Toy Box

Happy St. Patrick's Day. I'm not really sure why we celebrate this holiday? And by "we", I mean Americans, in general, not me specifically. I guess it's fun for small children who still love Leprechauns and dressing like little shamrocks and people that like to drink lots of Old World beer, but other than that, what are we supposed to do today?

Anyway, things are a little better on the Evan sleep front. I had sort of a "Come to Jesus" talk with Scott about getting on the program and not interfering with Evan's nighttime routine.

On a more fun note, I've been wanting to get Evan a toy box but couldn't find what I wanted that was also the price I was willing to pay. I finally decided to get an inexpensive plain white toy box that I had to put together myself. The process went very well because I actually took the time to read and follow the directions exactly.

After that, I went to Hobby Lobby and picked up some paint, stencils, big letters to spell Evan's name and a few little wooden decorations like birds, a sun, a star, a turtle, ladybug, lizard, dragon flies and frogs. I painted the letters and glued them on top with the little turtle, then glued on the other little creatures and stenciled on some leaves, flowers and more dragon flies.

I think it's pretty cute and a lot less expensive than some of the boxes I was looking at. Plus, it's made especially for Evan!

The other night I was sitting with Scott and Evan and it occurred to me that they had the same expression on their faces, so I grabbed my camera and tried to catch a photo of it. Sometimes they look so much alike. Evan is growing up fast. He's talking more, too. He says "hi" and "bye", "hot" (which doesn't really mean "hot" but more "warm"), "no" (of course), "cow" (his first word), and his favorite word after "no" is "CHOO- CHOO" ( meaning the train). It is so cute. Oh, he also picked up one of my sayings. Whenever something is mildly surprising he says "Oh wow", just like me:)

My Friend's Baby is So Adorable

Oh my goodness, Jeni's baby is just so beautiful! He was born pretty with a lovely little head of hair. This is a good sign!

Not many newborns are "attractive" in my eyes. That's not to say they aren't just the most precious little bundles of joy, but they kinda get cuter as the first couple of weeks go by. Not this little guy, though, he's cute from the get-go.

On the home front, Evan is still making nighttime strides but Scott seems to be regressing. The last 2 nights, he has tried to go to Evan (one time with pillow-in-hand) when Evan has cried. I have to stop him (kind of sternly) and tell him "no, stay out of his room". What the F*@#?!?! It's all about consistency, but Scott seems to be missing this key point. I'm annoyed b/c I feel like I have to police 2 people at night now.

Why the "Cry it out" Method is my Savior

OK, I said in my previous blog that Evan's sleep habits had been getting better. While this was a true statement, the improvements were incrementally pretty small. Sleep deprivation was taking a toll on me. Scott and I were at odds on this issue and, I think b/c of the lack of sleep mainly, it had become extremely contentious.

I was nearing the end of my rope. I went to Half Price Books (I love that place. I always have fun there and end up going a little overboard with the books). I left the store with 6 books on getting children to sleep, 2 books on raising healthy children, 1 book on disciplining children and, just to make me feel that much better and soothed, I got a couple of cookbooks and a gardening book.

It is amazing how quickly I can read when I really want to. I got through 2 sleep books in one day and did some speed reading/major skimming of 2 others. I didn't get to the last 2 books on sleep but that's OK b/c by that point I had gotten the common thread. Consistency and self-soothing are of the utmost importance if you want your child to sleep by himself in his own bedroom. The easiest and most successful transition takes place between 4 and 8 months of age. Yes, I had heard this before, but now I was finally ready to engage!!!!

I missed the 4-8 month window, and I already knew this was no cake walk, so I steeled myself to doing what had to be done.

I'm glad I spent this last month trying a more gentle way to get Evan to sleep on his own b/c I think that's what it took to show me that I needed to be more disciplined in this endeavor.

I wrote and printed copies of my sleep plan and posted them throughout the house to help remind myself of precisely what I'm doing when it's 2 am and I'm only half conscious and can't remember much of anything.

The GOLDEN KEY, the little gem of information that saved me was something that I had been dreading doing and something that Scott refused to do---let Evan CRY IT OUT!!!!!!!!!!

If he wakes up and walks over to his baby gate, I kiss him on the head, take him back to his bed and I leave. If he goes right back to sleep, that's great, if not, he has to cry it out. The first time lasted about an hour, but in the following nights, it's been 5-10 minutes tops. Last night was just once and it lasted only a minute or two.

Scott slept in his truck the first couple of nights. He needed to be out of the house b/c he can't stand to hear Evan crying and I needed him out of the house b/c his lack of support of the program just added to my anxiety and stress.

I think he's shocked that Evan has come this far this quickly. He was certain that Evan's sleep problems would never be fixed without medical intervention.

So, I'm feeling significantly better and I think I might have gained some power in my husband's eyes. Maybe he will acquiesce some power here and we can move forward in a more equitable manner.

Haven't blogged in over a month

I am so bad at this it's not funny. First of all, I am NOT a writer. I find it mildly tedious. But, I think it's probably a good idea to write down a few things that happen in my life, from time to time, even if they aren't particularly interesting just b/c I know I will forget so much of my life as the years pass. Now that I have Evan, I would like to be able to keep track of dates and milestones in my life so that I can better put it into context of his.

This past weekend I took a trip to see my dearest old friend and attend her baby shower. Eventhough it was a quick trip (left on Fri. returned on Sun.), it was the longest I've ever been away from Evan. I missed him but fortunately one of Jeni's friends, Lindsay, brought her 4 month old so I got to lavish him with all of my "baby love".

I really enjoyed the baby shower, too. It was, by far, the best baby shower I have attended, to date. The only downside, was a nasty hangover the next morning. Oh well. It was worth it!

I feel especially lucky to have been able to spend some quality time with Jeni's very close friends that she made over the years. They are all truly sweet people.

I think it's funny that I was her oldest friend at the shower. We've been friends since the 80's. Wow, I feel old. Hopefully, I can get in some more time with her--and her BABY!

Evan is doing very well. He now says "cow", "no" and "bye". He's coming out of his shell, too, and gets along well with other kids. I'm so glad he's not as inclined to have a "separation" breakdown as he used to be. He's still a handful, though. Extremely active.

The nights are getting better, too. Scott went on a ski trip with some guy friends a few weeks ago and while he was gone I implemented the new sleep routine where Evan sleeps BY HIMSELF in his OWN BED. It's been a little rough but I think a couple more weeks will make all the difference.

Oh, and my sister, Stephanie, got a paid internship with a gaming company in downtown Austin. I think it's hysterical b/c she is absolutely NOT a gamer but she bullshitted her way into it. Good for her. She is a graphic arts major so they put her skills to good use once she got the gig. Her telling of the interview process is so damn funny. All they really wanted to know was what she thought of their games as opposed to other games and if she was as "game crazed" as they were. She was smart enough to check out their product before hand and completely fabricated any real knowledge of it. She is one of those people who can take a train of thought and totally go with it wherever it leads. I'm impressed. This is a photo of her at my house right after the interview and job offer. She's still a little shocked.

Chicken Names

Jeni asked what I call my young chickens. Well, I feel like the black and gold rooster is Cleveland and the burgundy rooster looks like Fillmore. My 2 black hens are Claudia and Ladybird and my lacy brown hen is Nancy.

I'm keeping up my Presidents & First Ladies theme for their monikers.

Chicken Update

Well, I gave away a few more roosters. They are the first 3 photos here. The last 2 photos are the chickens that remain. I also got rid of Chester a while back b/c he was so aggressive toward people. These last 3 roosters I gave away were way too aggressive with one of my hens, Eleanor. Poor girl! The chicks are almost completely grown up and are very cute, I think. They have interesting color variations.

Christmas Decorating

Well, I've been doing some holiday decorating. It's been fun. I went to Michael's, Garden Ridge, and Costco and got some cute things. I embelished a wreath a bit and I created my own personal garland with several different plain garlands and decorations. I love the white peacocks I found at Garden Ridge. I like sparkly things but not too sparkly and I feel like it worked out pretty well. I didn't spend a lot of money or spend a lot of time on it, so my goal was met for this particular year. I think I might try to get a shot of the outdoor Christmas lights and garland along the front of the house. Scott put them up and they look really good at night.