From sleepyland

As some of you may not Naomi is is nearing 7 months old and she still does not sleep through the night. So I’ve been doing “research” about how to help her do this so my husband and I can stop being daytime zombies. The number one method that I have found is best known as “crying it out.” As I've mention before but I am not a proponent of this method. I tried it for a week and honestly felt like it was a nightmare and that it made everything worse. I don't understand how crying yourself to sleep is equivalent to "soothing" yourself to sleep. Plus when Naomi gets upset and cries she scratches herself and further irritates her eczema (which is likely another source of her/our sleep woes.) So, I’m trying some other options first, but we may have to reluctantly retry the crying method.

So far, the most important thing I’ve found in my sleep research is babies need to go to bed early — 7 or 8 p.m., even as early as 6:30 p.m. This was such a surprise for me because we were putting Naomi in bed about 11 p.m. or midnight or even 1 a.m., right before we went to bed. I work pretty late on some nights and don't get to spend much time with Naomi, so it was nice to see her still hanging around when I got home.

Also, I guess the thought process was that the later she went to bed the later she would wake up. Not so says my research. We were more than likely making her overtired and too fussy to sleep. We’ve started putting her to bed earlier. The first night I saw some success. She briefly woke up at 11 p.m., but quickly returned to sleep. The other nights she sleeps until about 3 a.m., which if you count from 8 or 9 p.m. is six or seven straight hours, and acts like she doesn't want to return to sleep. I am hoping to weed this out, but I'm not quite sure how yet.

By the way, in reference to sleepyland, it seems I'm usually the sleepy one, not Naomi.

Briefly on traveling with a baby

I seem to be going longer and longer between posts. So here's the latest: Last weekend we took Naomi to Houston. It was a minor disaster. She got tired of being in her car seat, I guess, and was wailing on the trip down. It was a six hour trip, so that's to be expected. I was ready to get out of my seat, too. We made several stops, but at points we were stuck in traffic. And I don't care how briefly, I refuse to take a baby out of a car seat while a car is in motion because an accident can happen any second. You just never know. But she did better on the way back. But I still don't want to take her anywhere for a while.

And I've been going to day cares on my off days. I found something maybe part time, meaning 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter!

It seems I have not posted here in so long. I started writing for another blog and have been busy in general. So just a few quick, random thoughts:

Day care. I'm so stressed out about finding day care. We are on the waiting list for four or five centers, so we are just waiting. I am going to try to keep looking and hopefully find something else we like that can get us in sooner, especially since I recently found out that the person who watches Naomi on Friday won't be able to do it starting at the end of May. I'm praying for patience and an opening.

Joy. So, part of the reason I started this blog was to focus on the simple joys in life. I am always so surprised by the amount of joy others seem to have despite their circumstances. Someone I know recently wrote on Facebook that at times they feel their life is too good to be true. I think that is so amazing. Honestly, it blew me away when I read that. I really want that type of joy, peace and happiness in my life. Praying for that, too.

Fires. Speaking of circumstances. My heart is just broken for those who have lost their homes to the recent wildfires. I am going to make some calls Monday about where center's are accepting baby clothes and blankets. Though, I don't have much money, I at least might have some baby stuff to give.

Food. Naomi started barley cereal this week. She broke out in hives, so we had to quit that. Perhaps we will try it again later. We tried carrots and those are going well. Sweet potatoes next. I also want to try giving her just a plain cracker to suck on.

Easter. I wish I could say I'm excited about Easter (the holiday, itself). But I don't feel as excited as I have been in previous years. But I'm still so thankful for the sacrifice of Christ and want to see Him move even more in my life and the lives of those around me.

Photos. At last a picture that shows Naomi's teeth. Sorry so delayed.