Showing posts with label Sawyer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sawyer. Show all posts
Sleep: Months 1-8
Friday, December 14, 2018
I knew from the beginning that we would sleep train. I hate that it has such a negative connotation, because teaching a baby to sleep is not bad. My simple reasoning for wanting to sleep train is that I like to sleep because I feel better when I do, therefore I can parent better when I’m less exhausted. I think any mom would agree with that. Parenting is easier when you don’t feel like you’re going to pass out. If I feel better after a full nights sleep, then I know that Sawyer does to! Especially because she’s growing so quickly during this first year of life, and that all happens while she sleeps. That being said, if what you’re doing works for your family (cosleeping, bedsharing, nursing to sleep, rocking) then that’s totally fine. Do what works for you! Don’t fix what isn’t broken!
Months 1-2
We were careful not to let every nap happen in the same place during the first few months. A few in her dock a tot, a few in the swing, some in our arms, in the car seat while out, and in the carrier. It was simple, feed her, play a little, sleep! At night I’d wake her up every three hours to nurse until the pediatrician gave me the go ahead to let her sleep around 1 month. I followed the basic outline of Baby Wise for the first few months which really helped me as a first time mom. We were getting 2 hour stretches in the first month, then 3-4 hours the next, and I think the longest ever was maybe 5-6.
Months 3-4
I realized I had gotten into the habit of rocking and paci replacing to get Sawyer to sleep. This is also when her naps turned to 40 minutes on the dot. I knew the rocking had to stop because the second I laid her down she’d wake up. The rocking wasn’t an issue for a few months, and I urge you to soak up the cuddles while you can, but for us it became a problem. I wasn’t going to hold Sawyer all night long. I tried a few different things, like rocking for shorter and shorter amounts of time, laying her down and bouncing the crib mattress until I saw her fall asleep then slowly stopping. Eventually we were able to lay her down awake and her put herself to sleep. This was all thanks to the navigating 3-4 months from Taking Cara Babies. It helped us slowly transition Sawyer from completely relying on us for her sleep, to becoming more independent while still having night feedings when hungry. This is definitely when you have to determine if a baby is hungry, or if a baby is looking for comfort. Always feed a hungry baby. During month 3, Sawyer had a few nights of waking up every 90 minutes wanting to be nursed or have her paci replaced. This is also when she started sleeping about 8-10 hours with the 3-4 month guide.
Months 5-6
We got the ABC’s of Sleep as soon as Sawyer was 5 months. She was already sleeping pretty well, but I wanted to be prepared for any regressions or issues. I read it and watched the videos, but didn’t completely implement it for a few weeks. She also finally started napping longer than 40 minutes around 6 months, so we transitioned to 3, 60-90 minute naps. We really started implementing ABC’s of sleep when Sawyer was waking up at 4-5 am every morning. She was sleeping about 10 hours, waking up and crying for 30 minutes, then going back to sleep for another hour. It was so hard to be consistent because I just wanted to give in and get her up for the day. The early morning wakings finally resolved after a few weeks of fussing every morning. It got shorter and shorter, and sometimes didn’t happen at all! By 7 months she was sleeping until at least 6.
5 Month Schedule6 Month Schedule
Taking Cara Babies ABC's Of Sleep
Months 7-8
Sawyer has never been a quiet sleeper. When she was a newborn she was loud, and would grunt, and cry out, but still be completely asleep. That didn’t end until recently! Everytime she transitioned from sleep cycle to sleep cycle she would fuss and cry for 30 seconds-5 minutes. I had no idea that this was normal, and would’ve assumed she needed me if it wasn’t for all the reading I did. That fussing and crying out at night during transitions has finally lessened! She sometimes will fuss for 30 seconds at around 2 am or 4 am then go right back to sleep. She’s taking 2 naps a day that are 60-120 minutes each. Sometimes she’ll still take a catnap in the car too.
7 Month Schedule8 Month Schedule
Lots of people told me I got lucky with a good sleeper. They didn’t see the dedication and tears (hers and mine) that prayed and researched how to help her sleep independently. Honestly I think Sawyer is a really bad sleeper. She loves to sleep, but she had no clue how. It took weeks of transitioning from rocking to being in the crib for naps. It took months to resolve the 5 am wake ups. It took consistency to keep her from needing her pacifier replaced throughout the night. This could be a very different story. Of exhaustion, defeat, bed-sharing and nursing all night because I didn’t have the tools to teach her to sleep. I’m passionate about sleep training because moms need space, babies need sleep, and husbands need their wives.
Why We Chose Taking Cara Babies!
Why We Chose Taking Cara Babies!
8 Months // Sawyer Denise
Wednesday, December 5, 2018
Sawyer at 8 Months
Weight: 19 lbs
Weight: 19 lbs
Birth Weight: 7lbs 7oz
Changes and Developments
Has two teeth!
Got RSV, but is happy and healthy now.
On the verge of crawling.
Eats 3 meals a day of solids.
Sleeps on her tummy.
Starting to sleep closer to 12 hours instead of 11 at night.
Giggles and smiles constantly. It's contagious.
Loves our Amazon Alexa, and will listen to it talk all day.
Adventures
We basically just skipped right past Thanksgiving into Christmas, but we did spend some time with friends and family. Sawyer’s cousins Claire and Caleb spent the night! I picture many more cousin sleepovers throughout the years. We celebrated Thanksgiving at Gigi and Chief’s house, and at Isa and Grandpa’s. Thanksgiving ended with a trip to urgent care. Sawyer had a cold all month, but she seemed to get worse all of a sudden. Turns out she had RSV and an ear infection. Luckily she’s completely fine now, and was a trooper the entire time. We wouldn’t of even taken her into the doctor, except for the fact that she freaked out every time we put her down for a nap. That was a clear sign to us that she had an ear infection. It’s wonderful to have her back to normal now! Seeing your baby sick is the worst. We took all our family Christmas pictures, and will hopefully be sending out cards soon!! We also went to Grapevine Main Street with the cousins to enjoy the Christmas lights and dinner.
We basically just skipped right past Thanksgiving into Christmas, but we did spend some time with friends and family. Sawyer’s cousins Claire and Caleb spent the night! I picture many more cousin sleepovers throughout the years. We celebrated Thanksgiving at Gigi and Chief’s house, and at Isa and Grandpa’s. Thanksgiving ended with a trip to urgent care. Sawyer had a cold all month, but she seemed to get worse all of a sudden. Turns out she had RSV and an ear infection. Luckily she’s completely fine now, and was a trooper the entire time. We wouldn’t of even taken her into the doctor, except for the fact that she freaked out every time we put her down for a nap. That was a clear sign to us that she had an ear infection. It’s wonderful to have her back to normal now! Seeing your baby sick is the worst. We took all our family Christmas pictures, and will hopefully be sending out cards soon!! We also went to Grapevine Main Street with the cousins to enjoy the Christmas lights and dinner.
Sawyer’s Schedule
Sawyer has completely moved to 2 naps! Which makes life a lot easier because we can actually go out for 2-3 hours without worrying about her needing a nap. She is still eating 5x a day, but I think she will be down to 4 soon because she’s eating a lot more solids.
Sawyer has completely moved to 2 naps! Which makes life a lot easier because we can actually go out for 2-3 hours without worrying about her needing a nap. She is still eating 5x a day, but I think she will be down to 4 soon because she’s eating a lot more solids.
7:00- wake up & eat 1
The rest of the schedule varies based on exactly what time she wakes up. Sometimes it’s 6, sometimes 7, this morning was 7:20.
The rest of the schedule varies based on exactly what time she wakes up. Sometimes it’s 6, sometimes 7, this morning was 7:20.
8:00- breakfast
She will usually have one or two of the following for breakfast; banana, carrots, tortilla, eggs,
turkey, chicken, puffs, pouch of fruits and veggies.
9:30 to 10:45- nap one
I stopped trying to push her to 3 hours of awake time before her first nap and have settled to about 2 ½ hours. So it’s usually between 9-10 am.
I stopped trying to push her to 3 hours of awake time before her first nap and have settled to about 2 ½ hours. So it’s usually between 9-10 am.
10:45- eat 2
12:00- lunch
Usually turkey or chicken, tortilla, and some fruits and veggies.
1:00- eat 3
2 to 3:30- nap two
Sometimes this happens a littler earlier if she’s sleepy, or if we’re in the car.
3:30- eat 4
5:00- dinner
Usually turkey or chicken, tortilla, and some fruits and veggies.
6:30- bathtime
6:45- eat 5
7:00- night night!
All the Pictures
7 Months // Sawyer Denise
Friday, November 2, 2018
Sawyer at 7 Months
Weight: 18 lbs
Weight: 18 lbs
Birth Weight: 7lbs 7oz
Length: 26.25 inches
Birth Length: 20 inches
Changes and Developments
Got her first tooth.
Love to feed herself.
Very social and wants to be around people.
Walks in her walker.
Staying awake up to 4 hours sometimes!
Obsessed with all animals.
Adventures
Sawyer is loving her first fall! She joined in on the annual Stewart pumpkin carving by being put in a pumpkin. It’s been rainy and cold for a few weeks, and then went back to the 80s for Halloween. She was a Dalmatian for trick or treating at Safety Town in Frisco because Daniel was working! Then she was an old lady to for Halloween with her cousins… I’ve loved this costume forever so I couldn’t resist. We also did trunk or treat at church with our lifegroup. Jurassic Park was our theme all of course we got her a dinosaur costume BUT it was 85 degrees so she didn’t get to wear it. We will always have backup costumes in Texas because it could be freezing and raining or super hot.
Sawyer is loving her first fall! She joined in on the annual Stewart pumpkin carving by being put in a pumpkin. It’s been rainy and cold for a few weeks, and then went back to the 80s for Halloween. She was a Dalmatian for trick or treating at Safety Town in Frisco because Daniel was working! Then she was an old lady to for Halloween with her cousins… I’ve loved this costume forever so I couldn’t resist. We also did trunk or treat at church with our lifegroup. Jurassic Park was our theme all of course we got her a dinosaur costume BUT it was 85 degrees so she didn’t get to wear it. We will always have backup costumes in Texas because it could be freezing and raining or super hot.
Sawyer’s Schedule
Transitioning to two naps has been a beast!! I knew it was time when she started waking up at 5 am though. She was sick for about a week last month, so her schedule got all crazy because I was feeding her 1-2x a night. As soon as she was better we tried to get her back to sleeping through the night, but it’s been a challenge. Here’s the schedule we shoot for with two naps, but it’s rarely perfect! Also, we’ve been moving bedtime later for DST.
Transitioning to two naps has been a beast!! I knew it was time when she started waking up at 5 am though. She was sick for about a week last month, so her schedule got all crazy because I was feeding her 1-2x a night. As soon as she was better we tried to get her back to sleeping through the night, but it’s been a challenge. Here’s the schedule we shoot for with two naps, but it’s rarely perfect! Also, we’ve been moving bedtime later for DST.
Last thing, at this point eat, play, sleep doesn’t work with her schedule anymore because she’s down to two naps but eats 5x a day. So I just make sure she doesn’t fall asleep eating because food is for nutrition not comfort.
7:00- wake up & eat 1
The rest of the schedule varies based on exactly what time she wakes up.
The rest of the schedule varies based on exactly what time she wakes up.
9:45- eat 2
10 to 11:30- nap one
Making it to her first nap is always a struggle, but I know if she goes to sleep to early then she will only take a 40 minute nap. So my goal is always 3 hours awake so that she can take a full 80 minute nap.
Making it to her first nap is always a struggle, but I know if she goes to sleep to early then she will only take a 40 minute nap. So my goal is always 3 hours awake so that she can take a full 80 minute nap.
12:30- eat 3
2 to 3:30- nap two
We try to make this nap late enough that she can make it to bedtime afterwards. If she wakes up before 3:30 then she will usually need a 30 minute catnap at 5. The goal is to completely eliminate catnaps and accidental naps in the car or stroller, but realistically that’s impossible.
We try to make this nap late enough that she can make it to bedtime afterwards. If she wakes up before 3:30 then she will usually need a 30 minute catnap at 5. The goal is to completely eliminate catnaps and accidental naps in the car or stroller, but realistically that’s impossible.
3:30- eat 4
7:00- bathtime
7:15- eat 5
7:30- night night!
All the Pictures
How We Are Introducing Solids
Thursday, October 11, 2018
As soon as we got breastfeeding figured out, it was time to introduce solids. It seems like anytime you think you know what you’re doing as a parents your child proves you wrong. Anyone relate?
So I started researching when, how, and what to introduce first! It’s incredible how many different routes there are to take, and it honestly just depends on the baby. Some babies want to feed themselves, while others will only eat from a golden spoon that their mama wields, and some prefer a pouch to anything. Our pediatrician had a few suggestions that I loved, but I would suggest speaking to your own before introducing solids. She suggested introducing baby cereal with breast milk first, then single ingredient purées, and also introducing common allergens.
I loved using baby oatmeal and breast milk until sawyer understood how to swallow food and not just let it fall out of her mouth. This is the perfect way to see if your baby is ready for solids and teach them how to eat without wasting a lot of food. The idea of eating single ingredient foods is to know exactly which food causes an allergic reaction if there is one! That’s why I love Inspired Start. They combine normal baby foods like apples with ingredients like peanuts to introduce those common allergens to your baby in a smart way.
It’s a safe bet that I won’t be making my own peanut butter, or making a shrimp purée any time soon to introduce these foods to Sawyer. Inspired Start makes it possible to expose our kiddos to interesting flavor combinations and potential allergens without fear. It’s difficult to find diverse favors to introduce to baby during those first few months. I notice most foods are either single ingredient, or include three to four different ingredients. That makes it challenging to know what your baby is allergic to, and to know if they actually like a flavor or if it’s being masked by the other ingredients. Inspired Start ensures that they’re tasting unique flavors like peanut, egg, soy, and shrimp.
Currently, Sawyer is eating solids 1-2x a day, and breastfeeding at least 5x. I make sure to only offer solids an hour before or an hour after a feed because they’re not her source of nutrition yet. She loves to feed herself using the pouch, but she tends to get more in her mouth if we use a spoon. Pouches are convenient on the go, but we will also start introducing finger foods like steamed carrots, scrambled eggs, and bananas at home. Inspired Start is helping me keep what and how she eats varied so hopefully she won’t become picky like me.
If you’re interested in introducing common allergens and unique flavors to your baby’s diet check out Inspired Start. Use their store locator to find a grocer to shop in store. You can also order online through Amazon (my personal fav) or Thrive market. They have a Pack 1 to introduce peanuts, soy, tree nuts, and egg. Pack 2 with wheat, sesame, shrimp and cod. You can also purchase Variety Packs so that you can continue exposing baby to all the unique flavors from both packs.
Inspired Start- https://inspired-start.com
Amazon- https://amzn.to/2y8h1T3
Instagram- http://www.instagram.com/inspiredstart
