We interrupt this blogcast...

We interrupt this kid-centered blog for some great news on the parent front.  Both parents have lost significant weight since our recent Boston trip.  Once we got back home, we both made significant changes to our diet.  We both added more vegan meals to our daily diet and have stopped buying animal products (for our consumption, the kids still eat them).

While Dad is against putting a 'label' on himself and still considers himself an omnivore, his animal consumption has dropped dramatically.  His other great change is as simple as it is difficult to do, and I am so proud of him and his success.  His secret....  He eats less.  Period.

Dad has lost 9.5 pounds and is excited to keep going.

For me, since I have tried to make most of my meals vegan, I found that I 'felt' much better when I stopped eating meat.  I ended up 'ok' without cheese, but it made it difficult to enjoy some meals with my family.  So instead, I just pick and choose the dairy I will eat, and limit the amounts.  Hubbers understands and always tells me how much cheese is in something.  I've just decided to personally stop eating land animals.

I've lost 5 pounds since our Boston trip and felt 'room' in my jeans yesterday in my legs.  Huh, never felt that before, and I've had these jeans before I had ANY babies!  Yay!

Hip Hip hooray for the parents!

So much better said than I could

Please, read this.  Yes, you too hubbers.

Interruptibility: defined.

Some happy moments (delayed posting)

Sorry for the delay in posting these photos, I thought I already did it!

MeMaw and Papaw wanted to get cupcakes for the kids.  Jeanne is enjoying the strawberry shortcake one. She only ate the frosting, which is a disgusting 3" tall.  Not surprisingly, she reported a stomach ache within 30 minutes.

Loki had the carrot cake one.  

The Bakers March 2012

We visit the NC State Veterinary School 

She climbed every fence there was

Little man chillin'

My babies looking at a baby sheep

Little Miss kept cutting the line to climb all the tractors.  She buckled herself into this one so no one could kick her out.

This is my 'Mommy Group'  We circle the wagons (strollers) and all the kids partake of lunch!

There was free ice cream.  Yum!

My poor boy sneezed and coughed so much, I have him benedryl before we left for home.  All passed out, finally able to breath (a little)

Seriously, how old does she look in these photos!

Our first trip to Pullen Park!

Refusing to look at the camera.....

I have since got her a neck pillow, poor thing.

Sleep training continued

Sleep training for the chaos master is going well.  We have had magnificent nights, and blah nights.  Even during the blah nights I am getting more sleep than I have in over a year.

Today, I put down two, wide awake, not terrible tired kids, in the same room.  I said 'it's time for sleep' and walked out.  Standing outside the door I could see and hear that Jeanne was snuggled in her bed, lying still, whispering 'good night' to her panda, while Loki was lying in his crin kicking the sheets.  He wasn't crying or fussing at all, just making lip smacking noises.  Like he was still awake and not quite ready yet to be quite.  I waited about 4 minutes, went in and whispered "it's time for sleep" to Loki, rubbed his back for a mere moment and walked back out.  No one cried, he didn't fuss or wake up more, and in 15 minutes I was sure they were both asleep.

Last night, Loki slept from 8pm to 2am, without benedryl (which is the only other time he has slept this long, we spent the day at the farm and the poor kid was miserable with his allergies).  Of course, he was a fussy, crying mess from 4am to 630 when we got up, but that is so much better than we've had.

I think I'm only on night 6 (as of tonight) and hubbers put him down tonight.  He reported that Loki seemed fussy in his arms, as if he wanted to be put down.  He was, and put himself to sleep.

Sweet.

If he continues on this trend, I will move him back into 'the kids' room very soon.  It so nice when a plan comes together.

Sleep training

So..... as you avid readers have noticed, we have a problem with sleep in our house.  Mainly by the Lord of Chaos, Loki.

For 2 nights and 2 days now I have done the following:
~not picked Loki UP when he cries.  I do touch him, hug him and tell hin he is ok, I do not ignore him.  This rule is ignored when he is actually hurt and not just whining.
~I have repeated "it's time for sleep" each and every time he wakes at night, without picking him up, rubbed his back, and gone back to bed.  I repeat this every 1-4 minutes.  He usually lies himself back down and settles himself.

Since I have started I have noticed the following:
~twice now (both today) I have put him down for a nap and for bed (just now), while he was awake but clearly sleepy, rubbed his back, said "it's time for sleep, I love you (put on blanket), goodnight" and walked out of the room.  Both times, he hasn't made a peep.  No crying, no fussing, no standing, no hissy fit.  I don't have to go back in to settle him.
~at night, he still wakes many times, but the 'sessions' are short.  He stands up and cries, I turn over, rub his back, tell him "it's time for sleep" he lies back down and goes to sleep.  Sometimes he will actually go to sleep sometimes it takes 5 'sessions' or so.  Either way, its better than nursing him 6 times a night or brining him into my bed.  Which reminds me.
~I've not brought him into bed with me, unless we are up for the day and it is the 'morning' nursing session.  I now have ceased all co-sleeping (he is too strong now, and his constant slaps in the face and kick to my bladder randomly throughout the night do not bring about thoughts of love and peace.  I prefer to think of my children fondly, thus no more co-sleeping.
~ I only nurse twice a night now, midnight and 5 am.  I want him to get used to sleeping for many hours without the need for nursing.  In a month or so I *may* take out the midnight and move it to 3am, it's all dependent on how he does.
~I told my husband that I will do this for 2 weeks.  Two concentrated, full attention, no nonsense weeks.  I feel confident that much will change in that time.  Loki understands so much of what I say now, and the fact that I am never ignoring him is helping (my belief).

Perhaps, just perhaps, I will be able to sleep for fours hours, all together, in the next 6 weeks.  Perhaps.  It would be the first time in 15 months.


Perhaps.

P.S.  Thank you to both my dear husband and my darling daughter for being patient during this time, and sleeping in beds that are not their own, so that I may help Loki learn to sleep better.  I adore you both.

Quick wrap up of the "Eating Better" and onto new things

S, I abruptly stopped posting due to painful lack of sleep.  We were all wasted, grouchy and hurting.  Sickness was inevitable.  Needless to say, after my month long venture to eat as vegan as possible, I came away from it learning a few things.  Here they are.

1) I don't miss chicken at all.
2) Cheese was far easier to give up than I thought.  Now, I choose vegan cheese when out, very little or none at all.
3) I am now choosing to eat a vegetarian fare, with still finding as many vegan meals to enjoy as possible.
4) I learned to cook a bit!  And it was fun!  That made me feel good, especially when I would create a vegan meal that my whole family liked.  I knew I was providing whole foods, packed with nutrition for my family and it was made with love.
5) Hubbers and I both lost weight.  I lost 4 pounds and 1% of body fat (while never going to the gym) and Hubbers lost 6 pounds while going to the gym sparsely.

Onto new things:

Loki and sleep.  What ever we have been doing for the last year has not been working.  We are trying something new.  With that, we played musical beds with some of the family.  Hubbers is in Jeannes full sized bed, Jeanne is in Loki's crib, Loki is in the pak n play in my room, and I get the bed.  That way Jeanne and daddy are behind three doors, the better to buff agains the screaming.

Now, I will put Loki down after brief back rubs, a kiss and 'night night'.  If he cries, I let him be for about a  minute or two, then I rub his back, kiss his head, tell him it's 'time for sleep' and gently lie him down, without ever picking him up.  I repeat as often as needed, going back to him every minute or two, even a couple of times when he is calm and quite.  I do this so that when I tell him "mommy is close", he knows it since I prove it.

I feel like this is a much more gentle method than CIO, especially since Loki can clearly understand much of what I say to him, but not yet speak to me yet.

A) I don't leave him for extended times
B) Using CIO with young infant, basically takes the only form of communication babies have, and shows them that you will ignore them.  To me, you are telling your infant, I hear you crying, and I don't care.  Keep crying, and I will ignore you.  Get used to me ignoring you.  Either get used to me ignoring you faster, or keep crying.  This just doesn't fly with me.  I know plenty of people who have tried this and that its worked for, and people that have tried and it doesn't work.  I don't care really. I'm not doing it.