A Shocking 10 Minutes of Distraction

We all went to the mall yesterday.  Thankfully it is a very small one and it isn't busy.  We have been having issues with Levi just wandering away when distracted by pretty much anything and shopping has been very challenging with him lately.  We had only been there about 10 minutes before we hit the part of the mall where they have all those toys for kids to play on; and, when we did get there, there was another child playing on one.  Levi ran right over while we kept walking.  We stopped briefly, and then decided to be more drastic.  We hid on him.  We were close enough to keep him safe, and we could see everything he was doing, but he would not be able to see us.  I have no idea what a normal amount of time would be for a child to notice his family was missing, but for at least 10 minutes, Levi ran around foolishly, falling on the ground and making a big scene while we quietly watched from our hiding spot.  Finally, he clued in.  We were gone.  That moment of fear hit only briefly before I stepped out and called to him, but I am hoping that was enough to teach him a lesson.  I think, after seeing how long it took for him to notice, that I am more scared than he is of what could happen.  Thankfully, we have an appointment with the paediatrician soon and we can hopefully sort out a way to get him more focused.

Oh Parker, You Need Your Own Bed

During the last few nights, it has become apparent to me that Parker needs to start sleeping in his own bed at night.  He has been overly fussy due to excessive heat and being crowded, and this has caused him to cry out every 20 - 30 min and push me or his daddy away to have more space.  This is very exciting to me, but now I'm faced with having no choice but to get him in his crib.  Again, very exciting, but I don't know how I will manage this!  He still seems resistant to being put down alone in a crib.  I think this is where a drop-side crib would come in handy, but we don't feel safe using those due to way too many recalls.  I sure do wish all babies came with a manual some days!  Wish us luck.

Almost Blissful Sleep

Finally, after a few weeks of insomnia and struggle, I gave up on not sleeping with Parker and have gotten a few hours of restful sleep for 2 nights now.  I realized that not only was Parker having a hard time transitioning, but I was also having a hard time with it.  I got so used to having his little body snuggled into me, that as much as I became his security blanket, he became mine as well.  How silly and habitual we can be.  Now I need to figure out, not only how to break him of the need to be with mommy, but myself on the need to be with him, in order to get a decent sleep.  I feel we have a very long road ahead of us.  Thankfully, my wonderful husband is very understanding, and doesn't seem to mind too much, in having Parker in bed with us.  Levi is still struggling on staying in bed, but this morning he stayed quiet and also stayed in bed, letting us all get some much needed rest.  Feeling blessed!

Planning to Go Dairy Free

Parker is wanting, more and more, to eat what the family eats at meal time.  With this, I'm realizing just how much dairy I use on a daily basis.  I hear and read often just how bad dairy can be for people, and with a little one who happens to be allergic to it, I'm thinking it's time to try a dairy free diet, at least for awhile.  I can't help but wonder what types of health changes I might notice, any weight loss that might occur and I also can't help but wonder what this will do to our wallets.  I'm going to spend the next little while gathering recipes and visiting blogs about a dairy free lifestyle and then we're going to go a minimum of 30 days completely dairy free.  Excited and nervous all at the same time!

Sleep Transition: End

Since I'm extremely tired and this whole transitioning thing isn't working out well, I'm going to put this whole thing on rest for a few days while I read "the no-cry sleep solution for toddlers and preschoolers" by Elizabeth Pantley.  I then plan to put all the info I can down onto a blog page where I can access it easily.  I'm curious to see if the ideas and solutions she has outlined in this book really will help us.  

I had been thinking on purchasing this book for some time, but never got around to it, but then to my delight, I found it at Value Village!  What a great deal.  I also came across a couple more books: "Better Sleep for your Baby & Child" by Dr. Shelly K. Weiss and "Raising Your Spirited Child" by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka.  Here's to a good month of educational reading.

Sleep Transition: Days 5, 6 & 7

Day 5:  The schedule was only slightly off as we started dinner late and such.  I don't realistically think that the timing will be bang on each night, but the actual routine should be followed and done as close to the times as possible.  Both kids were in bed at a decent time, and it was nice to enjoy a few hours of peace before heading to bed ourselves.

Day 6:  We were very much off schedule, but followed the routine and I think it's going well.  Levi learned a nice quiet game of cards with mommy, and we had some quality time.  I think this will need to be our special time every day.  Parker resisted to the point that I just gave in and slept with him.  I know I shouldn't, but I'm going crazy!

Day 7:  Levi and I enjoyed cards again.  I love spending time with him again.  Parker went to bed wonderfully at 9, but when he woke at midnight, he would not go back to his crib.  Again, i had to give in and sleep with him.


The schedule we set up has been working well for our 4 year old.  He's going to bed well and getting up well.  We still have attitude problems, but he is finally averaging about 11 hours of sleep a night.  I'm hoping that after a few more weeks with this routine, he calms down more and rests better.

The schedule works well enough with Parker, also; however, he is still refusing to sleep in his crib.  We're going to give in and try a pacifier with him.  I'm also going to take his mattress out of his crib and put it on the floor.  He notices as soon as I pull him away from my chest and wakes up screaming.  I know this is a difficult transition for him, and I am trying to remain patient, but my lack of sleep has left me bitter in the wee hours of the morning.  My hopes with our new plan is that he can go to sleep much the same as he had been, on a mattress on the floor, but he will be getting used to a new mattress.  I will continue to wake up to feed him, but when he chooses to just suckle, I will pull away and place the pacifier in his mouth instead.

Here's to dreaming of a peaceful sleep soon.

Sleep Transition: Days 3 and 4

Day 3: Parker went to bed easily, but of course I put him down while asleep.  He managed to go quite some time before waking, and when he did wake to eat, I was able to get him back down in his crib again.  The only problem was that Levi had decided to get up and crawl into my spot in bed while I had been feeding Parker.  This made me pretty upset because I then had to wait until Parker woke up again to go back to sleep.  We can't hear him as easily from Levi's room.

Day 4:  Parker fought his crib!  He refused to go down and it was after midnight before I managed to get him peacefully asleep.  Once asleep, he did very well and didn't wake until about 3am.  I was way too tired by this point to bother trying to get him back in his crib, so I gave in and put him in bed with us.

Tonight, probably the dumbest night to start, we plan to start a new sleep regime.  This is how it will go:

5:30 TV Off and Dinner
6:15 Levi has his bath
6:35 Quiet family activity
7:00 Bedtime snack
7:15 Stories for Levi, bath for Parker
7:30 Levi brushes his teeth, Parker has stories
7:45 Lights out for Levi, Nurse Parker
8:15 Brush Parker's teeth
8:30 Lights out for Parker

It is going to be a tough run, but we've decided that we are going to hold to this schedule and make it work.  Once this schedule is in place, I can finally come up with a daily routine that works well for all of us.