Before I had Josiah I knew I would never give him a pacifier. But then he was born and got a Soothie in the hospital, and I had been gifted a few that I held onto, so why not? He was happier with them, calmed quicker, and they are meant to reduce the risk of SIDS. So I popped it in. And again, and again, and again. He became an addict and we all got in the habit of it. Problem is, he is really good at falling asleep with it and then spitting it out. When he goes through his normal little sleep cycles and starts waking a bit, he wants his pacifier again. Therein lies the problem. It is next to him in his crib, he wants it, but is 4 months old and hasn't learned that skill yet. So...about a zillion times a night, I walk into his room with barely opened eyes and pop that thing back in. He most often calms quickly and sleeps again. Sometimes not so much ,so I bounce him and swaddle and pray he will fall asleep again. That's how we were rolling in the house until 2 nights ago. Yes, we went cold turkey with the pacifiers on him. Poor kid. Didn't know what was coming. It actually does break my heart...I wish I wouldn't have gotten him hooked on them, it's a hard habit to break. It's just not healthy for any of us anymore though. If he were sleeping more soundly and not needing it everytime he wakes up, things would be different. I've tried teaching him where his hands are so he can find them and suck on something there, but it is a process. He has done so well and I know I'll be grateful for it once he is sleeping well. I've been giving him extra cuddles and bought him that stupid "Lovey" to try and make it better. Last night he went 5 hours which was a personal record. Tonight we're going for 6!! He's decided he wanted to go 7-10 hours between feeds, but that awful little pacifier just keeps us all awake. The protest crying has now stopped after 35 minutes, so I guess that means I can breathe again and wipe away my own tears. Phew. This mommy stuff is hard. Sometimes you think you're doing the right thing and it turns out it wasn't. I get the feeling I'm in for a lifetime of these things!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Nonstop fun!
This little Josiah is getting more fun by the day! He loves to smile and laugh now, wants to stand and pretend he's a grown-up, and just today he rolled over! It's amazing how quickly he is changing, each new stage and activity is so fun and exciting. I love watching him grow and learn and doing things he couldn't do before.
Dominicans in Oregon!
We celebrated the 27th of February, Dominican Republic's independence day, with a whole group of Dominicans. I'm glad there's a few Dominicans around...brings a bit of the DR a little closer to Oregon.
Snow!
We were so excited to have a few snow days here! We watched it falling and then got out a few times to go on walks. It only lasted a short while, but it was great to get a little excitement from the snow!
Iceskating
Josh and Emily went iceskating in Portland and we went along to watch. Josiah can't wait until it's his turn, although I think he has a few more months!
Rides
Ariel is so good at finding activities for the cold days when there isn't much else going on...
You are my sunshine
We don't see a lot of sunshine these days in Oregon, so when it came out for a bit the other day, I stripped Josiah down and put him on a blanket to soak it in! He loved it and just watched his bear, smiled, chewed some fingers, and got nice and warm!
2 years!!
Ariel and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary on the 14th of February. Two years went by so fast, as does all time these days. I have learned so much from Ariel and our marriage in these years. I am so blessed to have him for my husband, he is so supportive and encouraging and excited about everything. We have been through our share of "in sickness and in health" already and a good amount of trials, but are thankful we can look back on them now and see how we have grown because of them. We are hoping the years ahead are as full as these ones have been!
Learning the bottle
I know I have to go back to work eventually, so we've tried to have Josiah take a bottle every now and then. He was doing so well and then decided he didn't want to anymore. I eventually found a new bottle for him (Playtex drop-ins) and he is back on again! It's nice that others can feed him every now and then, although he still prefers his momma. I've got a good amount of milk now stored up...just waiting for the right job to come around! I mean really, I'm in no hurry to leave this little guy after all!
Happy Valentines Day
This is what happens to Josiah when Ariel and I go out! It did make a cute Valentine's surprise in a frame though...poor kid is going to hate these someday! :)
Visit to the snow
We took a trip up to Mt Hood to see some real snow! It wasn't planned so we didn't take coats or anything, but it was fun to be out in the snow for a little bit. Ariel loved seeing it and I even made him eat it!
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