Where is my Jude?

Today was a day for the record books. One whole day without Jude having a tantrum. Today we tried the ninety minute nap routine and Jude has become a totally different baby. From morning until now he has take four naps and each time has gone to sleep by himself, and with little crying. I am amazed and must be the happiest mother on the planet right now. He has been so happy and playful during his wake time, even my mom said he was more perky today.

I was worried when I took him to my mom and dads that he might not be able to take his nap there as easily as he had done at home... but wouldn't you know he fell right to sleep with only a few minutes of crying and slept for about an hour. Afterward I fed him and took him home to give him his bath and play with him some more before his ninety minutes were up. After putting him in his crib, he went right to sleep and I decided it might be best to take my own little nap for fear that he might not do the same the fifth time around. We will see here in thirty minutes.

Another astonishing thing that happened tonight was our adventure with Gerber foods. I had tried to get Jude to take some rice cereal a month ago and was unsuccessful. Tonight I thought "What the heck, he has been so happy today maybe he will eat some actual food." I gave him a bit of rice cereal that he didn't like at first, but then I mixed it with a bit of sweet potatoes, he loved it. He ate half the little container with a bit of rice cereal. I only wish I could have taken pictures while feeding him. He was soooo cute in his bumbo seat. His little chunky legs make it difficult to get him in and out of it... but it didn't seem to bother him at all when he was eating.

Jude and Lucky

Although I don't think we are going to keep this beautiful puppy that our lovely Chelsea had in her last litter... we still call him Jude's puppy Lucky. He is so cute and this dog actually plays with Jude. Lucky doesn't like the camera and unfortunately my camera has this orange flash that blinds them before the picture gets taken and these are the only few good pictures I got out of the twenty or more I took while they played but they were still cute enough to share.

Jude has been doing much better now that mommy has opted to let him sleep with her until she talks with his pediatrician. It always seems like every step forward we take its another two back. He was doing so well with falling asleep in his crib alone when he was tired and now he is back to falling asleep on mommy leaving me the daunting task of putting him in his crib without waking him again. Granted, most of the time I can do it now without disturbing him due to the months of practice... but those times I can't get him down without waking him result in him popping those eyes open, realizing what mommy is trying to do, and before his back hits the mattress he decides to throw a full fledged fit. Malissa said she found a book on getting babies to take naps called The Ninety Minute Baby that I want to look into. Honestly I think I'm letting Jude get too exahusted before trying to put him down and thats when he is already fussy before I even attempt to get him to sleep. I'll have to stop by the book store one day and glance through it to see if there is another technique I can try.

Hooters!!!!

HOOTERS!!!! This will be the restaurant name I have to put in Jude's scrapbook for it was the first restaurant he ever went to with Benny's Dad, his girlfriend, Benny, and myself. Who do you think thought of this restaurant for Jude's first dinner out? Benny of course. "But the wings and prices are really good!":) So Benny said to justify his decision when his dad asked where we wanted to go for dinner. I on the other hand think it was the view and the memory he wanted for Jude to go to Hooters for his first dinner outing rather than the food. :)

Here are some pictures from our night. I must say we had a really good time and the waitresses loved to take pictures with Jude. We even got him an outfit there that said..."HOOTERS.. PARTY POOPER."

Beyond Frustration

Frustrated doesn't even describe what I am feeling tonight. Sitting here listening to Jude throw his fourth screaming fit of the night has me at my wits end. It seems like we took two steps back from the previous nights. Here lately I can rock Jude to sleep and put him in his crib. Tonight that is not going to be possible and I know that if he doesn't calm himself down in the next five minutes I will raise the white flag in defeat and let him sleep with me again.

I've already had to give Jude his second bath of the night due to him spitting up on himself. But he needs to learn how to get to sleep and stay asleep by himself. Not go to sleep with mommy for four hours... not getting into a deep sleep until the fourth hour... and then getting put in his crib after a quick diaper change to sleep until three in the afternoon. I'm physically drained. He seems even more needy now when he is awake than he ever was when he mainly slept with me. Every time he is up and awake he wants to be with mommy. Not letting me leave the room without him breaking into a fussy state.

Well... Unfortunately my five minutes has passed and I desperately need some sleep if I am going to finish cleaning the house today for company this afternoon. At least I know that Jude will have to give me a break sometime soon... cross my fingers.... and hopefully I'll manage a few hours sleep before waking up to do some chores around the house. An early call to my mom might be necessary in order for me to either take a nap or finish cleaning. Wish me luck.

What time is it???

Ok.... it's four 0'clock in the morning and Jude has been up for two hours. Tonight I got him in bed at nine and he woke up two hours later. I fed him and put him back in his crib and he slept until twelve thirty. Then he slept with mommy until two. Now I'm sitting on the couch with Jude on his playmat waiting for that look in his eyes that tells me he might, just maybe, want to go back to bed. Hopefully it will be sooner rather than later.

I love it when he's happy and playfull. Just not so early in the morning. Apparently the only way to get Jude on a regular schedule I have to wake him up around seven or eight in the morning and take him for a walk so he realizes that this is day time and he is supposed to be up. Now if I can only get myself to roll out of bed, wake him up and hope he's not fussy, while keeping him awake on our walk. Easier said than done. Obviously it won't be three hours from now... but one day. If we have a good night. I'll try it.

This is my little guy jumping away this morning.

Progress?

I don't know if you can call it progress... but Jude had a very busy afternoon and after a quick bath went right to sleep in his crib for two hours. After last nights struggle to keep my little guy asleep alone... which resulted in defeat at four thirty this morning.... I was feeling a little weary about this whole "Cry it Out" routine. When he woke up at noon to nurse, noticing that he desperately needed a diaper change I rolled out of bed and took him to the changing table. Afterward I put him in his crib and was surprised to see him go back to sleep with only a few whimpers.

Jumping in the shower and getting dressed was a treat without Jude fussing in the background. Benny got home at one and was surprised to find Jude in his crib. Benny has started working nights again... leaving me to this task alone... and hasn't been here to witness and help with our fussy son at night. Jude slept until three thirty in the afternoon. Progress??? I don't know. Now if only I can get him to do this at night.

Tough love is all I gave Jude for the rest of the afternoon. Taking him to Grandma and Grandpas in order to gain reinforcements in my attempt to keep Jude awake until bed time. We played with him, took him swimming, and I had to run him home and get him in the bathtub at eight so I could put him to bed. I really didn't think we would make it since he was almost completely asleep by the time I got the tub filled. Anyway, the bath went fast and I got him to bed by eight thirty. He only took a two our nap and was up at ten thirty. But at least I am grate full for the time I had alone while he slept safely in his crib.

Here are a few pictures of Jude and his puppy Lucky at around three this morning.

Sleeping Like a Baby

Who ever thought of the phrase "Sleeping Like a Baby"? I want to meet them and see how their children sleep. One of the hardest things to do as a new mother is listen to Jude cry. The last few nights I have been trying to make sure Jude gets put in his crib when he is tired and looks as if he might go to sleep. I'm trying to let him cry in five minute increments and then go in and soothe him, turn on his mobile, and leave the room again. It has worked a few times, but tonight looks as if it might take a little longer. This by far is the hardest thing for me as a mom to do. The sound of him crying and the fact that all I have to do is pick him up is breaking my heart. But if I am ever to get a nights sleep alone again I need to stick with it.

Jude's scrapbook is finally coming together piece by piece. Although I am new to scrap booking as well as blogging, the pages that are done so far don't look too bad. I'll have to let my Grandma and Grandpa critique it when they come back to California next month. They are so far away since they moved to Arkansas and I miss them so much. Hopefully the weather will stay nice and they won't have much trouble getting out here.

How Time Flies

This week has been a seemingly busy one. Since I've become a stay at home mom, that crave for personal interaction has never felt so needed. Don't get me wrong... staying home with Jude is a blessing at times and I love watching him grow and getting the chance to teach him, watching him learn everyday... but going from the retail business where you meet and interact with new people to staying at home and talking to a baby all day is a big change. Sometimes I feel bad going over to mom and dads almost everyday because I know that one day they are probably going to want to have a nice night at home.... alone.... without the baby and me.


For a few days this week my friend Brianna helped fill the void. She just recently found out she is pregnant and is expecting around April. And just like I was she is supper excited and wanted to go to Babies R Us to look around. We also stopped by Joanns Fabrics to look at baby fabrics for blankets and they were having a huge scrapbook sale. She bought a few things to start a scrapbook for her puppies... to get a little practice in before she starts her baby book with pics of her pregnancy... and I added to my scrapbook materials for Jude's baby book. When we got back to my house I showed her my collection of stuff and got everything out on the dinning room table so I can finally start on the long awaited book. :)


Here recently though we had Benny's long time friend Dave over. He had to teach a class at the CHP on Friday and stayed at our house Thursday night. His wife Kris is also expecting... next year is going to be so exciting :).... and Sunday Kris and Dave are going to come over and we were going to BBQ and catch up. Today they went to the beach, and though they asked if Jude and I would like to come I respectfully declined. Not only for the fact that I didn't think Jude would make it to and from the coast in a happy mood... but also for the fact that this might be one of the last times they can go somewhere and do something together alone. They will realize soon that times like these are going to be difficult to do with a little one arriving. I hope they have fun and it's nice and sunny there for them.


Here are a few pics from yesterday. Grandma was helping me fold clothes with Jude and she was shaking out a pair of Benny's shorts near Jude and he thought it was the funniest thing on earth. I have never heard him laugh so hard and long. This wasn't a giggle... this was full on laughter and it was the cutest thing I have ever seen. Yesterday was a very good day. Thanks again mom and dad for helping us so much. Love you.

Another Late Night

How do they do it? How can a human being keep going with so little sleep? Granted Jude took a good hour nap at Grandma and Grandpa's house this evening around seven thirty... but we got home by nine and he hasn't even shown the slightest sign of going back to sleep yet and it's almost one! Today I finally realized that with the next one there is going to be a set schedule... from the day they get home!

I'm not usually the one to say I am wrong... but today... or tonight.... is the day I say, "Sorry mom, for not listening to your kind and intellectual words of advice." If I had listened to my mother instead of the books I read about putting Jude on a schedule so soon I might not have this problem with his sleeping habits. Again I am sorry.

Side note... here is my little guy at one in the morning and I can't help but notice his chunky little legs. :) Even his cheeks are looking more plump than usual!

Bad Daddy!

I love how my little guy is so happy... but I don't like the fact that he already enjoys daddy's motorcycle. Thinking of my baby Jude one day being able to drive and possibly take on daddy's need to ride his motorcycles scares me. My motorcycle has been collecting dust for the last year and now that we have Jude my little 250 will have to wait a little while longer before venturing out of the garage again.

Oh... I did ride down to the post office the other day while Benny watched the baby and noticed that my eyes were constantly eye balling those mirrors and looking behind me to make sure no idiot was texting while driving and neglect to notice me in front of them. Believe me... statistics might say that Sacramento is the Fourth best city for road rage and such but we certainly don't have the brightest drivers on the road.

Grandma's Tummy Tub

Well yesterday was the day Grandma's long awaited tummy tub arrived. Grandma saw this baby tub on the today show months ago and wanted to order it for Jude since he absolutely loves his baths. After a long wait due to the overwhelming demand after the today show it finally arrived today.

I must say after it arrived I was a little nervous that he wouldn't fit. My little guy is five months and just pushing eighteen pounds. He doesn't look big to me... until I go to buy him clothes or a swaddle blanket... but when I got this tummy tub out I was a little skeptical to say the least that it could hold a two year old let alone my baby boy.

After Grandma came over we decided to give it a shot. At first I think I had too much water in it. So we got a glass and emptied some out... but every time he brought his feet up he would sink further and further down into the tub. After he got a gulp of water I think he was done. He got a little fussy and I got more and more nervous. We got him out and brainstormed a little on how to get him to like it. My thoughts were to try again later on around his normal bath time with a little less water... and maybe a little warmer water too.

Although I couldn't take pictures while giving him a bath the second time I think it went pretty well. The water was well below his chin, even when he shimmied his way down the tub. He started splashing a little and seemed to like being submerged. It is a little tricky getting him out without dumping the water... but with some practice I think I'll get the hang of it. This would have been wonderful at the beginning when Jude was smaller. If only I could let Malisa use this for the twins to see if she would like it too. It is supposed to feel more like the womb and make them feel more relaxed. I'll keep you updated on his success in the new Tummy Tub.

Happy Fourth of July!

Yesterday's Fourth of July festivities were both fun and exhausting. My mom invited a friend from work over with her son and daughter for fun in the pool, food, and fireworks. We also had my mom and dad's new neighbors, Aaron and Nichole, come over too. Nichole is due to have her first little one right around Jude's first birthday! How exciting!

I helped mom get ready by cleaning the patio, running to the store, and getting some of the food ready while she held my little monster. Jude and I were in the pool by the time everyone arrived. We didn't stay in the pool very long due to the wind, but Jude was at least happy in his boat for awhile.

After we got out of the pool I ran Jude upstairs to give him a bath and put him in his Fourth of July outfit... i was hoping the bath would put him out so I could eat... needless to say he was wide awake and fussy when I sat down with my food. So I ate real fast and feed him outside while rocking him in the swing. He fell asleep and I passed him off to Grandma so I could put the food away. Then we sat and chit chatted while Benny, Aaron and Wesley played pool in the game room while we waited until nine to start up the fireworks.

When we got ready outside I put Jude in his walker and let him watch a few fireworks. I knew he would love the colors but wasn't sure of the loud sounds so I had ear muffs just in case. Wouldn't you know the first loud crackling firework had him jumping quite a few times. So I put his earmuffs on and he sat and watched a few more before he wanted to be held. Grandma and I passed him back and fourth and I nursed him during the finale. All in all it was a good night.... Until I got Jude home. Apparently I had thrown him completely off his schedule. He was mad and screaming until two thirty again... has been fussy all day.... and has literally driven me crazy. When Benny got home at eight thirty tonight I was waiting at the door with Jude in hand.

It wasn't long before it was nine thirty and Jude was ready for his bath. I've put him back on his schedule... hopefully. I'll write tomorrow. Jude is asleep now so I better get ready for bed myself or I'll miss my opportunity.

Preparing for Saturday

Here are a few pictures of Jude and Chelsea's puppy. The puppy is only one week old. His name is Lucky and he was born on June 24, 2009. Unfortunately he is the only survivor of her litter of two. His sister didn't survive. It was a very sad day for me. I cried when I realized the little one didn't make it. But everything happens for a reason. That's nature's way. How cute are these two together. They are so adorable.

Tonight mom and I went to the firework stand. Along with everything else, fireworks have gone up in price and left me wincing after getting home and realizing how much I just spent on what will only last thirty to forty minutes.... that's only IF Jude decides he likes them when we start to set them off on Saturday. For his first Fourth of July we had to get something... but I think I let our previous years of preparing the annual Fourth of July party with neighbors and friends cloud my judgement. This year Grandma and Grandpa have new neighbors, most of our friends are still the get drunk and party crowd, and our little family has grown into the laid back and relax watching the baby type.

Grandma has a friend from work coming over

with her kids to enjoy the pool and we were planning on

cooking hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner before lighting off the fireworks at around nine. Benny and I will be there with the baby, playing in the pool and taking a ton of pictures of Jude in his Fourth of July outfit. I'll have to post those on Sunday. :)

Update on Jude's dehydration scare. Apparently it wasn't dehydration at all. I called the advice nurse and she said that since he still had wet diapers and slept well last night that it sounded like gastrointestinal discomfort. It was like stomach cramps. She told me to stop breastfeeding him and give him 5ml of electrolytes every fifteen minutes for four hours and if he vomits again to take him to the emergency room. Luckily he held everything down and even took an hour nap in the four hour time frame, so when I called her back she said that it wouldn't hurt to give him electrolytes before or after each feeding to keep him happy... but nothing more would be needed unless he started up again.