The Nap Saga Continues

We are making progress. Gwyneth is much more inclined to go down for nap after a couple weeks of using the Ferber method. We have our little nap routine and aim for the same nap times (roughly) in the morning and afternoon.

Our pre-nap screaming is down to a minimum. Most days Gwyn makes some fussy noises as I put her into the crib but then she goes right to sleep! Genius!

Well almost...we have a new hurdle. Gwyn has become a cat napper. She sleeps for 5, 15, maybe 30 minutes and then her little eyes fly open and she is ready to get up!

Ferber says that you are supposed to leave the child in the crib for a full hour. Maybe I should follow the rules and let her hang out in the crib if she wakes up? This will undoubtedly lead to more crying...sigh...any thoughts for me??

Naps

Oh how we struggle with naps everyday. Sometimes I feel like getting Gwyn down for a nap is my one and only job. It is certainly first priority on our agenda each day because a tired baby is not a happy baby.

Gwyn's "tired signs" are perfectly clear. She is a yawner. If Mama happens to miss a yawn, she will not hesitate to remind me that she is losing steam fast by rubbing her eyes furiously. I try to pay close attention to her signals to get her down in a timely fashion but it doesn't seem to make a bit of difference.

Gwyn wakes at approximately 7:30am each morning. If her wake time is off I still aim for the morning nap 1-1.5 hours after she gets up (because she is already exhausted by then). This usually puts our morning nap at 9am. I have tried to play with this time...a little earlier...a little later...nada. She does not want to go to sleep. She will cry and cry and cry. I usually continue my attempt for 1 hour. Then I bring her back down stairs where she jumps deliriously in her Jumperoo (smiling and yawning between bounces) or she fights with all her might to keep her head up while playing on her play mat (if her head rests on the floor for more than 5 seconds she promptly lifts it right back up with restored determination and vigor!) I am usually exhausted just watching her.

So I hold out hope for an afternoon nap. Usually I start attempting this one at noon. Basically, to avoid sounding redundant, this is a repeat of the morning.

Then, to my great dismay, she usually falls asleep in the middle of a meal (while nursing) around 1:30-2. When this happens I attempt to separate myself from her...not easy, and put her down to sleep. This is successful maybe 50% of the time. Today is one of those lucky days, but who am I kidding, this is not working!

Tomorrow we are going to try Ferber for naps. I used Ferber for bedtime and Gwyn goes straight to sleep every night within minutes after eating. I will report back in one week...cross your fingers, say a prayer, do a dance...we need all the help we can get!

Flying Solo

This week my traveling husband (Greg never travels) is spending a week in Dubai. Greg has been working on a large oil and gas project in the middle east for the last 3 years. Fortunately, he has been able to complete 99% of the project from the comfort of his office here in Illinois. His company has made several attempts at sending him to the job site however, things like pregnancy complications and the birth of our daughter have worked to keep him close to home. So finally the time came for him to make the 14 hour flight around the world to see (in person) all the hard work he has contributed.

I can not tell you how much perspective I have gained being a single parent for the last several days. Of course no one would doubt the job of raising a child alone would be an incredible challenge. And please let me add that Gwyn is an amazing baby. She is happy nearly all the time and a relatively easy going kid. But come six o'clock, when her daddy comes through the door, Gwyn is the happiest baby on the block (and mama gets a much needed breather or sometimes just a bathroom break).

On top of allowing me a break, Greg is always pitching in around the house. Whether it is feeding the pups, taking out the trash, or just checking all the locks on the doors before bed...he is always helping me, and listening, and talking, and making me laugh.

He is my partner in crime, the love of my life, and the best father to our daughter that I could ever ask for. Saying that I miss him is a complete understatement. Thank goodness he'll be home in a couple of days :)

Apples and Doughnuts

I have been counting down the days until apple picking season. I love this time of year in Chicago. The air is cool and crisp but the days are still sunny and warm. Last weekend we visited an apple orchard and were able to pick Courtland and Gala apples. I made baby food with the sweet Gala apples and I plan on making my first attempt at apple pie with the Courtlands this weekend. Gwyn brought her buddy Julianna and we all had a great time.

The apples were good but the highlight of the trip was actually the apple cider doughnuts that are made fresh at the orchard shop. These doughnuts are legendary and I have to admit they might have been my underlying motivation for the apple picking excursion.

The doughnuts are apple spice flavored and covered in cinnamon and sugar. They are warm, soft, and fall apart while you eat them. They remind me of an apple spice flavored churro only much softer and even more delicious. Needless to say, we will be ordering a dozen when we return for pumpkin picking next month.

YUM!

My little fish

Gwyneth LOVES her bath time.

This girl has no fear of the water.

She loves to splash and splash.

This is my favorite time of the day.

Change is...

...good, I hope!

Going back to work, ugh. When deciding to go back to work it was never a question of if I would go back, but when would be the best time. In order to stay current as a nurse practitioner, I knew taking more than 6 months off would make my return very difficult. The saying, "if you don't use it you lose it" definitely applies to my profession.

When I landed myself in the hospital a month before Gwyn was born, I had to involuntarily resign from my position at the Community Health Clinic. Sadly, they just don't grant medical leave to people who go MIA more than 3 months. This was unfortunate because I really enjoyed my job and working with an under served population. But clearly, Gwyn's safe arrival was the number one priority.

Not having a job to return to, I've had the luxury of being home with Gwyn for longer than the standard 12 weeks (which is not enough maternity leave for anyone in my opinion!!). I've also had the opportunity to search for a new job with a part time/baby friendly schedule. Lucky for me, I might have found exactly that!

New Job:

part time-check

2.5 miles from my house-amazing

4 hour shift-unreal

urgent care-hmmm...

For the last 2 years I've been working in primary care. Urgent care is a far cry from stuffy noses and cholesterol checks. My family practice background will be helpful but I'm going to have to sharpen up some skills that I haven't used in a while. For example, suturing, not something I've done since I was an intern. There just hasn't been a need for it. I'll be learning a lot of new skills too. It is all a bit intimidating, but overall I think it will help me add more tools to my tool box and that is never a bad thing!

I'll be starting the new job in September. We've found a lovely woman who has been running a small home daycare here in Naperville for the last 12 years. She will be watching Gwyn for 4 hours in the afternoon. I know this is going to be a really big change but I'm thrilled to still have my mornings free for play groups and library activities. I'm sure Gwyn will adapt just fine, hopefully I will too!

A night on the town!

Happy Birthday to my Honey....6 days ago! Whoops! Where did the time go??? That's alright, I know Greg will forgive me. This year for Greg's Birthday I planned a special surprise, a date! That's right our first date since Gwyn was born. Actually our first date since I was admitted to the hospital so technically we haven't had a night out in approximately 5 long months!

I was worried about leaving Gwyn with a sitter, but my awesome girlfriend Meghan volunteered to watch our sweet girl and I knew she would be in good hands. I decided to take Greg out to dinner and a movie. We have these great theaters in and around Chicago that serve dinner in the movie theater, perfect for busy parents in a time crunch. So I got us tickets to see Friends with Benefits...hil-arious! A little ronchie to be honest, but fabulously entertaining.

As the movie previews started I found myself more worried about my dear friend Meghan than I was about Gwyneth. I suddenly realized that our daughter is not the easiest to put down for bed and I started to wonder if poor Meghan was in for an evening of screaming. The movie had not even begun and I was already texting the sitter...so cliche. Twenty minutes passed and no word from Meghan. Now I really started to get worried. Greg told me to relax so I put my phone away but continued to check it every minute without being overtly obvious.

Finally news from Meghan. Gwyneth finished her bottle and was fast asleep....woohoo! I could finally relax. It was such an enjoyable night. I know it wasn't my birthday but I may have had more fun than Greg :)