Random Kid Update

- Sam's first day of preschool was last week, and Jacob started back at preschool last week, too. Sam cried for the first five minutes and then was fine.
- Elliot slept thru the night for the first time EVER two weeks ago, at six months. He did it once more this weekend. Here's hoping his nights of waking up to or three times to eat are finally at an end, because Mama's tired, kid.
- Yesterday, Lily finished "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" - phew! And last week, she finished the first Handwriting Without Tears book (it's orange). A couple weeks ago, I had switched her from Explode the Code (ETC) book 1 to book 2 before she finished book 1 because I thought it was too easy for her, but then she was making too many mistakes in book 2, so I'll have her finish book 1 before moving her on now.
- Two weeks ago, Jacob finished "Get Ready for the Code" - the first ETC primer. Now he's on "Get Set for the Code." He has absolutely no problem with the phonics in this book and should probably be on book 1 with Lily (he's on lesson 36 of "...100 Easy Lessons). I'll probably skip "Go for the Code" and put him right on book 1 when he's done with "Get Set..." The problem is he's sort of able to properly form letters with lots of help and concentration, but still prefers scribbling and very quickly loses focus, so the two required skills for this book are so far apart from each other (reading and writing) that I feel strange advancing jumping him ahead for one reason when the other is so far behind.
- Samantha is still an excellent color-er.
- Elliot has now tried rice cereal, bananas, applesauce, avocados, broccoli, pancakes, whole milk yogurt, and I'm sure lots of other things, but he still HATES it all. Except for this one random night, he was very happy with all the broccoli Ryan was finger-feeding him off his plate while holding him during dinner, but I was not happy with him waking up ALL NIGHT because, HELLO? broccoli?? Actually, food usually makes him throw up. Literally. First the avocado and then the yogurt. He gets it anywhere near his throat and he gags so hard he pukes all over. So what do you do with a kid who won't take a bottle and won't eat?!?!
- Lily's self-proclaimed favorite subject is math. She's currently doing addition and uses her fingers to add (I need to start drilling her with flash cards soon). It's very rare that she gets one wrong, though her 7s and 9s are frequently backwards.
- On that same note, Lily has had a lot of trouble distinguishing between b's and d's the last couple of months, which is kind of strange because she didn't used to have this problem. Can a child develop dyslexic tendencies with certain letters/numbers AFTER not having any?
- Jacob's favorite school book is his Kumon Tracing book. He could care less that he's already done each page at least twice and is happy to continue tracing over what he's already traced before. I'm just happy that he'll sit and properly (and eagerly) hold a pencil for long periods of time, regardless of what he's doing.
- Sam hates pooping. TMI? She could hold it in forever, but as the days wear on and she becomes increasingly, obviously more uncomfortable and therefore crabby, we have to force her to sit on the potty until she poops. (Fortunate for us she's a little delayed in her gross motor skills and can't get off the potty herself, so she has no choice.) There is much screaming - half in anger at us, half in pain/fear of the poop. But she is always sooo happy and relieved the minute it all comes out. Though her poop stops up out toilets. Seriously! No matter which one she uses, we have to unclog it after every time she goes, because she holds it in so long, it's like trying to flush a baseball. There is much prune juice and fiber gummies in her every day life. She's doing great with potty training otherwise...
- At his 6mo checkup, Elliot was in the 2nd percentile for weight. Argh.
- Lily has a super loose tooth. We discovered it almost two weeks ago and it's now hanging on for dear life. It's on the bottom amidst three other not-as-loose loose teeth. She's afraid to just pull it out bc it's the first one and she's not sure what will happen, but I don't see it staying put thru tomorrow. I'm so excited for her! Better get my Tooth Fairy pennies ready...
- Elliot sat unassisted for about 10 seconds today.
- Jacob is restless and frustrated. I'm wondering how to better boost his morale and encourage him more. And how to ultimately stop.the.WHINING. Sometimes I think he's just bored, but when I give him things to do I think he'll like, he just complains or quits or finds an excuse to get mad about it. I'm not sure what to do with him...
- Elliot rolled over from belly to back at three weeks, from back to belly at 4 1/2 months, and started rocking on his hands and knees two weeks ago (at six months). I finally caught it on video yesterday. He's so desperate to get moving and get into everything! I'm not looking forward to having to use the baby gates all over again, having to remember to keep the basement door closed, keeping all the little Barbie shoes and hair ties and broken crayons and everything else out of harms way, etc.

Sleepy Lily

Lily has slept Jacob's room every night since last October when she got a door slammed in her face and landed in the ER for another round of liquid stitches. She went from having night terrors almost every night (sometimes more than once per night) to having none since the night she started sleeping with Jacob.

NONE.

I couldn't believe the immediate difference. I know it's said there's no real reason for night terrors, but it looks like Lily had them because she was lonely. And a little unsettled. It's amazing what another kid in the same room did for her sleep. Not to mention how excited Jacob was to get a sleeping buddy! Boy does he babble on and on and on ("Jacob, stop talking! I'm tired!").

Now, one of our favorite parts of the day is listening to them talk, sing, scheme, and yes even argue as they're winding down together in his room. Lily still sometimes needs to roam the halls before falling asleep, but it's usually only after Jacob's passed out. And she's his messenger: "Jacob has to go potty really bad" (even though we know she added "really bad" just to bolster his request), "Jacob wants another kiss," etc.





Anyway, I thought about the night terrors last week when she had a fever for a few days, and had a night terror three nights in a row until the fever had passed. Boy do I NOT miss those! They always seemed to happen riiiight after I'd fallen asleep. And after being so used to sleeping through the night again (thank you wonderful sleeping children!!!"), I was super groggy and grouchy getting to her room.

I found what comforted her the most was saying her name as I tried to soothe her, and repeatedly telling her I loved her - it seemed to calm her breathing and lessen her hysterical wailing at least a bit. When it was over, she simply laid down again and went back to sleep, like nothing ever happened. In the morning, she would look at me like I had two heads when I'd ask her why she woke up screaming the night before. "But I slept so good last night!"

Here's an article on night terrors in case your kid has never had one...just imagine the quiet of your dark house being interrupted by a sudden, horrible SCREAMING that just goes on and on. At least it's not because anyone is hurt!

Track Back:
Lily's 1st Night Terror (a.k.a. How NOT to overreact the 1st time it happens to your kid.)
1st Time Trying to Sleep Jacob and Lily in Same Room
Lily's 1st ER Trip for Liquid Stitches

Allergies: A Glimpse

Poor little boy. Waking up every night for the past three or four nights. Sneezing. Coughing. Rubbing his eyes. Sneezing some more. Crying for Mama to come and somehow make it better.

I sit by his crib and we whisper. I rub his back. He rubs his eyes, tells me they hurt.

I get him a cup of "wahler." Cover him up. He settles back down. Minutes later, or 2 hours later, or the minute I leave, he cries again.

I hold him in my arms and he tries to convince me he's "done with my map" even though it's pitch black outside. We rock back and forth, cheek to cheek in the dark. His cheeks are sweaty or sticky with tears. He sneezes some more, and now I'm sticky, too.

We listen to Lily's heavy, steady breathing from the big bed across the room. No amount of crying or sneezing or non-whispering wakes her up.

Finally, he asks to be put back in his crib. I struggle to settle him down gently, but he's almost three and my back doesn't bend that far. He snuggles his arms around his crib bumpers. Rests his forehead against the bars. Curls his knees into his chest.

He whispers that he's afraid of the lightning. I peak through the curtain and assure him the skies are clear. "No storm tonight?" - "No, sweetie, not tonight." At least not yet.

I whisper, "Love you, buddy," and head out. Catch a glimpse of Lily sleeping with her head at the wrong end of the bed. Not the way her Daddy positioned her when he carried her back to bed from her nest in the hallway earlier in the evening.

Her favorite blanket gathered under her head. A mop of unruly blond hair covering her face and pillow. Two little sweethearts, resting in each other's company. Jacob trying to go back to sleep before his allergies wake him - and me - up again.

Bedtime Conversation with Lily

Me: *Big yawn*
Lily: Are you tired, Mama?
Me: Yes...
Lily: A little tired or a lot tired?
Me: A lot tired.
Lily: So you're going to go to sleep with Daddy now?
Me: Yes, soon.
Lily: He's down on the couch. Maybe you can sleep on the couch by Daddy.
Me: Maybe.
Lily: Maybe you can have a little dream.
Me: That's true, I could. Are you a little tired or a lot tired?
Lily: Just a little tired. I don't have to go to bed.

PAUSE

Lily: My pants are backwards.

PAUSE

Lily: I'm a lot tired. Just like Mama.

Miscellaneous

Jacob's favorite thing to do while nursing is look up at me, smack his lips together a few noisy times, and give me a big grin...then he quickly gets back to nursing.

Lily likes to count everything. "Two, two, two, TWO!" Repeat for, "Free, free, FREE!" (or eight or shish).

Jacob - all in one or two weeks - has learned to wave, clap, do "so big!", bop his head up and down to the music, flirt with his head to the side, and wiggle his head back and forth.

Lily can sit at the table for up to an hour, coloring or taking stickers on and off things. Double the time if she has her pacifier.

Jacob had his 9-month pediatrician visit last week. He is in the 5th percentile for weight. Oy. The doctor tried not to act concerned, but I could tell he wasn't super happy. And he also encouraged me to push Jacob to stand and not be so floppy. Little mushy baby.

Lily is such a good big sister. She loves to feed Jacob whatever she's eating, and always makes sure we include him in everything. I guess this goes along with her learning to take turns and share. Hoppy-yop provides good practice.

Jacob's forehead sweats while nursing if he's ready to go to sleep. It's like his "tell" in poker.

Lily's suddenly decided that sleeping through the night is for babies. She wakes up multiple times a night, for no apparent reason, and says anything she can think of to get out of her crib. "Mama? Daddy? Awake? Kirsten? Oma? Seeeee Oma? Milk? Water? Light? LIGHT!"

Jacob is still the happiest little thing I've ever seen in my life. Even his pediatrician commented on how social he is, when most babies are beginning to experience social anxiety.

Lily is at the same time sweet and so stubborn. We are through two and a half months of the cliched "terrible twos," but as maddening as this age can be, at the same time, it's very exciting. Every day is full of new adventures. Her speech is progressing so quickly, and her ability to grasp complex concepts just astounds me.

Lily and Jacob: 101

To Mom (x2) and Aunt Ilse...who will be here in shifts whilst I recover from having a body part removed Friday.

Foods Jacob Eats:
Rice and Rice Cereal
Oats and Oatmeal Cereal
Barley and Barley Cereal
Sweet Potato
Butternut Squash
Pumpkin
Carrots
Corn

White Potato

Zuchinni

Peas
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Spinach
Green Beans
Prunes
Bananas
Apples
Peaches
Kiwi
Pears
Avacados
Papaya
Egg Yolk (no white)
Bread
Pancakees
Split Pea Soup
Squash/Pumpkin Soup
Mashed Potatoes
or, any jarred food in the pantry
or, any food cubes in the freezer
**Definitely no nuts or fish or eggwhites or citrus**

Foods Lily Eats:
Everything but nuts and shellfhish

Vitamins:
On the kitchen tabel, labeled w/name and doseage, once/day

Nursing:
5 or 6 a.m.
Before breakfast
Before lunch
Once in afternoon
Just after dinner
Before bed
Once around midnight or 1 a.m.
*I'm not sure how this will translate to bottles, or how much he will take each time. Good luck!

Food Ideas for Jacob:
Jacob eats three times a day, same as when we do . There are jars of baby food in the pantry and cubes of frozen food in the top of the freezer, but he really likes REAL food the best, i.e. table scraps or fruits/veggies processed just small enough that he can't choke. He loves soup (anything warm is usually a hit). His favorite food is banana, followed closely by avacado. Another easy snack is applesauce. He has not yet had yogurt, cheese, or meat.

Food Ideas for Lily:
Lily would be happy with oatmeal every single morning (and will probably ask for it as soon as she wakes up!). She is also a big fan of eggs ("Look, Lily - chese!") or pancakes. For lunch, we normally have leftovers from the fridge, and if there are none, grilled cheese or mac-n-cheese are always popular. She likes to snack on yogurt, applesauce, hard-boiled eggs, Cheerios, or of course junkfood. If she's acting picky, adding ketchup, bbq sauce, or shredded cheddar usually helps ;)

Jacob's Sleep Habits:
B/t 5 - 6 a.m. - Up to eat, then back to sleep
B/t 7:30 - 8:30 - Up for the day
B/t 10 a.m. - noon - First nap (not long! Usually 20 minutes, at most an hour)
B/t 2 - 5 a.m. - Second nap (maybe longer, but 20 minutes still common)
Night: b/t 7 and 9 p.m., depending on when he last woke up
Night Waking: Up once around midnight or 1 a.m. to eat, then back to sleep

Lily's Sleep Habits:
Nap: anytime b/t 12-5, usually lasting 1-3 hours
Night: b/t 7-8 p.m. and 7:30-8:30 a.m.
Night Waking: Usually sleeps through the night, sometimes wakes up looking for her pacifier, sometimes wakes up a million times for no explainable reason

Lily's More Common Hard-to-Understand Words:
Rah rah rah - Pacifier
Shah-sheet (or rubs cheek w/back of hand) - Blanket
Shah-sheet - Jacket
Nyoke - Milk
Away - Awake
Heep - Asleep
Hopchop or Hoppy-yop - Jacob
Foo foo Fay - Uncle Jay
Wori - Lori
Taytum - Kirsten (also pumpkin)
Feffrey - Jeffrey
Oh-hee - Oatmeal
Hnah - Snack
All of her words are very deliberate and always repeated exactly the same. She does not normally chatter (except to herself), so if she looks at you and says something, it's something specific you can figure out if you ask her enough questions or make enough guesses.

Jacob's Mobility:
He is rolling all over, so don't leave him on a bed or a couch or a chair. He can take a nosedive off. He is pushing himself backwards on the floor, and just Sunday, really started getting his knees under himself and lifting his belly to crawl backwards. Just make sure when you put him down that Lily (or anyone else) has not left anything small enough for him to choke on lying around, like a hair barette or a piece of a crayon. He can sit "unassisted" on the floor, but put a pillow or something behind him, because he is very fond of throwing himself backwards when he is done sitting.

Diapers:
Diapers and wipes for each kid are in the top drawers of their dressers. Extra diapers are on their closet floors. There is also a small diaper/wipes station in the dining room. It can be restocked from the diapers in their dresser drawers. Lily is a size 4 and Jacob is a size 3, but if it's too difficult to tell which is which, it doesn't really make a difference. As long as she's not in a size 3 overnight, she's good. Dirty diapers go in the guest bath garbage or the kitchen garbage.

Clothes:
PJs are in their dressers. Lily's shoes, jeans, overalls, dresses, onesies, and matched sets are in her closet. Shirts and sweatpants are in her dresser. Socks and tights are in her nighstand. Jacob's onesies, socks, and shirts are in his dresser. Pants, sweaters, overalls, and sleep sacks are in his closet. It's normally too much of a hassle to put shoes on him (not like he's walking), but if you feel like it, his shoes are in the Star Wars backpack in his closet. Good luck fining a pair that fits. We typically put two sleepers on Lily over her onesie when we put her to bed...so it's like she's wearing an undershirt, pjs, and a blanket. We put a long-sleeved sleepsack over whatever Jacob's wearing when we put him to bed (if he's wearing something stiffer like jeans or corduroys, we'll change them for sweats first, so he's more comfortable).

My goodness, I feel like I've written a book! I know this is way more info than necessary, but it's also nice to have it all written down so I can look back someday and see what they were doing at these ages (8 and 25 months).

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Someone I "met" online a few months ago (and still plan to meet in person, once we can get our schedules aligned) just blogged about the sleep problems she's suddenly having with her son now that he's around three months old, and how frustrating it is for her.

My heart just goes out to her.

Sleep depravity with a newborn or any baby / child who isn't sleeping for long stretches at night is so difficult to endure. Sleep depravity messes with your head and makes you a mean/snappy person to those you love most. In my case? My husband and my toddler. I was not a very loving or patient wife/mother for a few months there when Jacob was around 3-6 months. I was so angry with myself for having such a short fuse, but at the same time, I couldn't do anything about it and that made me MORE grumpy. I even wondered if maybe I had PPD, but then I would always remind myself, "No, you just have NO SLEEP!"

Here's an edited version of the response I left on her blog. I wanted to post it here because this is a very important/personal issue to me that I didn't cover well enough while it was happening, because honestly I'm not too good at talking about not being good enough. Hopefully, someone else can be encouraged from my experience.

Here goes:

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry. Having just recently come out of my sleep-deprived haze with Jacob, I can certainly sympathize with you. Jacob pulled that, "I suddenly no longer know how to sleep!" nonsense with me from about 4 through 6 months (not that he was any good at sleeping through the night before that, but at least he could fall asleep on his own or nap for longer than like 20 minutes at a stretch - which he still doesn't really do). Having come out the other side - finally! - a month or so ago, around month 7, I want to encourage you that it will get better...even if in your grogginess you feel like that will never happen.

You'll be there soon. He'll learn how to cry himself to sleep after just a few minutes, and not an hour or two (oh the heartbreak...). He'll learn how to sleep through the night after just a few nights of you "forgetting" to turn on the monitor before bed (because there's no way you can HEAR you baby cry in the night and not go to him, especially when you're so tired and you know that getting up to nurse him will take much less time than staying awake listening to him crying for an hour or more).

Just last night, as Ryan and I played a game of Boggle before bed (yes, we are crazy like that), I said, "Aren't you so happy to have the real Leah back? Not the mean, grouchy, constantly tired / unable to handle things Leah that blamed you for EVERYthing and never slept for more than like 3 hours at a time for a few months?"

He just nodded and smiled. It's good to be back.

Sleep

I may have alluded to Jacob's sleep habits (or lack thereof) previously. He is not a big fan of sleep. During the day, he takes a couple 20-30 minute naps, and he still doesn't sleep as long at night as you would expect of a baby this old. I finally had to start turning off his baby monitor at night because I was just too exhausted to keep it on. I knew if I heard him, I would be compelled to go in there and nurse him back to dreamland, so not knowing what was happening was the only way for me to get any sleep and, as a result, to teach him to get some sleep.



(Peaking at me through his crib bars.)

I'm not sure how long it took or how much he cried those first few nights. I'd like to think he coincidentally slept straight through the first night I tried it. All I know is that now, we put him to bed around 7:30 or 8 p.m., he wakes up to eat maybe once or twice before 11 p.m. or midnight, and I generally don't feed him again until morning. Even when I have the monitor on, he rarely cries during this 6-8 hour period any more. So I guess my night sleep training has worked.

Besides his short naps during the day, which are not a problem for HIM since he somehow wakes up refreshed and happy (though Mama would like more time alone), the other problem was HOW he fell asleep: ALWAYS while carried or being nursed. And nice and cozy as that sounds, it's not always practical, and I knew we'd have to help him fall asleep on his own eventually.



(Sound asleep after being carried around outside...still in the Ergo.)

So lately, I've been putting him down awake. When I tried this when he was younger, he would cry for up to an hour before falling asleep (sometimes longer), which is why I hardly ever did it. What torture - for both of us! I was thinking I would have to "Ferberize" him, but going back in to check on him periodically seemed even meaner than just leaving him to soothe himself. Not only did I feel like I was abandoning him, I also felt like I was TEASING him by coming back in but not helping him.

Now all of a sudden, when I put him down awake, he's only been crying for like 5-15 minutes (sometimes, just a minute or two!) before falling asleep. Maybe he's maturing, or maybe I'm being more consistent. I'm not sure. All I know is I'm definitely very happy with the results, and I hope his current cold doesn't throw us off course. Mama loves her babies, but she also needs her sleep!

Sleeping Thru the Night: Now Mandatory

Mama needs some sleep. Not just a few hours here, a few hours there. But real, loooong sleep. Ryan gave me a break Friday night, spending the night in Jake's room with him, giving him an expressed bottle every time he woke up. I only woke up once - I didn't hear anything and promptly went right back to sleep! It was wonderful.

Yesterday was torture. Some days just kick my butt, and yesterday was one of those. I was exhaused, Lily was crabby...not a good combination. So last night when Jake woke up to eat, I popped his pacifier in his mouth and held it there until he calmed down (he's not so good at keeping it in, though he enjoys having it). I guess we both fell asleep, because next thing I knew, it was 5 a.m.

I'm going to try that method again tonight. If he had kept screaming, I would have fed him. But apparently, a little sucking was all it took. Hopefully, this method will keep working and - after six sleepless weeks - I can begin to get a little more shut-eye.

Never. Before.

This evening, we got home from Bible study around 11 p.m. Normally, we get down there around 7:30 p.m., put Lily right to bed in the pack'n'play, and then wake her up around 10 when we leave for the 40 minute car ride home.

Tonight, I don't think she ever went to sleep. She cried about every 20 minutes, so we took turns going in there, putting her pacifier and blanket back in the pack'n'play (she threw them out each time), and laying her back down. 20 minutes later, lather rinse repeat. When she cried around 9:30, when everything was over, I could tell from her eyes (and her hair) that she had not gone to sleep yet. So we just took her out and let her play until we left.

Halfway home, she finally fell asleep. We pulled into the driveway, shut off the car, opened the doors. Nothing - still sleeping. Ryan went to her door, started unbuckling her and taking her arms out of the straps - still sleeping. By now, I'm amazed. Usually the minute we stop or at the least try to unstrap her, her eyes pop open and she's wide awake. So I keep watching - mouth wide open - as he takes her out and settles her against him to carry her inside. She's STILL SLEEPING.

I can't remember any other time in her life where she has not woken up after being transfered out of a car seat and carried somewhere. Before she was 1, we MIGHT have been able to carry her infant seat up to her room and get her into her crib quick enough that she'd go right back to sleep. But definitely nothing has come close to that since she's been forward facing and taking a much longer trip from car to crib in our arms.

Ryan came downstairs after putting her in her crib, and told me she stirred a tiny bit when he laid her down, but then she settled right in and kept right on sleeping. I still don't believe it. Maybe some people's kids transfer this way, but ours never has. Can I hope this is a sign of things to come? That the "soundly sleeping" toddler years will indeed hit our light sleeper?

I guess anything's possible...

Giggles

Lily is in her crib "napping" aka giggling and singing at the moment. I'm not sure what's struck her fancy - perhaps one of the many books or stuffed animals in there - but I'm just happy she's happy. Her funny, high-pitched giggle-squeals always seemed concocted for our amusement, but if she does them with no one else around, they must be real, right?

Any minute now, she's going to throw her pacifier and blanket over the side and fake cry until I come put them back in for her. What a silly girl - why do babies do this kind of stuff?



The real question is: Why do I keep falling for it?? I'm such a sucker.

Naptime

You know, Lily...it would be nice if you'd let me know how long you were planning on napping BEFORE you went to sleep, because then I would be able to plan what I was going to get done during your nap. Like take right now, for instance. You've been asleep for like 2 hours. During your morning nap. That hasn't happened since...never? I've been sitting around, not starting anything new, thinking you're going to wake up any second. But nooooo, you just continue lazing the day away, while Mama could have gotten so much more done.

We need to work on our communication skills.

The Crabster

Last night, Lily was pretty crabby while I was trying to work on dinner, around 5:30 p.m. Her two naps were a little earlier in the day than normal, so it wasn't too strange that she was crabby and tired earlier than normal. So I thought, "Maybe she'll just take a third little nap while I finish dinner." Sure enough, I finished making dinner without a peep from upstairs. How wonderfully convenient!

When Ryan got home around 6:30 p.m., we quickly ate dinner together, taking advantage of the yummy baby-free meal, telling ourselves she wasn't going to sleep much longer. Then we decided to finish the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition that we didn't get to finish the other night when she had her alleged night terror. As it ended, we looked at each other: "Is she going to wake up? Is she down for the night?"

Before going to bed, I made sure I had a bottle on the ready for when she woke up screaming and starving in the middle of the night. But when Ryan's alarm started going off this morning, I woke up realizing our little Lily just must have been really, really tired. She woke up at 7:00 a.m., I made her the bottle intended for the middle of the night, and an hour later, she was desperately trying to crawl up my legs until I took her downstairs for breakfast.

Starving, indeed.



She ate a huge portion of whole milk yogurt mixed with rice cereal and mashed tofu, then many bites of my breakfast - Golden Grahams. A half hour later, she was again trying to climb my legs and smooshing her face into my pants, ready for her nap. She's still in there now, talking to herself behind her pacifier, playing until she falls asleep. Hopefully, she'll be a little less crabby today after all that sleep!

Terror in the Night

Last night was pretty scary. Around 9:30 p.m., just as Ryan and I were about to see the house reveal on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, we heard screaming upstairs. We looked at each other. Was that coming from the TV? It couldn't be Lily - she doesn't scream like that. We muted the TV. Sure enough, it was Lily.

Ryan jumped off the couch and ran upstairs. Had she hurt herself in her crib? Fallen out? By the time he got to her room, I decided I wanted to see what was going on, too, so I followed him up. She was scooped up in his arms, still screaming. It was a scream unlike anything I've ever heard from her. Her eyes were still closed, her body limp, her scream not subsiding as he held her.

We were a little panicky. Lily never, ever stays asleep while being held. You can not rock her to sleep, you can not transfer her from one sleeping place to another, you can not even begin to take her out of her car seat without waking her up. And more than that, her overall lack of muscle control was extremely disconcerting.

We realized her skin was very hot to the touch, so we laid her on the twin bed in her room and took off her blanket sleeper. Ryan was cautious to do this slowly so as not to cool her off too quickly. We unzipped her thin sleeper beneath it and checked her diaper. Just wet. While we were in there, I took her temperature: 102 degrees. Not unheard of, but nothing to be ignored, either. At one point, she stopped screaming and turned her head to the side, making snoring noises, but that did not last long and after a moment, she began screaming again. This almost seemed better than dozing off, because we were scared to have her go back to sleep without finding out whether or not something was very wrong with her.

We had some lights on by now - which should have also woken her up right away - and brought her into the red room and laid her on the floor. She continued to scream, eyes closed. We were talking to her softly, rubbing her tummy, wiggling her arms and legs...

Nothing.

We brought her back into her bedroom and held her some more before she finally opened her eyes. It had been about 15 minutes by now. She continued to cry until she finally took her pacifier. It almost seemed difficult for her to get it in her mouth and to suck on it, but she finally gained the control. We laid her in her crib and she stared up at us, quiet, head to the side, sucking away, otherwise not moving.

We tried to bribe her with her favorite non-toys...I put my cell phone in her hand, but she did not grasp it. We lifted her legs and arms and they just flopped back down. It seemed the only thing she had control of was her head, and minimally at that. Finally, we knew it was time to call the doctor.

After speaking with the answering service, Dr. Schluper called us back a few minutes later, just before 10:00 p.m. Ryan explained the situation and she told us to give her a little Motrin and if that didn't perk her up, to take her to the ER. I was a little hesitant to drug Lily without knowing what was really wrong, so I gave her a smaller dose than recommended (though not by much) and we held her on the floor and continued our efforts.

She was unable to sit up by herself. Every time Ryan would let go of the back of her sleeper, she would flop forward, folded in half, and start to whimper in protest. We put my cell phone on her lap, knowing if anything was going to motivate her, that would be it. Ryan took my hand and we prayed for our little Lily.

Mid-prayer, she tentatively reached out and grabbed my cell phone with one hand. My grip on Ryan's hand tightened and he stopped and we both held our breaths to see what would happen. Her back straightened up a bit and she put the other hand on the cell phone. She made a familiar, inquisitive noise from behind her pacifier, still sucking away, and I felt tears sting my eyes.

It was as if God was just waiting for us to pray. Ryan quickly said, "Thank you, Jesus. Amen!" and we congratulated Lily on her effort. Slowly, she turned the phone over in her hands, dropping it, still not fully functioning, still unable to sit by herself. Ryan cradled her in his lap and ever so slowly, her muscular control started coming back. We stretched her out and took another temperature: 101 degrees. So her fever was going down. I don't know if it was from the Motrin (could it really have worked so fast?) or from the missing blanket sleeper or just from waking up.

I walked to the bathroom to wash the thermometer again, and Ryan announced, "She's coming after you!" I poked my head out and saw my little baby slowly crawling down the hall after me. I cheered her on while closing the gate, noticing that her movements were still awkward...and smiling to see her light sleeper dangling around her bare legs. Apparently, she was so excited to come after me, Ryan didn't have a chance to get her feet back in before she took off - now THAT sounds like our Lily!

It took about an hour from when she first started screaming to when she fully regained control of her body - to where she seemed "normal." We set up the pack and play in our room (no way we were going to leave her unsupervised in her room right after this) and put her in. Ryan went down to get her a little more to drink, and I transfered her blankets, pacifiers, and noise machine to our room. She stood up and watched my every move, pointing excitedly when she saw the noise machine come in. I pulled out her pacifer and let her play with the noise machine. She happily turned up the volume and changed the sounds, talking to herself and smiling cheerfully to me, like "See what I just did?" That's what I had been waiting for: the chatter and the smiles. Only NOW did I know everything was OK.

After she finished her little drink, we gave her back her pacifier, turned out the lights, and crawled into bed. We silently listened to all her little noises, and watched to see if that blonde head would pop up over the side of the pack and play. At one point, Ryan couldn't take it and crept over to it and peeked inside. Apparently, she saw him, so he cooed at her and kissed her goodnight again. Within a few minutes, we heard her breathing regulate and she was fast asleep again.

We laid there, whispering about everything that had just happened. About what a powerful God we have and how times like this make us realize just how fully we're in love with this litle person He gave us. And it's amazing how many thoughts - both rational and silly - can fly through your head at once, while your child is unconsciously screaming and seemingly unable to move. I should call 911. What will the neighbors think when they see an ambulance? I can't go to the ER dressed like this. Maybe she had a seizure. What if she's never able to regain muscle control ever again? She'd be so upset!

She woke up at 2:30 a.m. in a way I fully recognized: haltering cry, head peering over the side, refusal to be placated with a pacifier. I must say, I've never been so happy to hear her wake up in the night. I moved her from the pack and play back to her crib in her room. Ryan did have to go to work in the morning. I cleared off her twin bed and tucked myself in. She cried for just a minute more, then finally decided if a pacifier was all she was going to get, she'd better go find it, because it was better than nothing. I heard her pop it in, lay down, and make sleepy noises to herself until she - and I - fell asleep.

Ryan came in quietly before leaving for work at 7:00 a.m. to kiss me goodbye and take a peek at his little stinker. Lily woke up at 8:15 a.m., a little confused to see Mama across the room in bed, and eager to be rescued.

I was more than happy to oblige.



Dr. Schluper called around 11:30 a.m. to check on Lily, who was napping at the time. I told her everything was back to normal and that - except for the fever - all signs from the night before pointed to a night terror, which I had been reading about online that morning. She agreed that perhaps that's what it could have been, and maybe the fever was unrelated - from teething, possibly. She told me to keep an eye on her and let her know if she started acting strange or losing her appetite. Thankfully, Lily has been her normal physical, active self all day. I never thought I'd be so happy repeatedly stopping her from climbing on the chairs to the table, or going up the stairs.

Here's a picture of Lily napping this morning. I just had to go in and sneak a peek.



Here are some articles about night terrors:
http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/sleep/a/night_terrors.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_terror
http://www.babycenter.com/0_night-terrors_142.bc
http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/medical/sleep/terrors.html

Some similar symptoms:

- Often triggered in children who are overtired (Lily only had one nap all day - VERY rare for her)
- Very difficult to awaken
- 'Blood curdling scream'
- Sweating
- Large muscles paralyzed
- Typically occur about 2 or 3 hours after a child falls asleep (Lily had been asleep 2 hours)
- Will not be consoled
- Last about 5 to 30 minutes and afterwards, children usually return to a regular sleep

The last similarity I thought I'd mention: They are often very scary and distressing to parents who often overreact, especially during a child's first night terror. Check! At least now we know that next time, we just need to sit next to her and wait it out until she falls back to a calm sleep, and not try to wake her up the whole time. Although hopefully, there won't be a next time...

Sleep Update

Lily slept through the night last night. Cried once, but wasn't really awake - by the time I found my glasses and got in there, she was already stopping and snuggling her blankets.

Um, I mean, cold hard cribsheet. There are no blankets in her crib. Or stuffed animals. Or fuzzy dice. Nope.

So that counts! I'll take it.

I love my little Lily so much. Our little fuzzhead. Ryan just can't get enough of her, either. He was working late last night and she was asleep when he got home, so he was happy to hear her talking in her crib this morning while he was getting ready for work (me? not so happy). He went in there, scooped her up, smothered her with kisses, talked to her privately (I know not to ask what the conversation is about - it's just between them), and gave her a big squeeze before putting her in our bed next to me.

For the record? She did not go back to sleep.

Nothing melts me more than seeing his love for her. I never knew being a parent would bring out so many emotions in this cold, hard German... ;)

Blog Title

So I'm not crazy about this blog's address or title: Lily Boeple. It's too specific to Lily - we do want more kids - and it's confusing to anyone who doesn't speak Schwabische. I guess I shouldn't stress about the name too much. It's not like I'm naming a BOAT after her or something...



(Yes. That is for real. My dad finally named his boat - it was my mom's idea. He says he can remove the "Ann" and add another name if we have another kid. At least THEY'RE thinking ahead.)

But seriously, I can't think of any other good names that aren't taken... The search continues.

Oh, and about sleeping through the night? Seems posting about it and saying your baby does it, makes it stop happening. Two nights ago, I blamed it on breast milk. Last night, I had no excuse. I got up to keep giving her her pacifier for about an hour (with 5-10 minute breaks in between - just long enough for me to just about fall back to sleep before she started crying again) before finally deciding enough was enough and I was NOT going back in there.

Sure enough, after about 5-10 minutes of crying, she was fast asleep for the rest of the night. Hopefully, blogging about her NOT sleeping will also have the reverse effect. Yeah, she really really really isn't sleeping well at night AT ALL. Haha. We'll see.

Sleeping Through the Night...Mostly

Seems "crying it out" worked. For Lily, anyway. For the last few weeks, she has been [mostly] sleeping through the night. Every once in a while, she wakes up and will accept her pacifier and go right back to sleep. Last night, she woke up at 4:30 and wouldn't go back to sleep, and then I realized that "treat" I gave her before bed of a defrosted bottle of breast milk probably wasn't the best idea. It doesn't keep her full the way a bottle would. So for the first time in weeks, I gave her a two-ounce bottle in the night, which sent her straight back to dreamland.

One night last week, she was inconsolable at 5 a.m. (she normally wakes up around 7:30), so I took her into our bed instead of letting her cry it out, because my mom was staying over and I didn't want Lily's howling to bother her.

Big mistake. Ryan's alarm goes off every 9 minutes for an hour starting at 5:30 a.m., and it seemed nearly every time I just about had Lily back to sleep, his alarm would go off, so he'd hear it after a few minutes, roll over and fumble around to turn it off. That made for one grumpy sleepy Mama after an hour and a half.

Of course, it wasn't his fault, and if my mom wasn't sleeping over, we could have handled the situation a little differently. Figures, right? The one night we have a guest, she decides she doesn't want to sleep anymore. I think she just wanted to get up and play with her Oma. ;)

Crying It Out

I've been meaning to start a Lily blog for months now. 8 months to be exact. But the longer I waited, the larger the idea of catching up loomed over my head, so I've decided there's no day like the present and I'm letting myself off the hook: No catching up required!

Unless I want to, of course.

So I'll start with today. Lily's naps have been a little more fitful at the outset today, and I'm suspecting it's because last night was the first night of really letting her "cry it out." She went to sleep around 8 p.m. and woke up for the first time at 9:30, after which a quick pacifier-reinsertion sent her straight back to dreamland. So this wasn't really even like waking up, especially since it was too early in the night to get either of us out of bed.

She woke up for the second time around 4:45 a.m. - quite a nice gap in the middle there - but she absolutely would not take her pacifier. After letting her cry for a few minutes, I handed her a bottle with 2 oz water in it. She immediatly stopped crying, grabbed it eagerly, and shoved it into her mouth. She sucked away happily for a little while until - what in the world? - this isn't what I want! Get this thing outta my crib!

Here's a picture of her screaming (from a week or two ago) in case you're not sure just how heart-wrenching this level of screaming really looks.



She wailed for another good ten minutes while I laid in bed, painfully listening to her crying, telling myself all the reasons I should go back in there and give her a bottle with actual formula in it. But my resolve was firm and I didn't let myself get up - except to turn on the bathroom fan so I couldn't hear her crying anymore.

I don't know how long she actually cried. I'm praying it wasn't too long. I had half a mind to turn on the monitor just so I could see the lights moving in response to any noise she was making. I had this awful feeling while she was screaming that she was going to hate me in the morning or make my day miserable today just to spite me.

But at 8 a.m. when I first heard her making noise (Ryan turned off the fan when he got up for work), she was happily standing in her crib like always, babbling away, blowing mouth farts, chewing on the bars, and waiting for me to come say "good morning" so she could give me one of her big, lights-up-her-face, "Mama's are the best" grins.



(This pic is from almost two months ago.)

My heart melted. After lots of extra squeezes and smooshy kisses, I realized everything was going to be OK. We ARE going to get through this and my baby WILL learn how to sleep through the night again. And then, hopefully, so will I.