We have had a sort of "whirlwind" weekend, and it looks like the upcoming week will be just as busy. I found out on Friday that my grandfather had passed away. It was one of those things that we have been expecting for the past year or so, but it still was surprising. He has been sick a lot of my life with some form of cancer or heart disease or whatnot, but has always seemed to pull through ok. Honestly, modern medicine saved his life time and time again, and I'm grateful for that. Still, I have fond memories of going to grandpa's and bouncing on his knee, dancing with him (me on a tree stump and him literally dancing circles around me), watching the Price is Right, and good ol' weenie roasts. Perhaps my favorite is remembering Grandpa's singing voice. He would never be one to admit that his voice was anything to shout about, but I loved the sound of him singing along with the Lawrence Welk Show, Leann Rimes (the old, hard-core country stuff), or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The funeral is being planned for Friday, so hopefully all will work out for me and Brandon to make it to Rupert at the end of the week.
On Saturday morning the Johansson crew arrived. The crew is shrinking considerably now that four kids are out of the house. I swear I ate more candy and junk this weekend than I have in my whole life! I love my mother in law's grocery shopping habits. She honestly comes home with the best snacks and brought all the goodies with her this weekend. We also got In n Out after Priesthood last night, so me and the baby can't complain about starving. I'm so glad to be living here in Vegas, close to family, instead of isolated out in Kansas.
Lastly, I am sending out a request to all the mothers who read my blog. I'm getting a little anxious about this little guy's coming and am wondering if anyone has a good book that they read about sleeping, schedules, breast feeding, ANYTHING that they would like to recommend. So far I've heard the Baby Whisperer is good, but I have yet to read it. Anyways, leave a comment...
5 comments:
So sorry to hear about your loss Emily. It sounds like you had a lot of good memories with your grandpa.
Sorry I don't have any motherly advice for you. (Though, I have heard that What To Expect When You're Expecting is a great book.) I actually might come running to YOU someday when my turn comes to need advice. Good luck with everything!
Here's some books I read:
The Happiest Baby on the Block (about soothing a baby, especially colicky ones)
Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child (I highly recommend this one for scheduling and sleep)
On Becoming Babywise (I recommend this one, but I didn't follow it to a "t")
I liked Baby Whisperer for scheduling issues. The author recommends the "EASY" method, which is a routine of eat, activity, sleep, you. So, after the baby wakes up, feed him, than have some activity (changing his diaper counts), then put him down for a nap and spend sometime taking care of yourself. The author recommends repeating this routine every 2 1/2 to 3 hours, but not to worry about keeping a "strict schedule." If your baby is like mine, he'll want to eat every 1-2 hours most days during the first month or two.
I'll see about posting online the packet I put together for new and expectant moms back in the 99th Ward. It has a lot of good advice pulled from several sources, including an outline of 5 words or sounds all newborns make and what they mean. (For example, "na" means "I'm hungry", "eh" means "burp me"). Learning to decipher James cries this way REALLY helped.
I'm sorry about your grandpa. I had a grandfather pass away three years ago. He had a brain tumor and lived 8 months when they expected him to live only 2-3 months. We're grateful for the extra time we had with him, but it still hurt to say goodbye. At least we know it's not forever. God bless you.
I've never read a book but when Spencer was in the NICU they taught me the importance of schedules. They had him eat every three hours on the dot whether he was hungry or not. I'm sure this is not as important for babies of normal size but the schedule idea has really helped.
When Miya was born I always made sure to feed her so I'd be done for nap time, usually at noon. I always put her down at the same time, arranging my schedule so it would work. At night I did the same thing, eat so she was done by 8 then sleep. She started sleeping through the night at 3 months, twelve hours every night, my pediatrician said it was because of the schedule.
Now don't get so caught up on a specific time. I usually have a range like between 8:00 and 8:30 because then if it is 7:55 and the baby isn't changed or fed we aren't panicking. That makes everyone restless and it's harder to get to sleep.
I also usually changed their diapers before I fed them that way if they feel asleep eating or burping I didn't have to wake them back up to change the diaper. I found that it was hard to soothe them again after that and we were up longer if I waited. The NICU also told me to fix the most pressing need first which to them was the diaper, then eat, then play if they are still awake and wanting too.
Another thing that helped, don't turn the light on when you nurse at night. You baby responds to light for his biological clock and if it's dark he will think night and sleepy time, but if you turn the light on he'll think it's time to get up and want to play. A night light is okay to feed by but I wouldn't have it anywhere the baby could see it directly, like behind a table or with his back to it. This is also good at the feeding right before bed. Go in a dark or semi-dark room and that will clue him in.
This is a beast. Maybe I should have sent an email :). Anyway, with two tries I've got a lot of practice so I could certainly tell you my opinions on a lot more things. Take what you want and toss the rest :).
My sister in law swears by Babywise. You look so cute. I am excited for you.
Post a Comment