Just a quick post to say that Keziah has become a wonderful little sleeper. She has now had 3 nights of cry-free sleep. Cry it out was definitely an effective method for her. I highly recommend it to struggling moms that have babies at least 4 months of age.
Back when Keziah was 6 weeks old, I attempted to let her cry to sleep and it didn't work at all. Crying it out should only be implemented for babies old enough to cry for reasons other than actual needs.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
Crying It Out
This week Jon and I have decided that it's time to allow Keziah to cry it out. This has been something I've been incredibly conflicted over, as no mother enjoys sitting there allowing her baby to cry at the top of her lungs. But, since we've been away for the past few weeks staying at the river house, Keziah's sleep patterns have changed significantly to the point where we feel it's necessary.
Up until a couple weeks ago, Keziah slept soundly for 11-12 hours straight a night. If she did wake up, she put herself back to sleep, without me waking to notice. But, lately she's been waking up at least once per night to cry persistently. In addition to that, we've been swaddling Keziah and giving her a pacifier since the day she was born. As she nears the 5 month mark, we feel it's time to wean her of that and allow her to get used to her arms and be able to deal with her pacifier falling out of her mouth at night.
So, I guess starting last night (officially) we started letting her cry it out. And believe me, she did. I went in on occasion to pat her, tell her I loved her, and then say goodnight once more. She would momentarily be quiet and then as soon as she realized I wasn't going to pick her up or feed her, she would scream again. So, I would leave and wait some more. Finally, after about 30 minutes of crying, she wore herself out and went fast to sleep. I had swaddled her with one arm down and one arm free. She woke up happy this morning later than usual (7:30am -- she had been waking just before 6am for several days in a row). She ate a little and fell back asleep for another hour and a half. I'd say it was successful.
Tonight, I put her in a sleep sack. For those of you who don't know what that it is, it's a blanket that a baby wears that has arms but the bottom is just a sack that you zip up. So her arms are completely free to move around. I fed her, put her down, said goodnight. Of course, she instantly started to cry the moment she realized what was going on. I left and listened painfully to her crying for 5 minutes. I went back in, patted, said I loved her, she was quiet, I left -- she cried. I listened to her cry for another 10 minutes. Went in, patted her and she was quiet -- just long enough to poop. Awesome. So I had to pick her up and change her. Way to throw a wrench in the process. She cried the entire time on the changing table. Once changed, I picked her up and hugged her until she was quiet. I laid her back down and the moment she realized what was going on, she screamed at the top of her lungs. I left again, this time with the intention of waiting 15 minutes to go back. But, after 5 or so minutes she stopped crying! She's now fast asleep (or dead... haha).
I was reading online about how to carry out a "cry it out" method effectively. Apparently you're supposed to wait 5 or so minutes the first time, and then add 5 minutes to the time you wait, repeating the process each time until baby falls asleep. Supposedly within 3 nights of doing this, we should see a drastic decrease in the time spent crying and between 4 and 7 nights the crying should virtually disappear. Fingers crossed! She's already cried less tonight than last night and she's not swaddled at all!
Up until a couple weeks ago, Keziah slept soundly for 11-12 hours straight a night. If she did wake up, she put herself back to sleep, without me waking to notice. But, lately she's been waking up at least once per night to cry persistently. In addition to that, we've been swaddling Keziah and giving her a pacifier since the day she was born. As she nears the 5 month mark, we feel it's time to wean her of that and allow her to get used to her arms and be able to deal with her pacifier falling out of her mouth at night.
So, I guess starting last night (officially) we started letting her cry it out. And believe me, she did. I went in on occasion to pat her, tell her I loved her, and then say goodnight once more. She would momentarily be quiet and then as soon as she realized I wasn't going to pick her up or feed her, she would scream again. So, I would leave and wait some more. Finally, after about 30 minutes of crying, she wore herself out and went fast to sleep. I had swaddled her with one arm down and one arm free. She woke up happy this morning later than usual (7:30am -- she had been waking just before 6am for several days in a row). She ate a little and fell back asleep for another hour and a half. I'd say it was successful.
Tonight, I put her in a sleep sack. For those of you who don't know what that it is, it's a blanket that a baby wears that has arms but the bottom is just a sack that you zip up. So her arms are completely free to move around. I fed her, put her down, said goodnight. Of course, she instantly started to cry the moment she realized what was going on. I left and listened painfully to her crying for 5 minutes. I went back in, patted, said I loved her, she was quiet, I left -- she cried. I listened to her cry for another 10 minutes. Went in, patted her and she was quiet -- just long enough to poop. Awesome. So I had to pick her up and change her. Way to throw a wrench in the process. She cried the entire time on the changing table. Once changed, I picked her up and hugged her until she was quiet. I laid her back down and the moment she realized what was going on, she screamed at the top of her lungs. I left again, this time with the intention of waiting 15 minutes to go back. But, after 5 or so minutes she stopped crying! She's now fast asleep (or dead... haha).
I was reading online about how to carry out a "cry it out" method effectively. Apparently you're supposed to wait 5 or so minutes the first time, and then add 5 minutes to the time you wait, repeating the process each time until baby falls asleep. Supposedly within 3 nights of doing this, we should see a drastic decrease in the time spent crying and between 4 and 7 nights the crying should virtually disappear. Fingers crossed! She's already cried less tonight than last night and she's not swaddled at all!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
I figured it was time for an update...
Sooooo....
It's been awhile since I've posted because things have been so busy! Last weekend our little family traveled to Midlothian, VA to visit with the Boone's (Jon's second family, i.e. his best friend Todd's family), and also attend my friend Laura's wedding.
Friday night Jon's parents came over for dinner at the Boone's house and it was nice to visit and catch up. They hadn't seen Keziah since she was 6 weeks old. After dinner Jon's dad was moving Keziah around and making her do silly things. Keziah LOVED it!! She was laughing hysterically for about 10 minutes straight. It was so adorable. Since then I've tried to get her to laugh like that again to no avail. But, she has laughed some, mostly giggles.
Saturday morning we went to a brunch for Laura's wedding. We brought Keziah along and it was fun to introduce her to Laura. She was running a little bit late from getting her hair and makeup done, so Keziah was already asleep when she arrived. But I passed Keziah off to Laura and she snuggled up to her and went right back to sleep.
After the brunch, we went back to the Boone's. My former roommate and super awesome friend, Sarah, drove up from Charleston, SC for the wedding and stopped in at the Boone's to meet Keziah. It was really fun letting her meet Kezi for the first time. She thought Sarah was funny and smiled at her a ton.
Mrs. Boone, Todd's sister Becky, and Todd's cousin Laura watched Keziah during the wedding. It was nice to go out baby free for the day! The wedding was a lot of fun and Laura was absolutely beautiful (of course). It was really good to see her again -- it had been awhile. Laura and I are friends from our Bible study during undergrad at Virginia Tech.
We returned home after the wedding to a very happy, well taken care of baby! But, unfortunately the next day Keziah woke up with a bad cough. It was so pathetic -- she would cough like crazy and then just stare at me and smile. How could someone so miserable still be so sweet? Keziah truly is a sweetheart.
Today was Keziah's first mostly healthy day since Saturday night. It's good to have her back to normal. It just broke my heart having to suction her nose so often. She HATED it and would scream and scream. Poor thing.
I also woke up sick Saturday night -- felt AWFUL -- sore throat, a fever, chills. I felt pretty miserable all Sunday and a good portion of Monday. Unfortunately, Jon left town Monday night, so I've been on my own with little K. But, thankfully, I woke up feeling much better on Tuesday. Today I'm feeling pretty close to 100%.
I took Kezi to daycare today from 11-5:30 so that I could get a good chunk of cleaning out of the way and also tutor for an hour this afternoon. I still have a lot more cleaning to get done before we host Thanksgiving at our place next week. Hopefully I'll come close to finishing tomorrow, since Friday Keziah and I are going to Midlothian to see the Boone's again. Todd and his wife Chrissy and their baby girl Coraline (born July 28) flew out from Utah today. We can't wait to see them and meet little Cora.
As for Jon's job -- he's really enjoying it so far. It's a big change from his old labor intensive position as a roofing contractor. He's been given a ton of responsibility with very little direction, so hopefully he can catch on quick! I'm sure it's nice for him to finally be doing something that uses his degree.
Welp, that's all for now!
It's been awhile since I've posted because things have been so busy! Last weekend our little family traveled to Midlothian, VA to visit with the Boone's (Jon's second family, i.e. his best friend Todd's family), and also attend my friend Laura's wedding.
Friday night Jon's parents came over for dinner at the Boone's house and it was nice to visit and catch up. They hadn't seen Keziah since she was 6 weeks old. After dinner Jon's dad was moving Keziah around and making her do silly things. Keziah LOVED it!! She was laughing hysterically for about 10 minutes straight. It was so adorable. Since then I've tried to get her to laugh like that again to no avail. But, she has laughed some, mostly giggles.
Saturday morning we went to a brunch for Laura's wedding. We brought Keziah along and it was fun to introduce her to Laura. She was running a little bit late from getting her hair and makeup done, so Keziah was already asleep when she arrived. But I passed Keziah off to Laura and she snuggled up to her and went right back to sleep.
After the brunch, we went back to the Boone's. My former roommate and super awesome friend, Sarah, drove up from Charleston, SC for the wedding and stopped in at the Boone's to meet Keziah. It was really fun letting her meet Kezi for the first time. She thought Sarah was funny and smiled at her a ton.
Mrs. Boone, Todd's sister Becky, and Todd's cousin Laura watched Keziah during the wedding. It was nice to go out baby free for the day! The wedding was a lot of fun and Laura was absolutely beautiful (of course). It was really good to see her again -- it had been awhile. Laura and I are friends from our Bible study during undergrad at Virginia Tech.
We returned home after the wedding to a very happy, well taken care of baby! But, unfortunately the next day Keziah woke up with a bad cough. It was so pathetic -- she would cough like crazy and then just stare at me and smile. How could someone so miserable still be so sweet? Keziah truly is a sweetheart.
Today was Keziah's first mostly healthy day since Saturday night. It's good to have her back to normal. It just broke my heart having to suction her nose so often. She HATED it and would scream and scream. Poor thing.
I also woke up sick Saturday night -- felt AWFUL -- sore throat, a fever, chills. I felt pretty miserable all Sunday and a good portion of Monday. Unfortunately, Jon left town Monday night, so I've been on my own with little K. But, thankfully, I woke up feeling much better on Tuesday. Today I'm feeling pretty close to 100%.
I took Kezi to daycare today from 11-5:30 so that I could get a good chunk of cleaning out of the way and also tutor for an hour this afternoon. I still have a lot more cleaning to get done before we host Thanksgiving at our place next week. Hopefully I'll come close to finishing tomorrow, since Friday Keziah and I are going to Midlothian to see the Boone's again. Todd and his wife Chrissy and their baby girl Coraline (born July 28) flew out from Utah today. We can't wait to see them and meet little Cora.
As for Jon's job -- he's really enjoying it so far. It's a big change from his old labor intensive position as a roofing contractor. He's been given a ton of responsibility with very little direction, so hopefully he can catch on quick! I'm sure it's nice for him to finally be doing something that uses his degree.
Welp, that's all for now!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Jon got a new job!
Two weeks ago (Monday), Jon had an interview at Community Housing Partners (CHP) for a construction project superintendent position. That Friday he got a call letting him know he got the job! So, Monday morning he let his old boss know he had accepted an offer with a different employer, and Jon had his last day of work this past Friday, November 5th. He has this whole next week off and will start his new job on November 15th. I'm really looking forward to spending time with him!
The catch?
The new job is a traveling position. The project Jon is working on is in Kilmarnock, VA, five hours from here. He'll be gone Monday-Friday every week until the project is completed (estimated to be July, 2011). After that, he'll be on a new project that could be up to five hours away again.
Surprisingly (or not, which you'll see why in a sec), Jon and I didn't give the distance factor much thought when the job was offered -- he immediately accepted. He had really been struggling to remain content at his former job as a roofing contractor. It was never what he wanted, but after graduating in May of 2009 and remaining unemployed until that November, a job was a job. Jon was traveling all over the place, always up on a roof doing manual labor -- all for minimum wage (or less). He was never compensated for his traveling expenses and the more and more he worked there, the more and more I felt he was severely taken advantage of.
But, hey, that's over now! Community Housing Partners is an awesome company that treats their employees really well. For those of you who don't know, CHP is a non-profit organization that focuses on providing affordable housing for low-income families. In fact, they built the duplex that we currently live in -- which we love!
Unlike his old job, Jon will be compensated for the traveling he does each week. In fact, he'll have a company vehicle and the gas paid for! Yay! A HUGE change from his last job, and super awesome because we were tired of all of the miles he was putting on my car. He'll also have a housing allowance and daily food stipend. And even better...he'll have BENEFITS! We had ZERO benefits from his previous employer. Finally having health insurance and a retirement plan is SUPER awesome!
Being away from each other will be difficult, especially now that we're parents. I'll be a single, married mom during the weeks. But, I've got great friends that can help support me when I need it during the week. Plus, Keziah is now in daycare, so I'll be able to get things done during the day. Once this semester is over, I'm going to go out to live with Jon until the spring semester starts. Then I'll go stay with him over spring break and at the the end of the spring semester until he completes the job in July. So, while we'll be away from each other a lot, there will be lots of time that we're able to live together. Jon will also be coming home every weekend. According the CHP guy that interviewed him, it will be rare, if at all, that Jon has to work weekends. So, he should be able to come home the majority of the time.
A HUGE burden has been lifted off of Jon. I'm so happy that he'll finally be able to enjoy going to work each day.
It feels good! =)
The catch?
The new job is a traveling position. The project Jon is working on is in Kilmarnock, VA, five hours from here. He'll be gone Monday-Friday every week until the project is completed (estimated to be July, 2011). After that, he'll be on a new project that could be up to five hours away again.
Surprisingly (or not, which you'll see why in a sec), Jon and I didn't give the distance factor much thought when the job was offered -- he immediately accepted. He had really been struggling to remain content at his former job as a roofing contractor. It was never what he wanted, but after graduating in May of 2009 and remaining unemployed until that November, a job was a job. Jon was traveling all over the place, always up on a roof doing manual labor -- all for minimum wage (or less). He was never compensated for his traveling expenses and the more and more he worked there, the more and more I felt he was severely taken advantage of.
But, hey, that's over now! Community Housing Partners is an awesome company that treats their employees really well. For those of you who don't know, CHP is a non-profit organization that focuses on providing affordable housing for low-income families. In fact, they built the duplex that we currently live in -- which we love!
Unlike his old job, Jon will be compensated for the traveling he does each week. In fact, he'll have a company vehicle and the gas paid for! Yay! A HUGE change from his last job, and super awesome because we were tired of all of the miles he was putting on my car. He'll also have a housing allowance and daily food stipend. And even better...he'll have BENEFITS! We had ZERO benefits from his previous employer. Finally having health insurance and a retirement plan is SUPER awesome!
Being away from each other will be difficult, especially now that we're parents. I'll be a single, married mom during the weeks. But, I've got great friends that can help support me when I need it during the week. Plus, Keziah is now in daycare, so I'll be able to get things done during the day. Once this semester is over, I'm going to go out to live with Jon until the spring semester starts. Then I'll go stay with him over spring break and at the the end of the spring semester until he completes the job in July. So, while we'll be away from each other a lot, there will be lots of time that we're able to live together. Jon will also be coming home every weekend. According the CHP guy that interviewed him, it will be rare, if at all, that Jon has to work weekends. So, he should be able to come home the majority of the time.
A HUGE burden has been lifted off of Jon. I'm so happy that he'll finally be able to enjoy going to work each day.
It feels good! =)
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Election Day!
Today was another beautiful fall day, so Keziah and I went for a walk to the library to vote! She's been really smiley all day long and very responsive to my attempts to get her to laugh. In the picture to the right, Keziah is standing up leaning against the back of the futon in her nursery. Her legs are getting stronger and she LOVES standing! Notice also the "I voted" sticker, hehe. Her first election! The picture below is her all bundled up, getting ready to start our walk. I am so in love with her!!
First Day at Daycare
As of yesterday, Keziah is officially enrolled in daycare at Rainbow Riders. I'm not going to be taking her full time until next semester, so for now she will just go here and there. I took her in yesterday for 3 hours and I stayed for half the time.
It's really hard for me to even like the idea of daycare. I want to be there to interact with Keziah all day, but unfortunately I'll never finish school that way. So, I'm trying to ease into it. I got to know the workers a little better yesterday. They seem to take care of the babies really well, tending to their needs promptly. But, there is only one worker for every three babies. Granted, that's an excellent ratio for a daycare, it's still hard to think Keziah won't be number one all the time!
After hanging out for an hour and a half, I left to run some errands. I came back after an hour and Keziah was still hanging out on a boppy pillow, exactly the same way I'd left her. It seems like she's not going to get very much interaction. I know she won't be left to cry, but the workers probably won't be up in her face talking to her either, as they have other crying babies to tend to!
I feel like her development will be slowed the more she goes to daycare. But who knows. There are tons of different activities for her to do and lots of brightly colored objects around the room, as well as mirrors for her to look into. I just hope she doesn't get overstimulated from everything going on around her! Keziah did take a nap when she was there, and she seemed to do just fine. I can't imagine leaving her there ALL day long!! It's gonna be hard.
Oh daycare. I've always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, and hopefully I'll eventually get to be one!
It's really hard for me to even like the idea of daycare. I want to be there to interact with Keziah all day, but unfortunately I'll never finish school that way. So, I'm trying to ease into it. I got to know the workers a little better yesterday. They seem to take care of the babies really well, tending to their needs promptly. But, there is only one worker for every three babies. Granted, that's an excellent ratio for a daycare, it's still hard to think Keziah won't be number one all the time!
After hanging out for an hour and a half, I left to run some errands. I came back after an hour and Keziah was still hanging out on a boppy pillow, exactly the same way I'd left her. It seems like she's not going to get very much interaction. I know she won't be left to cry, but the workers probably won't be up in her face talking to her either, as they have other crying babies to tend to!
I feel like her development will be slowed the more she goes to daycare. But who knows. There are tons of different activities for her to do and lots of brightly colored objects around the room, as well as mirrors for her to look into. I just hope she doesn't get overstimulated from everything going on around her! Keziah did take a nap when she was there, and she seemed to do just fine. I can't imagine leaving her there ALL day long!! It's gonna be hard.
Oh daycare. I've always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, and hopefully I'll eventually get to be one!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Blacksburg Brew Do
Just a short post...
So yesterday was the Blacksburg Brew Do! It was so much fun. For those of you who don't know what it is, it's an annual craft beer festival at First and Main in Blacksburg. They have (supposedly) nearly 50 different kinds of beer, all locally brewed in the mid-Atlantic region. It was a beautiful Fall day and Jon and I brought Keziah along with us--but don't worry I was a responsible taster. Although, Jon witnessed this one older couple giving me the eye with a look of shock on their face, seemingly saying "What on earth is that girl doing?? She brought her baby???". There were lots of other kids there, and I even met a couple that had brought there 2 week baby along.
Little Keziah did so well though. We were at the Brew Do from 1-5pm and then stayed to have dinner at a restaurant right next door. By the time we got home, we had been out for 8 hours and Keziah hadn't cried or even fussed the entire time! She's such a good little baby. We really are blessed with how easy going she is.
So yesterday was the Blacksburg Brew Do! It was so much fun. For those of you who don't know what it is, it's an annual craft beer festival at First and Main in Blacksburg. They have (supposedly) nearly 50 different kinds of beer, all locally brewed in the mid-Atlantic region. It was a beautiful Fall day and Jon and I brought Keziah along with us--but don't worry I was a responsible taster. Although, Jon witnessed this one older couple giving me the eye with a look of shock on their face, seemingly saying "What on earth is that girl doing?? She brought her baby???". There were lots of other kids there, and I even met a couple that had brought there 2 week baby along.
Little Keziah did so well though. We were at the Brew Do from 1-5pm and then stayed to have dinner at a restaurant right next door. By the time we got home, we had been out for 8 hours and Keziah hadn't cried or even fussed the entire time! She's such a good little baby. We really are blessed with how easy going she is.
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