It's eco-friendly (which everyone is obsessed with these days). The soybeans in the mattress were grown right here in the USA, which is cool I guess, but my favorite part about it--It's a 2-stage mattress! So one side is firm for her infant stage, and the other stage is a little softer for her toddler stage, so we won't need to buy another mattress for her for a while. They retail for $260 ($197 at Walmart).

Everyone who comments on this post before January 20th is entered. You can get ONE extra entry for letting me know another Kolcraft product you think looks pretty cool or if you are a blog follower of mine, or follow @Kolcraft on Twitter or Facebook and tell them you saw my giveaway. Just leave another comment to let me know (only up to 2 comments total). Winner will be announced on my facebook page. Good luck!
*Thanks Kolcraft and BabySleepBags.com for sending products to try so I could give an honest review about them and how I've used them.

Controversial Reading: Baby Wise

It's the most controversial book since the Bible.

Ok, well, maybe not quite. From my knowledge people don't burn Baby Wise to prove a point. But if words were fire this book would be up in flames.

It's a book so many people swear by. In fact I've heard more moms say the principals of this book worked wonders for their child more than any other book. Even more so than the Dr. Sears whatevertheheck book. I've heard raves from "my baby is so happy now" to "It was a lifesaver." But I've also heard the other end of the spectrum-- THIS BOOK WILL KILL YOUR BABY.

Not an exact quote, but close.

I haven't read Baby Wise or any other baby books for that matter. I swear, the easiest way to make a bunch of money these days is to write a book about baby advice and BOOM! You're rich! I hate that there are so many books with so many contradicting facts and principals and just decided to skip the whole book thing and learn by trial and error.

Then I went back to work.

And my daughter stopped sleeping 5-6 hours and instead has gone back to waking up every 2 hours. And I am a zombie. And being a zombie with 45+ hours of work to do every week just isn't good. Especially when you're operating heavy machinery like cars, or breast pumps.

This has been going on for long enough. Long enough for me to know it's no longer a growth spurt, or a phase (well maybe it's a phase to some degree, but I'd rather it not continue for months). My grandmother told me that if there's something that's stressing you out either do something about it to fix it or get over it, but there's no use stressing or complaining about it. So I've decided I need to do SOMETHING.

What am I doing? We're sleeping in the guest bed in her room. She wakes up every two hours and it takes me awhile to go back to sleep. Sometimes she'll wake back up the moment I set her down and climb back into bed. When I first returned to work I fell asleep with her in bed with me and she nursed throughout the night. Before that she'd sleep 5-6 hours so I'm wondering if that formed some kind of habit, and on top of that, perhaps being in her room is waking her up. If she sleeps with me, I can't sleep. If she doesn't, I'm up every two hours and it takes me a good while to fall back asleep, so I'm at an impasse.

The past week and a half I've started a new bed time routine where we give her a bath, massage her, get her in her nighttime diaper, read her a story and feed her, but then I'm like 'What now?' I usually feed her until she's asleep then set her in her crib but I think putting her in her crib awake is the trick. So I tried that but then she cries and cries until you pick her up. Then I feed her again and... You get the idea.

I need to try something new to see if it helps. I'm not asking for a full eight hours of sleep. Heck, four hours straight at this point would be nice. It's effecting my work, and that's really not good. In fact, it's very, very bad. So bad that I had the worst live shot experience of my life last week but didn't dare pull the "but I have a 4-month-old who isn't sleeping yet" card. But maybe I should have, because I'm sorta on the you-know-what-list right now because of it. And one bad move takes ten good moves to make up for it. So by this time next year, if I'm lucky, I'll be out of the dog house.

My husband says it's not the end of the world if she goes to bed late and wakes up all night for the first year, but that's greatly because he isn't waking up with her, or going to work after a half-nights sleep.

So, I'm desperate. And I'm considering turning to this raved about/ cursed book for ideas and answers.

I've probably read an entire book worth of facts on why I should stay away from the book--given to me by people who haven't read the book themselves, but hate it anyway. So I think it's only fair to read the actual book now, with an open mind, to see the other side and form my own opinions of it.

I know the book is about schedules and many are against schedules but truth is, sooner or later my daughter will be starting childcare and the only way someone watching multiple kids can accomplish things I'm sure, is to have some sort of plan. It doesn't mean I'm going to take the advice as scripture, or put Lil' J on a strict eating routine we can't deter from and starve her in the process. It's just that we're going to try something new. Because what we're doing now aint working out. At least not for me. And considering the fact that I provide the food and shelter for all of us right now, I think my opinion rules.

Some people are ok with having their children sleep with them, or wake up through the night for over a year, but I'd rather find out whats working for the other set of the population who have children don't need that.

I know this may just be a time in life where I have to survive with lack of sleep, but I can't just go along with that not knowing if I can do something else that can make this situation better for us all.

Besides, I'm pretty sure Lil' J would be happier with a happy, healthier, well rested mommy.

I just bought the book on Ebay for 99 cents. If it sucks I'll tell you about it. Then burn it.

Any other books you recommend while I'm at it? A friend from work with her second baby, also a 4-month-old said baby 411 has lots of tips and different routines to try. I think I'll buy that one too.

The False Symptoms

The past few days I haven't had much time to really think about blogging... I mean really, if you couldn't tell, yesterday my post was kind of like "Wahm bam, thank you ma'am" I didn't feel like adding more than my raw journal entry, and that's what we got. To be honest, my eyes were drooping and my head nodding off by the time I hit "publish."

When I woke up this morning I read it over again, praying I didn't have spelling mistakes. I didn't, just a sentence left half-written: "I almost bought a First Response early detection test but."

....Yea, that's how I left it. Oh dear. Yes, I've completed the sentence now in case you want to re-read the post.--I know you were dying to know the rest of that thought.

Oh well, that's how it gets sometimes right?

I'm not going to lie, it has to do with the fact that I can't stay up past 10 lately. In fact, I just woke up from a 3-hour nap. Part of the cause could be because my husband was watching golf--Perfect napping television... Or the fact that our couch is very comfortable... But every day this week?

I know chronic sleepiness is a pregnancy symptom, and I'm not implying that I'm pregnant, but instead wondering if it's possible that when that time comes, these non-symptoms will intensify with the real symptoms.

For example... I get random cravings. I guess it's normal for every woman every now and then to want a taste of chocolate RIGHT NOW...But sending my husband out for a late night run for hot dogs and donuts doesn't sound like the "Average-Jane" situation to me... Or does it? What about oranges and funnel cake? Tacos and chocolate-covered strawberries? Fried chicken and watermelon... (Ok, maybe the last one isn't so weird).

All of these random combinations are things I have craved recently and felt like I must eat it right then! It would be nice to at least have the excuse of pregnancy to want such things at such random times but I don't.--And it only makes me worry my hungers will get weirder and intensify when I am pregnant.

And what about my sleepiness and strange intense dreams? Will getting pregnant automatically throw me into the realms of dreamless narcolepsy?

...Or perhaps I'll get lucky and everything will turn around like the Mad Hatter table in Alice in Wonderland where all reason and logic--Normal things, are backwards--Once I'm pregnant I'll never be sleepy and I'll eat normal things.. Healthy things. Oh how that would be nice.

Did you have crazy cravings before you were even pregnant? Did they go away after you were? How about sleepiness? Am I crazy?

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The winners of the Baby Shower Gift Set and $15 gift certificate to Oh Baby Boutique giveaway by Josie from Raising Baby Cheap are:
Gift Set: #12: The Royal Family
Gift Certificate: #17 Destiny
Contact me with your info at babymakingmachine (at) gmail (dot) com.
Also don't forget about my tile necklace giveaway that ends Monday night!

The Challenge

I'm worried I'm going to be a bad example for my kids. I always told myself "when I have kids we have to have FHE (family home evening) EVERY WEEK," "I want to have family scripture study and prayer NIGHTLY," and "We have to make it to church ON TIME." Great goals to have, but how am I going to do that then if I can't do that now? I want to say I'm a bad mother and I'm not even a mother yet! Oh dear... That's good for myself esteem. Future kids I'm sorry... I'm trying to get ready and I'm glad you'll soon forget the bad example I'm being right now.

One of the most difficult things for me to do it wake up. I LOVE sleeping in. Even if it's just until 9 o'clock it makes a WORLD of a difference. I only have to wake up at 7am 3 days a week for work (the other two days I don't have to be at work until 1) and I HATE waking up for work during the week. It's horrible. Sundays, I try to get up by 8 so we can be at church on time at 9... How many times has that happened lately? ONCE!! It's pathetic. How am I suppose to be able to not only dress myself, but little people for church every week? I can tell now that sleep is going to be my ultimate sacrifice for parenting. Not getting fat, not stretching and ripping Lord knows what body parts. Not reducing my personal time, but SLEEP!
HELP!!
PS: sorry for the second post today, it wasn't my intent to hog your feeds. This was just a problem for me today as I struggled to put myself together before church and I thought you'd have words of wisdom for next week :)

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Today is my 4 month anniversary of starting this blog! Woohoo! It's also time to draw a winner for my 100th post contest. I got sooo much good mommy advice, and ideas for future posts as well as ideas for cute baby boy stuff to give away in the future. Random.org selected number 38 so the lucky winner is *drum roll please*... Pam from Hands on Learning Fun. Who is actually having a giveaway of her own right now so go check it out!

If you missed this giveaway, don't give up!! I have another one going on right now that ends in a couple of days! So enter away!

The Things I'm Going to Miss Part 4

I know without a shadow of a doubt that I will miss this precious thing more than anything else on my list. More than my slim figure, more than having late nights out with friends and oh yes, even more than sporadic sex. This cherished item I speak of gives me life, it gives me joy, it gives me an escape from this crazy yet sometimes unbelievably boring world I live in. It's a process no one... Especially not I, can live without, and I'm not sure I can cordially function with less of it. And if... No, when I'm forced to I fear those around me will suffer the wrath as I transform into a vicious beast. Oh yea, that's what happens when I don't get to sleep.

I have a love/hate relationship with sleep. I'm writing this now as I'm fighting to stay awake on one of my days off. I'm extremely mad that the sleep demon has taken over my body and it forcing me to be tired and take long naps all day. Naps are nice yes, but not on my days off. I like to go go go and sleep only gets in the way.

But that's my only complaint about sleep. Other than that I love it. And I mean it when I say: Please... Don't wake me up from my dearest dreams unless you have a bundle of chocolate covered strawberries in your arms. ...Can babies make those?

I was surprised how quickly I was able to jump out of bed and take care of my needy puppy when I first got him, but that instinct left just as quickly as I developed it and now when he whimpers at night I kick my husband out of bed.

Scared is an understatement of how I feel about having a child and loosing sleep. That and the fact that I hear it's more than just a loss of sleep it's like... No more naps? No more sleeping when I want? You mean, I have to do what the crying thing tells ME to? Well I brought the son of a gun into this world...

Do you know how often I sleep in until 9, 10... Heck, 1 if I want to?! I get to decide when I wake up and when I go to sleep and I LOVE it. To have that privilege sacrificed... Ugh. I'm getting all worked up just thinking about it.

A woman I work with just laughs at me when I tell her I'm tired. She just got back from maternity leave and frequently comes in expressing how few hours of sleep she got the night before. I get a migraine just thinking of being in that situation.

How do you get over it? I know you're going to tell me it comes natural but really, what if it doesn't? Do I really just have to say goodbye to sleeping whenever I want to? What if I invested in those nice Boss headphones? Could I pump enough milk so that hubby could wake up in the ridiculous hours of the night? Forget taking turns, I'd trade him a tubal ligation for waking up every night for the crying babies.

Maybe I'm really not cut out for this parenting thing.

(Maybe)

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Nightly Notion

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Another friend of mine told me she might be pregnant. I'll be crossing some more names off my list very soon... Jerks!