7 Months: Sleep Woes

Hi Friends- 

I'm in full on zombie mode today. Isla is a nighttime terrorist. The kid doesn't sleep. I know that it can being annoying when parents complain about their kids sleep because it's never consistent and right when you think they've turned a corner something changes but when you're in it, it truly feels like the world will end if you don't get 10 blissful minutes of restful zzz's. 

A little like this......

Or this......

and one of my all time favorites---this.... (I should have posted this with Isla's "I sail, I'm a sailor, I sail" pic - circa What About Bob?) 

This 7th month was a big one for MIss.I on the sleep front. She went from her co-sleeper to crib almost 3.weeks ago and we officially put it away today. I think she was ready for the move and needed the extra real estate to kick around (she's like B in that way- she flails around a lot in her sleep). We also have been working on a consistent nap schedule and she has been eating 2 solid meals (i.e.: purees) a day.

After she was moved to her crib she did great for the most part. She still woke up once or twice a night but she went to sleep great and we had a loose routine. Last Week she did great in Priest Lake. She was sleeping about 6 hours straight with 1-2 nighttime feedings and a very consistent nap schedule (I think the activity wore her out!). She did great over last weekend...but as soon as Monday hit all hell broke loose. She started waking up 5-6 times a night, sometimes after only an hour or less of sleep. She is still having some digestive issues with gas waking her up so I've tried feeding/burping/rocking to try and get those stubborn burps out, gripe water before bed and even in the afternoon sometimes, elevating her mattress and an infant probiotic (which I didn't see a big change from). The Dr. said she can have a very low dose of Mylanta or Maalox but I wasn't comfortable giving it to her and I got other recommendations from Mom Friends  to try first.

Last night, she went down at 8:30 (which is about an hour later than normal but she took a late nap). She was then up at midnight, 2:07, 3:30 and when she wouldn't go down around 4am I grabbed my pillow and her bunny chair and set up shop on the couch because I didn't trust myself to rock her back to sleep without dropping her. I had already dozed in the rocker at the 2am wake-up. On the couch, she cryed in her chair for a bit until she nodded off and then woke up two more times in need of more rocking. Needless to say, it was NOT a restful night.

I had heard that during mental leaps (ie: crawling, walking, solids, etc) sleep patterns can be interrupted. Isla started "army crawling" last week and is really close to regular crawling so I considered that this may be due to her crawling milestone and teething but really it's been going on longer than a couple weeks. Before the last 2 weeks when she slept great she didn't sleep well for at least 3 months, probably longer. I know my last solid nights sleep was mid-March but I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt that it was closer to 3 or 4 months ago.

Today, as B and I discussed our sleep training options I decided to commit to the No Cry Sleep Solution method to see if we can help her sleep better. I wrote down a clear routine which I will try and stick with to see if it helps. The routine includes 2 meals (morning and late afternoon), 2 naps (10am and 3pm) and a clear bedtime routine which is:

6pm: calm shower or bath if needed
         massage with lotion before jumping into PJ's and sleep sack
         2 books in her rocker with lamp on- one is Good Night Moon
         Turn out lamp, turn on white noise and twilight turtle
         Breastfeed, Burp, Sing + Rock
7pm: Put her down to sleep.

Tonight, I tried to follow this and we got a bit behind but she was still in bed sleeping by 7:37. Unfortunately, she was then up at 8:40 pm to burp and go through the whole process again. I'm REALLY hoping this process can help us all get better, more restful sleep. I'm trying to keep my goals realistic and be happy with 2 wake-ups and preferably no wake-up from midnight-7am. I'm still subscribing to naive optimism :)

Here's to 10 days of tracking our new sleep routine and the patience it will take to pull it off. Bring on the Americanos!

xoxo.
S

PS- If you have any advice send it my way....I'm open to all unsolicited comments :)

My Rose

As I was rocking Isla this afternoon I thought about words my B put in an anniversary card last week. He said that sometimes he needs to remind himself that this perfect life is 'ours.'  The impact those words had on me reminded me to stay in the moment. This time in our life may be hectic and sometimes even messy (hello, diaper #10) but when we look back we will shine a spotlight on this time...these beautiful days when Isla is new, learning and growing. When we talk about growing our family and our plans....the perfect house, the perfect careers, the perfect friends & neighbors.

I say "perfect" meaning imperfectly perfect. If there's one thing I've learned in marriage and motherhood it's that perfect is made up of imperfect pieces.... the moments when things are falling apart but you realize, "this is real life".... these are the moments I will one day look back on and cherish.

.....The gigantic mess my kid made or the time she toppled over only to pick herself back up....

.....The slow and soothing times in her nursery rocker with the room bathed in blue (from those lovely aqua velvet curtains) and that little tuft of baby hair at the nape of her neck....

.....The sweet smell of her new skin and warmth of that little nook between her ear and shoulder

These are the moments I will hold in my hand, slip in my pocket and savor later. 

There are two songs I sing to Isla during our nap and bedtime routine. One is The Rose which  you may remember Bette Midler sang. In some wonderful twist of cosmic goodness this song was the first that came to me when Isla was brand new and I searched my brain for songs with lyrics I remembered.

When we were kids my Sister, Mindy loved books on tape (Heidi was her favorite) and her most favorite tape was Bette Midler  (that's right, Tape- it was the early 90's!) From my room I would hear all of Bette's tunes and remember clearly the words to The Rose as Bette would croon through both of our bedrooms. I knew that as my Mindy was nodding off in her room with those plastic glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling I was doing the same in mine...with my glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling. There was always something very comforting about that time in my life. If those moments were put to music they would be sang by the timeless Bette and her Rose. 

So now, as I sing my own version of Bette's classic to my sweet sleepy girl I'm reminded to stay in the moment..... Put down my iPhone....stop stressing about my editing or how I didn't look up what I "should" be doing with Isla this month.... Stop berating myself about going to bed earlier or having that 2nd americano yesterday....

just, be. Such a little word, such a big lesson.

Just "be" with her..... and Brandon.... Just be in these moments.

And if I can do that.....life really will be the definition of perfect.

Today

Hi Friends-

I meant to post last night but was up late editing and crashed. Isla's sleep has been all over the place (what's new?!) so I'm a little sleep deprived. My editing schedule definitely doesn't help anything (1am just comes too fast!). Thankfully I finished editing Priest Lake. Check my personal blog to see the full post--here are a couple cute shots from the set :) I love the list of Isla's "firsts" from our trip also!

My Nuna review and Isla's sleep update to come! Baby's crying- gotta run :)

xox.
S

On the Move!

My baby is "army-crawling."

 I told Ashli today I feel like I need another BABY because Isla's growing so fast! This is where motherhood becomes a slippery slope. Before you know it you have 4 kids running around writing on the walls with Crayolas (I loved when my Grandma called them that) and trying to spit on each other (or worse, you!) - Don't worry I'm NOT GETTING PREGO anytime soon! 

She' the cutest little mover and shaker! I can't wait to see her crawling and stomping around this place very soon ( I'm sure! :) Now if she could just pop a tooth so we can get the nap schedule back! 

Time to baby-proof!

xoxo.
S

Names

Hi Friends!

I was strolling through my maternity pics this morning and crossed paths with these sweet pics of our name choices. I remember when I did this set up I wanted to remember what our name choices were and since we didn't find out the baby's sex we had to have a boy and girl list. I loved stumbling across this 7.months later and seeing what we decided on (and Isla's sweet name before we knew it was a GIRL!)....and what we may use in the future.

I purposefully didn't post this with my maternity shoot because you wouldn't believe how many people give you their critical opinion on your name choice. Here's my thing-- if someone is willing to share their name choice with you, no matter how much you hate it you better sugar coat your response and call it a day. You're lucky you got to know in the first place. period.

That's not saying I am not privy to hearing some of the absolute MOST ATROCIOUS baby names before the little one has arrived. I have tried to tuck that look of shock in my back pocket, give a lovely graceful smile and say "that's nice and so unique" ;)

We are into family names and have a whole lot of fabulous ones to choose from (thanks to B's French roots and my Irish ones!) Where did you come up with your cuties name? How did you eliminate? :)

xoxo.
S

PS- Ash, I want the name of that little lady ASAP. I'm on a pink gift buying whirlwind! ;)

PL

I'm back from our annual Bazemore Family Priest Lake (as in Idaho) trip! I can't wait to post on all of Isla's "first" she got to experience out there and how her sleep schedule is going (yes, it's going :) More to come on all of that-- lots of updates on the Isla front! For now a sweet little shot from PL....

Gahhhh! Those cheeks melt me. (and she left that headband on until it scooted back far enough that it looked like she had "ratted" her hair up for volume- hello 1981! :) I'm hoping this is the start to headbands- they're much harder to eat than barrettes :)

xo.
S

Momentous

I had to share that my big 7.month old (TODAY! Happy birthday Isla) girl slept in her crib with one wake up last night. That's real. #Iwin .... ok.....#Islawins

I have been super hesitant about moving her from her co-sleeper on my side of the bed to her crib because I didn't want to make her sleep worse than it is (but really, could it get worse?!!) and I didn't want to start a routine and then travel (we have 3 trips planned this month) and confuse her. Regardless, she's been sleeping twice a day in her crib for naps and has been doing great so last night in a moment of pure bravery I decided we'd give it a shot. She went down at 8pm and got up at 10pm and midnight for her normal feedings and then slept until 4:00 when she needed to be fed again and then was up for her normal wake up at 7:30. It was epic. 

This is also where I should mention that this change was 100% harder on me than anyone else in the house. I knew Isla was ready and I knew I needed more sleep but I knew I'd miss her in our room. I was the one up no less than 4 times last night checking that she didn't pull 5 loose blankets into her bed from 4 feet across the room (totally reasonable right?!!) and smother her face or roll an odd direction ....and of course, I had to do just a little breathing check. Do you do that too? I still put a hand on her to check for that little baby inhale&exhale to calm 1st time Mommy worries :) 

Regardless, it was a relief that my suspicion that she was ready for her own space was right. Hopefully I will calm the nerves (she's only 25 feet away!) so I can catch up on my rest too. As previously noted, I haven't slept through the night since March. That's real. I still remember the night and it was an epic-beautiful-masterpiece.Think.Gatsby.glitter.champagne&all gahhhhh! 

A little shout-out to my 7.month old girl. We love you Isla. You are our most favorite little muffin. To all that month #7 will bring. 

xoxox.
S

Music Must-Have!

Hi Friends!

I had to post and say you MUST go get the Jewel lullaby CD. I got it from my Mom Friend, L and it's genius. I got stuck in traffic for 3 hours with Isla (OMG!) and Jewel, that fabulous songstress put her back to sleep TWICE, I can't even do that! B and I will actually find ourselves listening to it by accident...from Bucky the Buckin-Bull (who won't buck because he's old and tired--hahahah!) and Sammy the Spider her CD is super cute and not kid-obnoxious like lots of CD's out there are. My only complaint is that "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain" is WAY too Slow. Speed it up Jewel! (It literally feels like she's NEVER comin' round the mountain :) Love her little bit of twang and new-fun tunes!

Has anyone listened to the Nick Lachey lullaby CD? I heard it was good. 

What do you have in the car for your little ones? 

......

and .... I just read how good it is for babies to get hands on experience with instruments. As I search for the FP Baby Grand Piano Isla will continue to strum the guitar with Daddy. Love these sweet pics :) 

xoxo.
S

#7: Genius Momvice

Hi Friends!

With all the traveling we're doing this month I thought it was high-time I figured out my on-the-go baby monitor situation.

 A friend recommended the baby monitor app for iPhone/Ipad called (wait for it, it's totally genius) : Best Baby Monitor.... I know it's totally witty and perfect.

It's super cool because it goes through your iphone and ipad so what I do is leave my ipad in with the camera on Isla when she naps and carry my iphone around (which I do anyways). It has sound and you can talk to your baby through the app. I'm sure there's like a million features I haven't tried but it's seriously great and only $3. That's real.

Check it out!

xo.
S

Nanny L-Fabulous

This post is a special shout out to my dear mama friend, L who swooped in and watched Isla while I had a maternity shoot this morning. Not only did she fold my laundry....this is real.... 

as guilty as I may feel for leaving a heaping pile of clean clothes to be folded by me at a later date there was nothing like coming home to a clean house.... (she even put the toys away!)

and....wait for it......

A.sleeping.Isla.

It's the miracle of all miracles. The child who will never sleep for me took a bottle from L, burped, got in her sleep sack, was laid in her crib and went right to sleep. RIGHT TO SLEEP. Just like that. Like "Hey, L I do this everyday. boom" .....

She even got these sweet little pics of our twinning girls :) Love those pear diaper covers from GAP. So cute!

 ~I literally want to squeeze them. GAAAHHHH Look at Isla's thighs- just please.

 serious conversations were had by all .... "Dude, she's My Mom- just wanna be straight with ya"- G

and now ....as I proclaim my cup-runeth.over.with.heaps.of.sweet-sweet.gratitude for my L....I will be editing, uploading the sweet little maternity session from this morning and making a couple overdue calls because my girl....still sleeps.

ThankTheLord. 

Ps- L, please be here at 8pm to put her down. I'll have a glass of chard waiting. kthanxbye. 

xoxo. 

S

Today

Hi Friends!

Sorry for the delay in posting! I'm lost in Lightroom/Photoshop land sorting/editing 700 pics....eek! Along with Isla's  my sleep troubles this equates to my life being a bit of a hot mess. We also have a super busy August. Things really do happen all at once! I had to share this cutesy pic from today ....

Isla and I did the beach with friends. I've been trying to schedule playdates more regularly because she loves watching other kids. We saw our friends last night for dinner and she loved sitting in her high chair next to our friend's one-year old. When we BBQ'd over the weekend she stared at a 6.week old for a good 20 minutes and tried to babble at her. Unfortunately Louisa didn't get the memo to chat back :) She's super fun right now and a good distraction from my many pressing obligations. blugghhh!

Back to editing for me! I'll return soon :)

xoxo.
S

Back in the Saddle

I'm officially packed for one of the two weddings I'm shooting this summer....I'm thrilled and terrified all at the same time! Thrilled to get to capture Danielle&Matt's amazing wedding. I can't wait to see it come together and spend the day collaborating with B (he "second shoots" for me :) but....I'm terrified to leave Isla for 8 hours (6 hours shooting + an hour in and out) eek! I know she'll be spoiled all day and in perfectly capable hands but it will be the first time I've been away from her all day. My heart shivers just thinking about it. Lets hope I can keep it together tomorrow when I have to say good-bye. No tears S! (an impossible goal)

Here's to hopes for a dry Saturday! Happy Weekend!

xoxo.
S

PS- Yes, I'll be pumping in the backseat every 2ish hours during the event. Can't wait for that little adventure :)