Adventures in CIO #3... Caved!!!

I found this blog with a mother who had pictures of her clothes covered dresser and messy office and I thought Ok so I need to blog the real stuff too and not be like those other picture perfect blogs that totally discourage me on Pinterest.

That leads me to say....
I'm a little discouraged with CIO, in part it's cause I'm exhausted.
Monday I was feeling GREAT about the road ahead, I introduced 1oz of milk in a bottle to 2 1/2oz of Mama Milk and Noah downed the entire thing. WOW!! What an exciting start down the Road to Dairy & Soy FILLED life. Late afternoon Mike Came home from work not feeling so great... Sadie and I ran to the store to get a few things for dinner. We ate dinner & enjoyed the normal bed time routine. I watched a little TV, Mike was already in bed.

~11pm the Fun begins. Noah wakes up and as I Patted Noah's back, I listened to Mike getting sick in the bathroom. OH NO!!! I cancelled my babysitting duty for Tuesday and thought OK Tuesday would be alright cause the kids had a full day of school (OR SO I THOUGHT). When I finally crawled into the playroom bed, it took me a little bit to fall asleep (when someone gets sick in my house I often stress about disinfecting my home). Well sleep found me until Noah woke at 2:30... I tried to pat his back standing over the crib, but then picked him up just so I could sit, rocked him for a bit. I WAS JUST TO TIRED and I knew what the day ahead could potentially look like so I COMPLETELY GAVE IN... I laid down in the twin bed and fed Noah Back to sleep!!! BOOOO I CAVED!!! Well Noah and I slept til about 5am when Cameron came in woke me up to say... "Mommy we don't have school today it's a snow day... I just heard the message from our Principal!!"

Joy!!!

Kids and I had a productive snowy Tuesday however Noah was a fussy mess... and REFUSED the Milk!!! So I just let it go and by evening, I totally messed with Noah's schedule and didn't put him to bed until 8pm. Again he woke up at 11pm I patted his back, he fell right back to sleep and then woke up again at 2am... YEA you know what I did????? Fed him!!

Today he had shots for his 1 year vaccines so I'm not even attempting Milk... And tonight when he cries I'll be sure to run cause I'll need to make sure he doesn't have a fever.. And we come full circle... When I started this blog there was reason for the title...

THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING!!!

Counting my blessings...
1. Kids who are old enough to put there laundry away
2. A clean kitchen
3. Kids at school all day
4. Kids at home all day helping with the house hold chores
5. Sunshine after a snow storm... Everything just looks BRIGHTER.. Literally and figuratively

Johnston Adventures in CIO #2: Discoveries & Baby Steps

~ So the routine continues… Read books or should I say read the same book… Time for Bed (I Highly Reccomend it!!), it’s crazy but I do have it memorized and I can read it in the dark (& yes I’ve read it to Noah in the dark after having to change his diaper) lay Noah down pat his back, & leave the room. We have discovered that despite all this time some things haven’t changed  sense before Christmas, if he cries longer than 15 minutes it means he has pooped!! It almost seems like he cries so hard it causes the poop. Once he’s changed he falls asleep.

~ The other day I let Noah Cry and Cry and Cry for his nap, it was exhaustingly painful so I went in laid him down, patted his back and within 3 minutes he was asleep. After this I felt extremely discouraged, kept thinking ugh he just got his way, he won this battle. Then I got to thinking when I was a teacher I would spend the good portion of rest time patting little kids backs to help them fall asleep and for much longer than 3 min. So why can’t I pat Noah’s back?? (It may not be the "right" way to think but I felt better so I'm going with it!!!)

~ Night time progress is that Noah is weaned from ALL night time feedings, but he still wakes up 1-2 times a night and thus the back patting happens only if he wakes up so much that he is standing in his crib.   

We are progressing with baby steps… Process vs. Product is the catch phrase in Early Childhood Education, but sometimes, while the process is "More important" then the product, the products can sure be sweet!! I would like to think that in this "process" my child is learning, independece, parents are in charge, parents will provide comfort. But let's be serious it's just sleep!!! 

I look forward to the product of these baby steps we are taking; just ONE FULL NIGHTS sleep! Maybe tonight will be the night!

 

Counting my Blessings...
1. A weekend catching up with old friends!

2. Game night with the kids... Playing Candy Land with Sadie is quite the experience... The little figures not only move along the game board path, but they talk, dance, and cry!!!
3. Sunny days... and daylight savings!!
4. Duck Dynasty it makes me laugh!

5. The amount of work I can get done in the time Noah Naps...

 

Recap, Beginning of a new series of Blogs: Adventures in CIO

So I apparently I'm blogging at the rate of 2 a year!! But Thought I would blog about another parenting adventure... CIO (This is what a friend calls it)... AKA CRYING IT OUT!!!

Quick Recap...
Noah had acid Reflux and Dairy Soy intolerance
Reflux created sleep issues.. If you've ever experienced Heart Burn you know what I'm talking about...

So Once Noah was taken off his antacid (About the end of Nov. We had thought it should be time to sleep train in baby steps...) One thing learned during this time was when Noah cries it out he poops!! NO JOKE EVERY TIME!! So we always have to go in and change his diaper!! What else is there to do but Change it can't leave him in it GROSS and I don't want him to become a Poo Caso (as my SIL calls it when kids get into thier diaper and paint with thier poop)....

Well December hit and Christmas plans changed and we headed to PA spending a great Christmas with my Grandfather, But Christmas Night Noah gets a fever... And this is where Sleep training became non existent for 2 1/2 months... Ear infection, the Flu, another ear infection that lasted 2 months result Tubes(yesterday)... And that now bring us up to speed. Oh and for a side note.. all these ear infections has prolonged the Dairy and Soy free life style cause can't try to introduce milk until he's off an antibiotic... JOY!!!So Here I begin the blog Series...

Johnston Adventures in CIO:
# 1....

So Tubes are in, Fluid is gone… "No more excuses" (as a FB friend so nicely pointed out!! :-) So last night NJ was in bed at 6pm… He slept until 11:30 when he started fussing a little not fully awake but was fussing… I brought him his overdue dose of Tylenol and realized he was soaked.. (Stinkin’ diaper!!! That’s what happens when you are cheep and don’t use Pampers Baby Dry!!!) Well after fully changing him I read him his book and rock him for a minute. Well while rocking him, he started pulling my hair and I told him no so he up and WHACKED me across the face!! Needless to say Rocking was over and I put him right in the crib!!! You know what????? He didn’t cry a lick not even a peep of protest… He just went right back to sleep!! Sleeping until 5am... Where he was ready to start his day...
   
        I know what you are thinking... that is way to early... but no wonder you put him to be at 6pm... Let me tell you one thing I've learned from Cameron's sleep habits as baby/Toddler/preschooler... Doesn't matter the time I put him to bed he will always wake up at 5am


So back on track I’d like to think one of two things… about last nights CIO moment...
1. This child knew… YES I SAID KNEW there was no way after hitting me that I was gonna pick him up again; So why bother trying.
2. He was just that tired he didn’t have any fight in him... (More likely this one, but I'd like to think he learned a lesson too... You don't hit mommy)

So This is our first real adventure in CIO... More to come... Cause while writing about last night ... This mornings Nap was a Doosy!!! ;-)


Can't forget to count my blessings...
1. Modern Medicine that allows tubes to be put into my child's ears to alleviate pain and pressure
2. Freedom to sleep train and now introduce MILK!! (PRAY THIS WORKS!!! I'm not sure I can watch my little guy live life with out ice cream)
3. It's Friday... And There are a ton of Friends in town for FOL... Hoping I get to see some of them even just for a few min...
4. My Beth Moore Study came in the Mail... and I've loving every min. of it...