I'm sad to admit that almost all of the progress made in the last week with the kids at night has been lost. We all got a case of the stomach flu. In an attempt to help Zoey find a little extra comfort and sleep better at night, we gave her binky back at night. Today she woke up at 6AM instead of her usual 7:30 or 8.
Nate also learned to roll over while sleeping. This is a great milestone. And I would be more excited, but it wakes him up, pulls his blanket off, and makes him quite upset. I'm not really sure how do deal with this. I don't want to have to interfere every time he rolls over, but I'm not sure how else to get him to sleep. I'm sure he's not going to figure out how to roll back onto his tummy for a couple of months. Sigh.
Such is life, I guess: two steps forward, one step back.
Some other things we have been doing lately include Nate's first, second, and third time swimming. We tried to get it all in before the weather got too cold and the pools close. I even slipped his head under for half a second a few times. He was a champ every time. He is always very surprised, but never cries or chokes.
Zoey is swimming better than ever. She can swim about 3 feet under water in one breath. She loves the hot tub, jumping in, and playing motor boat with dad as well. She is learning to swim out a little bit and turn around to swim back to the step all by herself. Sometimes she swims a little too far before turning back tho and needs a little nudge to make it in time.
Zoey is such a sweet little two year old right now. She is really learning to deal with her feelings and take deep breaths to calm down. She can articulate what she wants and is even polite and patient most of the time. She plays with her little brother so well. She tries to tickle him both with her hand and by "eating" his belly. He thinks it's funny. She loves to cover him with blankets and tuck him in. She plays peek a boo with him even tho he has no idea what is going on. It's so fun to see them interact.
Nate just got his 4 month shots and cried for about thirty seconds. What a champ.
We are the Cox Family; est 2011.
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Bye bye binky
Yesterday Zoey had little sores, like a tiny rash or cold sores on her chin. Tanner said something to Zoey about them and asked them if they hurt. I don't think she had noticed them or knew they were there before he asked, but sensing his concern, she too was concerned. She said, "ow. Yeah it hurts dad." She has had these sores before and they went away after we put some petroleum jelly on them. Tanner told Zoey that he thought they were caused by her binky (or more precisely from her slobber when she sucks on it).
"I think we need to take a break from your binky for a few days to help your chin get better. Do you want to try sleeping without your binky tonight?" "Yeah!" She replied enthusiastically, to my surprise. Later, when it was actually time for bed, I thought she would change her mind. But she was still up for the challenge. So the two of them went up to her bed together. Tanner was secretly armed with a binky in the case that she insisted she needed it, but he didn't end up using it. He said she did get sad when she laid down. And he did have to do some more convincing, but she put on her brave face and said in her shaky brave voice, "I not use binky." Probably followed by her hysterical laugh to keep from crying.
But after he left, she fell asleep like any normal night. And was quiet til morning. Could it be that easy?
She got her binky back the next day for her nap because she was so hyper and wiry and not close to sleepy at all. As soon as he slipped the binky in her mouth, she immediately put her head on his shoulder and cuddled. We decided she can use it for naps for now. This was really just an experiment.
Night two and three without a binky have been successes as well. I'm so proud of her.
"I think we need to take a break from your binky for a few days to help your chin get better. Do you want to try sleeping without your binky tonight?" "Yeah!" She replied enthusiastically, to my surprise. Later, when it was actually time for bed, I thought she would change her mind. But she was still up for the challenge. So the two of them went up to her bed together. Tanner was secretly armed with a binky in the case that she insisted she needed it, but he didn't end up using it. He said she did get sad when she laid down. And he did have to do some more convincing, but she put on her brave face and said in her shaky brave voice, "I not use binky." Probably followed by her hysterical laugh to keep from crying.
But after he left, she fell asleep like any normal night. And was quiet til morning. Could it be that easy?
She got her binky back the next day for her nap because she was so hyper and wiry and not close to sleepy at all. As soon as he slipped the binky in her mouth, she immediately put her head on his shoulder and cuddled. We decided she can use it for naps for now. This was really just an experiment.
Night two and three without a binky have been successes as well. I'm so proud of her.
Nate slept!
Nate hasn't been sleeping very well lately. His naps are regularly 30-40 minutes and it feels like he is starting to wake up more and more at night. Although he will actually sleep in his crib, which is far beyond what our first baby would do, I'm not completely satisfied to wake up every 1 1/2-2 hours all throughout the night to nurse the little guy. We have his crib in our room so I don't have to walk down the hall 6 or more times a night every time he wakes up. Climbing out of bed, picking up the baby, and sitting in the chair for 15 minutes to nurse him, where I can't really even slouch or get comfortable starts to feel like torture when I have to do it over and over and over.
After a particularly grueling night, when Nate was waking way too often and then having to be held and bounced because his stomach couldn't settle, I decided it was time to start sleep training him and stop sharing rooms. As convenient as it was to have him close, maybe we were bugging him and I think I was too quick to respond to his every noise. I didn't want him to bug Tanner any more than necessary, so I would pick him up if I thought he was close to crying. I think I was unintentionally forcing him to wake more by picking him up instead of helping him.
That morning I told Tanner about my bad experience and that I was planning to blow up the air mattress for Tanner and I to sleep on in the room next to Zoey. We would leave Nate and his crib in our room, down the hall from Zoey so as not to wake her when he cries. I was determined not to feed him till 4 hours after his bedtime feed.
He went down really easy that night around 8:30 after I nursed him at 8. He woke up at 9:30 and I let him cry for 5 minutes. He has been throwing up frequently, so I went to check on him expecting to do a quick clean up, but there was nothing. I picked him up and he kept crying for about a minute. Then he spit his binky out and was quiet, so I put him back in his crib. He just kept sleeping. Weird.
He didn't wake up till 3 1/2 hours later (11:30). Not quite the 4 hours I was hoping for, but also not the fight I was expecting. I was happy to feed him. When he woke up 2 1/2 hours after that, I was expecting a hellish night. I let him cry for 5 minutes and went to check on him again. I caved and nursed him. He fell right asleep and I went back to bed.
I woke up at 6am, went to look at the monitor to check on him and realized that the sound had been turned off and it was facing down. I wouldn't have noticed if it turned on when he cried. He was sleeping at the time, but I felt guilty not knowing if I slept through a crying spell that may or may not have happened during that 4 hours. I shrugged, thought 'what can I do now?", and went back to sleep. I was more aware from then on. Every time he peeped, I knew it, but I didn't go to him. I didn't need to. He never woke up. Not till 8am. That's 6 straight hours of uninterrupted sleep for me, people!
When he woke in the morning, he just sat up on his elbows and looked around. He didn't cry out. He was all smiles when I went to him. If he did cry for 3 hours straight, (I don't think he did) he was holding no grudges. I am thrilled with our success. I am definitely encouraged to keep our training going.
To make things even better, he went down for his first nap 2 hours after he woke up and slept for 2.75 hours straight. He has not done that since he was a teeny baby. Go Nate.
After a particularly grueling night, when Nate was waking way too often and then having to be held and bounced because his stomach couldn't settle, I decided it was time to start sleep training him and stop sharing rooms. As convenient as it was to have him close, maybe we were bugging him and I think I was too quick to respond to his every noise. I didn't want him to bug Tanner any more than necessary, so I would pick him up if I thought he was close to crying. I think I was unintentionally forcing him to wake more by picking him up instead of helping him.
That morning I told Tanner about my bad experience and that I was planning to blow up the air mattress for Tanner and I to sleep on in the room next to Zoey. We would leave Nate and his crib in our room, down the hall from Zoey so as not to wake her when he cries. I was determined not to feed him till 4 hours after his bedtime feed.
He went down really easy that night around 8:30 after I nursed him at 8. He woke up at 9:30 and I let him cry for 5 minutes. He has been throwing up frequently, so I went to check on him expecting to do a quick clean up, but there was nothing. I picked him up and he kept crying for about a minute. Then he spit his binky out and was quiet, so I put him back in his crib. He just kept sleeping. Weird.
He didn't wake up till 3 1/2 hours later (11:30). Not quite the 4 hours I was hoping for, but also not the fight I was expecting. I was happy to feed him. When he woke up 2 1/2 hours after that, I was expecting a hellish night. I let him cry for 5 minutes and went to check on him again. I caved and nursed him. He fell right asleep and I went back to bed.
I woke up at 6am, went to look at the monitor to check on him and realized that the sound had been turned off and it was facing down. I wouldn't have noticed if it turned on when he cried. He was sleeping at the time, but I felt guilty not knowing if I slept through a crying spell that may or may not have happened during that 4 hours. I shrugged, thought 'what can I do now?", and went back to sleep. I was more aware from then on. Every time he peeped, I knew it, but I didn't go to him. I didn't need to. He never woke up. Not till 8am. That's 6 straight hours of uninterrupted sleep for me, people!
When he woke in the morning, he just sat up on his elbows and looked around. He didn't cry out. He was all smiles when I went to him. If he did cry for 3 hours straight, (I don't think he did) he was holding no grudges. I am thrilled with our success. I am definitely encouraged to keep our training going.
To make things even better, he went down for his first nap 2 hours after he woke up and slept for 2.75 hours straight. He has not done that since he was a teeny baby. Go Nate.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Bye bye crib complete
I guess since I made the big girl bed a "thing" by writing about it when we first bought the bed, I will follow up. Even though it hardly seems like an event now.
We ended up giving up on the bed for a month or two because Zoey was just nervous about it and it was taking a lot of convincing to make her even consider sleeping there. So it sat there in her room, across from her bed, empty for quite some time. It wasn't ever a problem with baby Nate because he slept on my chest for a couple of months, and later we put him on our pack n play mattress next to my bed.
About two weeks ago (Zoey is now 2 years and 3 months old) Tanner decided to have an activity where we took the sliding wall off of the crib to make it a day bed. Zoey thought it was kinda cool. And we were now a lot more confident that she wouldn't fall off. When night came, naturally, she got nervous. Tanner was quick to remind her what one of her favorite TV characters, Daniel Tiger, sings, "when we do something new, let's talk about what we do." She was happy for the reminder and they talked about how now she can get out of her own bed in the morning instead of having to wait for mom or dad to come get her out. She slept the whole night, no problem. And every night after that.
Close to a week after, I decided to move the whole crib into my room after her nap was over. She helped me unassemble and reassemble the crib to get it through the doors. Tanner took her to her "go go bed" (big girl bed) that night and they talked about it. No fight. Maybe a little nervousness. But no problem. She just slept and has been doing great ever since.
What a night and day difference this experience was compared to all other sleeping experiences when she was a baby. Even in the couple of months from the time we bought the bed to now; she has matured so much. For us it was all about timing.
We ended up giving up on the bed for a month or two because Zoey was just nervous about it and it was taking a lot of convincing to make her even consider sleeping there. So it sat there in her room, across from her bed, empty for quite some time. It wasn't ever a problem with baby Nate because he slept on my chest for a couple of months, and later we put him on our pack n play mattress next to my bed.
About two weeks ago (Zoey is now 2 years and 3 months old) Tanner decided to have an activity where we took the sliding wall off of the crib to make it a day bed. Zoey thought it was kinda cool. And we were now a lot more confident that she wouldn't fall off. When night came, naturally, she got nervous. Tanner was quick to remind her what one of her favorite TV characters, Daniel Tiger, sings, "when we do something new, let's talk about what we do." She was happy for the reminder and they talked about how now she can get out of her own bed in the morning instead of having to wait for mom or dad to come get her out. She slept the whole night, no problem. And every night after that.
Close to a week after, I decided to move the whole crib into my room after her nap was over. She helped me unassemble and reassemble the crib to get it through the doors. Tanner took her to her "go go bed" (big girl bed) that night and they talked about it. No fight. Maybe a little nervousness. But no problem. She just slept and has been doing great ever since.
What a night and day difference this experience was compared to all other sleeping experiences when she was a baby. Even in the couple of months from the time we bought the bed to now; she has matured so much. For us it was all about timing.
Friday, May 8, 2015
Welcome Baby Nate
Nathan James Cox was born at 8:00AM on April 27, 2015. We call him Nate.
We had scheduled a c-section because of the complications and failure to progress with the last pregnancy. It was weird, but very comforting and convenient to know his birthday before the day actually arrived. That alone took away a lot of the suspense and anxiety with giving birth.
I was very nervous because giving birth to Zoey was simply hell. And the recovery afterward wasn't a whole lot better. I remember feeling kind of panicky as we got ready for bed the night before Nate was born. I slept so terribly that night though because the baby was hurting me trying to push his head down and his feet up into my ribs. By the time morning came, I was ready for whatever it took to get him out of my body.
My mom stayed the night at our house, so Tanner and I left Zoey sleeping in her crib as we headed for the hospital. 15 minutes later, at 6AM, we were checking in to labor and delivery.
It was weird how calm everyone was. I put on my gown, the nurse put my IV in and just sat and talked to us for a while, asking about my medical history and whatnot. The anesthesiologist came in to tell us about the spinal tap and what he would be doing. Then the ob came to say hi too. When everything was all set up, they just walked me into the operating room.
I sat on the table, had a couple pokes in my back, felt my legs go numb, and proceeded to lay down on my back, with help of course. Soon, my doctor came in and they draped the blue sheet in front of my face. There I was: naked, but warm, comfortably uncomfortable; having a baby without even knowing it.
Most feeling was gone, but a little bit of a tugging sensation in my abdomen, which to me, felt kind of like baby kicks
It is so surreal to me. There were about 15 other people there hanging out in the OR. Some were helping with the surgery, handing instruments and stuff. Some were just waiting for their turn to take care of the baby. Still though, everyone was so calm and quiet. No franticness or even excitement. It was just like a regular day at the office for them. I could hear the doctor talking about his weekend. I thought it was so bizarre. Later, when they were stitching me back together, I realized the anesthesiologist was being really quiet, just sitting there by my head. I asked him, "whacha doin?" He was apparently just texting! Answering a question about another patient, he said. No worries, just hanging out as if we were at the park roasting marshmallows together or something. 180¤ turn around from the painful, chaotic, tramatic birth we experienced with Zoey. I almost wish I could do it again. No. But I would watch it if there was a recording.
Somewhere in the middle of all this, they lift gross, purply, goobered, perfect, crying Nate over the blue sheet for me see for about 3 seconds.
Then they take him over to the side of the room (where I could still see) to wash him off and weigh him. When he was clean, they brought him over to lay on my chest while they finished sewing my insides.
He wasn't even crying by then. The whole experience was amazing! After, they wheeled me, baby in arms, to a room to recover for an hour.
This is when Tanner's mom, my mom, and Zoey came in to see us. I was worried that I would be too loopy or in too much pain immediately after the surgery to really interact with them, but that was not the case. Although super itchy from the morphine, I was a regular person, just without a baby inside me anymore.
I was thrilled when Zoey came running in with grandma all jumpy and chipper as ever. I had been nervous about how she would react to waking up with someone new; Tanner and I not being there at all. She was a champ throughout the whole thing though. Apparently she would get sad when they would have to leave the hospital without me for nap or bedtime, but other than that, I think she was pretty good. She has been and still is obsessed with her little brother. She always wants to hold him. She's always trying to share her food with him. And she's always trying to climb into the pack n play where he sleeps during the day in our living room.
Nate is the perfect baby. I don't know how we got so lucky. He is almost always content. He's cried only a handful of times in his whole life and that includes his first cry out of womb and the four times they had to poke him for his jaundice test. He was a little yellow, but it's going away on its own without having to have a light treatment. We're happy he's here with us now. And I'm happy I don't have to share my body as living space anymore.
Oh by the way, he was born weighing 7lbs 11oz and was 20 1/2 in long. He's still very tiny.
We had scheduled a c-section because of the complications and failure to progress with the last pregnancy. It was weird, but very comforting and convenient to know his birthday before the day actually arrived. That alone took away a lot of the suspense and anxiety with giving birth.
I was very nervous because giving birth to Zoey was simply hell. And the recovery afterward wasn't a whole lot better. I remember feeling kind of panicky as we got ready for bed the night before Nate was born. I slept so terribly that night though because the baby was hurting me trying to push his head down and his feet up into my ribs. By the time morning came, I was ready for whatever it took to get him out of my body.
My mom stayed the night at our house, so Tanner and I left Zoey sleeping in her crib as we headed for the hospital. 15 minutes later, at 6AM, we were checking in to labor and delivery.
It is so surreal to me. There were about 15 other people there hanging out in the OR. Some were helping with the surgery, handing instruments and stuff. Some were just waiting for their turn to take care of the baby. Still though, everyone was so calm and quiet. No franticness or even excitement. It was just like a regular day at the office for them. I could hear the doctor talking about his weekend. I thought it was so bizarre. Later, when they were stitching me back together, I realized the anesthesiologist was being really quiet, just sitting there by my head. I asked him, "whacha doin?" He was apparently just texting! Answering a question about another patient, he said. No worries, just hanging out as if we were at the park roasting marshmallows together or something. 180¤ turn around from the painful, chaotic, tramatic birth we experienced with Zoey. I almost wish I could do it again. No. But I would watch it if there was a recording.
Somewhere in the middle of all this, they lift gross, purply, goobered, perfect, crying Nate over the blue sheet for me see for about 3 seconds.
This is when Tanner's mom, my mom, and Zoey came in to see us. I was worried that I would be too loopy or in too much pain immediately after the surgery to really interact with them, but that was not the case. Although super itchy from the morphine, I was a regular person, just without a baby inside me anymore.
I was thrilled when Zoey came running in with grandma all jumpy and chipper as ever. I had been nervous about how she would react to waking up with someone new; Tanner and I not being there at all. She was a champ throughout the whole thing though. Apparently she would get sad when they would have to leave the hospital without me for nap or bedtime, but other than that, I think she was pretty good. She has been and still is obsessed with her little brother. She always wants to hold him. She's always trying to share her food with him. And she's always trying to climb into the pack n play where he sleeps during the day in our living room.
Nate is the perfect baby. I don't know how we got so lucky. He is almost always content. He's cried only a handful of times in his whole life and that includes his first cry out of womb and the four times they had to poke him for his jaundice test. He was a little yellow, but it's going away on its own without having to have a light treatment. We're happy he's here with us now. And I'm happy I don't have to share my body as living space anymore.
Oh by the way, he was born weighing 7lbs 11oz and was 20 1/2 in long. He's still very tiny.
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