Sleepless in Dallas

Whoa. There are MANY wonderful things about being a parent. I get to cuddle with the sweetest boy in the world, just looking at him makes me grin, and I don't think there's anything better than seeing him smile or hearing him laugh. We have fun together all day and I love watching him discover new things about the world around him. One of the not-so-wonderful things that comes with being a parent is the sleep deprivation.

Jackson started sleeping through the night at 4 weeks and we were under the impression that we were home-free! We were wrong. I still remember gloating to other parents "He's such a good sleeper! Always gives us 8 hours straight." Hmm. I think Jackson heard us and decided to mix it up a bit. Around 3 or 4 months he stopped sleeping though the night and started waking up 1-2 times during the course of the night. We were frustrated and wondered what happened, but after a few weeks decided that this was the new schedule and we could deal with it. He still usually slept for about 5-6 hours at a time.

Then 2 weeks ago, just when we were beginning to accept the 2am feedings, he decided to switch it up on us again. This time it was back to the newborn schedule - feeding every 2-3 hours around the clock. We were baffled! How could he possibly need to eat this much?! We've started him on 2 servings of solid food per day, plus I nurse him as much as he wants. Everything we read online that once caused us to smugly think "our son is so advanced" was making us crazy! It felt like we had tried everything that they suggested and it was just making it worse. In addition to this, it would usually take an average of one (very frustrating) hour to feed him, rock him, bounce him, and finally lay him to sleep in the crib, just to start all over again a few hours later. We were all very tired & not functioning well.

Throughout all of this, we thought that Jackson might have had an ear infection. Steven has a MAJOR history of ear problems and Jackson had gone through 2 courses of antibiotics to try to treat some fluid the nurse found in his ear during a check-up. She thought it might develop into a full-blown ear infection, and it did. So, we trotted him off to the doctor again and the NP said that his ears looked fine and unless he had had a recent change in his eating or sleeping habits, there was probably nothing to worry about. I told her that there WAS a big change in his sleeping habits and it was making us a little crazy. She told me that it was time to send him to "Baby Boot Camp" and I was horrified at the thought of letting Jackson cry without picking him up to calm him down. Now, having married a military member, I understand the point of "Boot Camp" and can totally see the parallel between the two. Boot Camp teaches prospective soldiers to rely on themselves and their comrades to get through a difficult time, ultimately making them stronger and better suited for the life that lies ahead. "Baby Boot Camp" (aka Crying or Fussing It Out) teaches the parent to resist the urge to try and fix everything for their child and lets the child figure sleep out for him or herself. I don't want to be the Drill Sergeant for my son though.

Finally, at our absolute wits' end, we decided to give it a shot. We have had an established bedtime routine for months now and Jackson's usually rubbing his eyes and nearly begging to go to bed by the time it's almost over. The last thing I do is nurse him to sleep. This has never been a problem, until he started waking up and ALWAYS wanting to be nursed back to sleep. Emphasis on want - he was not hungry, just wanted comfort. So that evening, when he woke up, Steven checked him, gave him a kiss, tucked him in and left. This was NOT what Jackson wanted, but Steven was determined to help him learn to get himself to sleep. After some whining, a lot of patting, and a few paci recovery missions, Jackson finally got himself to sleep - and slept right through the night!

The next morning when it came time for his nap, I tried to cuddle and rock him to sleep like I used to and he wouldn't have it. He was arching his back, pushing me away, crying... I finally got frustrated and put him in the crib while I walked away to relax a little before trying again. He fussed for a few minutes and then went to sleep on his own!

Now, I won't tempt fate again by declaring that we've solved his sleep problems once and for all, but I am so proud of Jackson for learning how to get himself to sleep. Since then, every night & nap I give him a kiss and a hug, tell him "Good Night" and put him in the crib. He protests a little every time, but usually gets to sleep within a few minutes (unless paci falls out - that's still a problem!). Most importantly, he's noticeably happier and better-rested than he's been in weeks! Yay! All that extra energy is necessary for the fun we will have at Gymboree tomorrow. Speaking of which, I should go to bed, so I can join in on the fun too.

Good night and sleep tight!

The Many Uses of a Strainer...

Well, Jackson is very interested in playing with anything that is NOT a toy this morning (trying to stick his fingers in the computer openings...!), so I have resorted to kitchenware.

The strainer was always my favorite kitchen "toy" when I was little. Now it's time to pass it on.

Jumper Boy!!

Here's what happens when you have the first grandbaby on both sides and both sets of grandparents live within 20 minutes... the baby has 3 of everything (one for each house).

Jackson is trying out the new jumper my mom got him this weekend. He basically loves it. I love my commentary... it's the definition of obnoxious new parent. "Smile at Daaa-aaa-aa-aaaa-dee!"



And this is my second (but definitely cuter) post for tonight, so don't forget to scroll down! :)

Project!!

I said that I'd upload pictures of my latest project, but I keep forgetting to do the "after" picture. So, here is the "before" shot:
We got this mirror at the IKEA in Japan. When I first saw it, I LOVED it. After 2 years though... I'm pretty lukewarm about it and have been asking Steven to replace it with something more classic and less whimsical. Since I don't love it like I used to, I thought that this would be a great piece to use to practice my crafty side.

I went to Hobby Lobby (love that store) and bought bronze paint to use to distress the mirror. When I got home, I told Steven my plan and he covered our table with trash bags and removed the mirror from the frame while I was putting Jackson to bed. Have I mentioned lately how much I love my husband? He's so great.


Here is the table (also IKEA... surprise!) covered with trash bags to protect it from my crafty ways!

I applied the paint by kinda punching the frame with the tip if the brush, and then wiping the brush across it in a coupe places. Then I took a paper towel and rubbed off some of the paint. I wish I had thought to get dark brown paint as well. It turned out a little brighter than I had anticipated.


And here's a close-up picture of the detail:

I like how it looks antique now, like we found it in a yard sale and gave it new life. Any IKEA connousieur would still recognize it in a heartbeat, but it was a fun (and cheap!!) way to transform and old piece that I was getting sick of having around.

Next projects: turn Jackson's useless pieces from his crib bedding set into some cute window treatments and build an alphabet book similar to one my mom made when I was a baby.

Excuse me, Sir?

This week Steven started his first class at UNT. He's taking Political Science and he really enjoys it. What he does not enjoy, however, is being "the old guy."

Really? Is this the face of an old man?

Luckily for Mr. AARP over here, there are two other old folks in the class, and one of them has scoped him out. Apparently they've already become good friends, only 2 days in to class. They both are looking to expand their experience and end up in the medical profession, but in different roles. Steven wants to be a doctor and his new friend (we'll call him Mr. C) wants to go in to hospital administration. They also have both been called "Sir" by their classmates all this week. Really? Is 24 past one's prime these days?

My favorite part about Steven going back to school is the conversations we have when he comes home. He is really enjoying his class, from the discussions to the reading, and even the writing assignments. Every day he comes home and tells me what they talked about, how it's relevant to our lives, and what he wishes the government would do about it. It's really fun and thought-provoking. Today he signed up for his fall classes and sent me his schedule when he was done. I love that he wants me to be a part of this journey.

Luckily, Steven has Fridays off from school, so he goes to the office to catch up on paperwork (Steven's Dad is picking up some of his workload for the summer - bless him). Since we had so much (too much?) fun at Gymboree on Tuesday, we decided to take Daddy with us today! Like a ding dong, I forgot my camera, so I guess we'll have to have Daddy come with us another time! There were lots of other daddies (and mommies!) there also, which I think helped Steven relax and enjoy it. I enjoyed this time at Gymboree even more than Tuesday, probably because the class was smaller today (only 5 kids). Jackson had a great time too. He was pretty apprehesive about sitting up, but he had a chance to bounce up a ramp, and he thought that that was the coolest! They were supposed to "walk" up, but little boy decided to do it his own way! (see "Jumper Jackson" post below..!) He also loved the parachute time and flying super-baby style in a circle with the other babies.

I just love having the house to myself for a little but each night while the boys are asleep. I guess it's time to go to bed though!

Have a great weekend!

Gymboree!

Today Jackson & I signed up for Gymboree!

Steven & Jackson gave me a mini-spa day for Mother's Day this year (ahhhhh! relaxing!) and it's right next door to Gymboree, so I went to check it out. That's right, I can't let go of being a mom, even on my "me" time. I've been wanting to sign up for awhile now, since probably Valentine's Day... oops! That's embarrassing that I'm just now getting around to it. Anyways, when I stopped by to talk to someone about it, I ran into some other moms who have kids Jackson's age. They were going on and on about how much they love it and offered to introduce me to the manager. When she came out I recognized her immediately - she was one of my Mom's friends! When I was growing up, they had a group of ladies who had kids of similar ages and they would all go on "getaway weekends" together. We chatted for a few minutes and I signed up to visit the 6-10 month class today.

Ok, have you ever seen a baby more handsome than this? Since it was Jackson's first class, we (I) decided to make a good first impression with some big boy clothes & Jackson's first pair of shoes. Obviously, we had to get sandals for the Texas summer. Can I talk for a second about how sad it is that I haven't even bought shoes for myself since being back in the states? Hmm, that's going to have to change... but I digress!

Gymboree was GREAT!! First we sang some songs and played peek-a-boo with some of the other babies. It was very cute; each baby had a partner for peek-a-boo. It really encourages socialization. And even cuter - Jackson's partner was wearing the same shirt as him! They must both have very good taste. When we were done singing songs, we had a mom talk. This week we talked about how to stay (become?) healthy after having a baby. I felt like I was slacking after I heard all these moms talking about going to the gym! What? Where do you find the time/money/energy?! We have a gym at our apartment complex and I haven't been in there since we signed the lease! I've noticed that I have some great biceps from picking Jackson up all the time - rarrrrerrrrrrgh!

I'm so easily distracted.

After mom talk, we played with the equipment in the room. This is where I messed up. Yep, I let Jackson fall down & hit his head... hard. I didn't mean to, and he falls over at home all the time, but I think the floor was much harder, and the carpet was coarse, so he scraped his forehead a little bit. Poor sweetie! He had a good cry about it, so we cuddled and I gave him some kisses. He did the "silent cry" or the "calm before the storm" cry. You know, when their little face gets all red and scrunched up, but there's no sound coming out, and you start to wonder "who hit the mute button?" and then THE SCREAMING BREAKS LOOOOOOOOOOOOSE! Yeah, it was one of those. After he calmed down, we went down the slide a few times, which made him laugh, and then we played with some of the other babies. Then it was time to play with the parachute, which was also a lot of fun... until... wouldn't you know it? He fell over AGAIN and this time bonked his head on my knee. I think this time he was more scared and cranky than actually hurt, but I really felt awful for letting him get hurt again. I took him away to calm down again, and his peek-a-boo buddy's grandma gave him a little cuddle too. He has no stranger anxiety at all. He'll even reach for new people (especially women) as long as I stand nearby.

So, despite my lack of "spotting" ability, we had a pretty fun time and decided to officially sign up for the class. I can't wait! I really think this is a great thing for both of us to meet people and spend time together. I've already invited all of our family members to come to Gymboree with us, and I can't wait for Jackson to start crawling! He saw the other kids crawling around and just stared, as if to say "wait... why can't I do that?" Hmm, don't get any ideas! I'm still getting used to this rolling thing!

After Gymboree, Jackson passed out in the car (didn't help that Mom was a chatty Cathy afterwards) and I went to Chick-fil-A to grab Steven a sweet tea and head over to his office to surprise him. He was surprised - by Jackson's read forehead! He was not impressed that I let him fall over twice... oops! It's just the first of many bumps and bruises... or so I hear from other boy moms. Then Jackson and I went by Hobby Lobby to pick up a few things for my latest "projects." Steven has come to hate that word because it's usually synonomous with "spending money." For these projects though, I am using stuff we already have but don't use or I don't like anymore. It's too late (and I'm too tired) to write about them tonight, but I'll try to post pictures of my first "project" tomorrow. Good night!

My Bouncy Baby Boy!

Here is a video of Jackson enjoying his favorite pastime - bouncing to the music!



This jumper moves from room-to-room a lot because Jackson just LOVES it. It's gradually losing toys as he learns to reach, pull, and shake. We bought it because he wasn't able to hold himself upright without help for more than a few seconds, but he would cry if he was on his back... he wanted to be a stand-up baby! Ever since we've had this though, he wants to be a jumpy baby, so now if I do hold him in a standing position, he'll kick and kick, trying to jump. I swear, little boy never slows down! Lately he's been spending a lot of time on his tummy... so I know it's only a matter of weeks before he starts crawling. Ahhh! The beginning of the end!

I hope you enjoy the video of our Jumper Jackson!

Perfect!

"Perfect" is the word I use when I'm finally satisfied with something. I think that says a lot about the standards I tend to set for myself, much to Steven's annoyance. I have been meaning to update the look of our blog for a while now... and even though it took me until 1:17 in the morning, I think I can safely say "perfect" and get my sleepy head off to bed.

...PERFECT! :)

Came home and I found....

...my two favorite boys having a nap on the couch. Is there a sweeter sight than this?

Dallas Symphony Orchestra

Last Thursday Steven and I went to see the Dallas Symphony Orchestra using the tickets I won at the basket auction (see below). We had SUCH a great time!!! The lady who put the tickets up for auction (she's a season ticket holder & was going to be out of town) told me that she always eats at Allegro, which is one of the 2 restaurants at the Meyerson. So we made reservations and it was so good! Delicious. The menu changes every week, but we had seafood chowder (awesome, I wish I had the recipe), pork, pasta, Italian paninis, salad, and chocolate chip cookies, among other things. It was served buffet-style, which was awesome because we definitely both went back for seconds! After that, we still had some time to kill before the performance, so we went to the gift shop and I bought a new little toy for Jackson. It's a monkey with a round, flat body that jingles, and two teething pads. He's not really a big fan yet, but I hope that changes. I also got a beautiful wine stopper. The top is made of blue glass, and shaped like a feather. After we exhausted the gift shop, we walked around, had a glass of champagne, and went to find our seats. When we got to our seats we found out that we were in the fourth row, right in the middle!! It's not the greatest picture, but here's the view of the stage from our seats (no zoom!)


Steven's reaction was "We're going to be able to see the conductor sweat!"

The first movement was Beethoven's Leonore Overture No 2, which I don't remember hearing before, but it definitely sounded like Beethoven had composed it. It was the shortest piece of the night. After that, they brought out the guest cellist, Alisa Weilerstein, to perform the solo for Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1. Ok, first of all, she's basically amazing. Second of all, she's only 26. I couldn't believe it! I have a lot of practicing to do over the next two years to catch up with her. Ok, I'm kidding. I suggest that anyone who enjoys classical music check her out because she was really incredible. I could tell that she really felt the music. At the intermission Alissa came out to sign autographs, so we bought her CD and talked with her a little ("You're so amazing... I couldn't take my eyes off of you... but I guess you hear that a lot." I'm such a dork.) and she was really nice.

After intermission, they finished off with Brahms' Symphony No 1. Of course, it was wonderful, but I had wanted to see the guest cellist back again. Steven wants to get season tickets now, but I told him that this would be a "once-in-a-while thing" for me. It was a great "date night" and gave us an excuse to get out of the house and just be us for a few hours. Huge thanks to Steven's grandmothers and his mom for tag-team babysitting our little boy.

PEO, Baskets, and Wine

Since moving back to Texas, I have become more involved with the FA Chapter of PEO. This is special because it's the chapter than my Mom has been a part of for 25+ years. I am also a 4th generation PEO, and something I always wanted to be involved in while I was growing up.

Last weekend was the Chapter FA basket auction. I had no idea what to expect, but I have a lot of free time these days (which will change when Jackson figures out how to get his legs up underneath himself), so I decided to put together a few baskets. I did 2 baby baskets (hey, it's what I'm good at these days!!) with a play time and a nap time theme. They turned out TOO cute. Then I put together a wine tasting basket, that was so great, I almost bid on it myself. No lie! My mom almost did as well, but she said that she didn't want to pay for it twice - ha!

Here's a picture of my wine-tasting basket:

I went to World Market to get all this stuff. It was so much fun! I included 2 kinds of sparkling wine (one white and a rose), a Riesling (my signature - duh), Merlot, and a Shiraz. Each of the bottles is "single serving" but big enough for 2 people to share. Then I grabbed some crackers and a cheese spread variety pack, a wine journal, and 2 (adorable) wine glasses. They have a leaf & berry pattern that I just love! Finally, I picked up a basket and some grass (this took way longer than it should have) and I was done. When I got home I pulled the grass apart to make it fluffier, the added the wine bottles on top, and added the accressories I had picked up to round it out. When I was done though, it just didn't look balanced, so I raided our pantry and found these yummy Ferrero Roches in milk and dark chocolate. I don't like nuts, so I was happy to give them away. We auctioned this basket off for PEO charities and it did pretty well! One lady even asked her friend to bid on it for her b/c she needed to leave. Yay! Instead of bidding on it ourselves (though it was tempting...!), I bid on a pair of Dallas Symphony tickets and my mom got a different wine basket, complete with pink daisies and 2 bottles of wine. We split the second wine basket. It was so much fun putting these baskets together and we're already making lists of what we can do next time.

Next... pictures & more from the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

Baby Giggles

Recently Jackson learned to laugh. Can I please explain for a second how amazing this is?! We will sit there and laugh at each other all day. It's so much fun, like we're having a conversation in this weird, unknown language. Apparently we both find each other to be hilarious. He is turning in to a little boy before my eyes! His favorite toy right now is his jumper, which I have a picture of, but it's still on my camera. He jumps and jumps and then looks at me and giggles, then jumps again, grins again. I love watching him! It really tires him out too - always a good thing. He's also learning to really love peek-a-boo. He gets such a kick out of waiting for my face to pop out from behind my hands. Unfortunately, this also means that he starts to whine anytime he watches me leave a room. He'll be 6 months old in just a few days - I can't believe it's already been so long, yet I can't imagine ever having lived without him.


Switching gears for a second... one thing I never noticed about Texas while I was growing up here was how GORGEOUS the wildflowers are! We decided to take advantage of this fact and take some family pictures in a field of bluebonnets - the Texas state flower. We must have taken over 100 pictures... but we got a few good ones and the plan is to blow it up on canvas to hang over our bed. Steven has a phobia of hanging glass over beds... partially due to the earthquakes we had in Japan. Anyways, so this is our solution. I love that we were able to get some of Jackson smiling. We also thought that we had photographic evidence of baby's first crime, but it turns out that picking bluebonnets is not illegal in Texas. Who knew? It was still pretty funny to joke about it.

Here is the "crime" in progress:

What a rebel.