You might not want to read this . . .

Right.  Well.  I know that once something says "don't read this" or "don't do this" you automatically want to do the thing it says not to do, right?  I guess I don't really mean that you shouldn't read this, since by now you're already 2 sentences in and since you've invested 2 sentences worth of time you may as well read the whole thing, because you will always wonder what's at the bottom of this post and you might wake up in the middle of the night just to check this blog so I guess I am saving you a sleepless night if I just tell you that its OK for you to actually read the rest of this post.  I guess I just really didn't mean to write so much about this topic, and it may not be super gripping, but I just wanted to document for myself something that I unfortunately think a LOT about:  SLEEP!  So now that you're still reading, enjoy the post!

Anyone remember this kiddo?     

The one who cried ALL night and "slept like a baby" during the day?

And would fall asleep in the oddest of positions, . . . like this?

. . . or like these?

Well, my friends.  These days are long past.  

Little did we know that this precious little guy would soon 'require' hours (literally) of rocking in his bouncy chair, wiggling (forcing) the binky in and out of his mouth, placing a blanket "just so" by his head, holding his arms down so he doesn't flail & wake himself up, and using the sound machine to keep out the other noises, just to get him to sleep even for a nap!  My favorite part of the process is when Hunter would get so tired that midway through our attempts at getting him to drift off and he would open his eyes wide, look at us squarely and seemingly purposefully, and giggle for minutes!  It always caught us off guard but it of course always made us crack up.  What a goofball.  

Needless to say, the days of him falling asleep accidentally in our arms are WAY over.  We have been caught, hook line & sinker, in Hunter's Sleep Web (I know, I'm combining fishing and spiders but its really what I wanted to say) and haven't been able to get out! 

We have used this terrible system for months, and we decided it was "working" for us.  Yeah.  Right.  I guess he eventually went to sleep, and I guess we did too, so perhaps in one sense of the word it was working?   Kind of? 

Ha.  Well, I think we all know the definition of insanity, . . . right?  You know, like utilizing the 14 different strategies every night to get him to sleep but secretly hoping that the next day he'll just flop himself in his crib, suck his thumb and REM till morning?  Yep.  Maybe not full-on insanity, but we'll call it a good case of sleep-deprived delerium.  

Somehow I couldn't see that our feeble attempts to get him to sleep were NOT WORKING.  I didn't even notice that as hard as we tried to work with Hunter to make going to bed not a dreaded task for him... we were really ruining all of us in the process!  Hunter was getting less sleep, my back was about to scream after the countless hours of painful rocking, Jake and I didn't have one minute to ourselves in the evenings, and we just kind of kept laughing about the whole thing, but wishing it was different.  

Without making this post like a million pages long, I will keep it simple and say, we have finally done something DIFFERENT.  WooHoo!  The books I was avoiding reading because I thought I could figure Hunter out on my own I devoured in just a few days.  I thought any 'good parents' could put their child to bed without a book, right?  We thought that we were doing Hunter a favor by not following a plan and just going by what we thought was best for the day.  Well, no favors were done because I think he's been living tired for a long time!  And, well, I guess we have too.  

The strange thing about the whole situation is that I never really got that frustrated about any of Hunter's sleep habits, until one day last week when all of a sudden it made no sense to keep doing the ridiculous stunts we were doing every day!  Funny how perspective can change so quickly.  

Unfortunately, this involved letting the little guy cry.  Just a bit.  And BOY was it hard!  There wasn't one minute of enjoyment when I left his room and he wasn't already off to sweet slumber.  I almost just gave in and swept him back into his bouncy chair so I could know exactly when he went to sleep and watch him drift off, and be a part of his sleepy-time experience yet again...  But no.  He needed to do the sleep thing by himself.  He needed to learn how to fall asleep and stay asleep without his parents involved, controlling all the variables around him.  I really didn't think he could do it, because usually the minute he falls asleep on his back without the rocking motion, he jerks and flails his arms so hard he wakes up within minutes and we have to start the whole process over.  So this is why the bouncy chair or the swing have been our go-to saving baby items for us.  But, when I really think about it, its not like there was no crying involved when we were rocking him to sleep, we were simply with him while he cried, so it felt more okay that he was unhappy I guess.  So why was it so hard to walk away from him when he was crying?  I guess its the closeness factor, the "I thought I needed to control his environment" factor, and the "I don't want him to feel like I'm abandoning him" factor.  All three valid, but factors we needed to give up and realize that the pros of letting him cry by himself far outweighed the cons of his sweet sad tears.  

The first time I walked away from his room with him crying I had to go set the timer.  I really couldn't do anything else so I went and read my Bible.  I knew I wouldn't be that into it so I just flipped it open to the first verse my eyes fell upon, and lo and behold it was about weeping and wailing.  Of course it was.  : )  My reading, although helpful, unfortunately didn't last long so I had a pretty spotless kitchen in no time as well.

Without all the nitty gritty's, Hunter in just a few days and with just a bit of help has learned and developed ways to soothe himself in his OWN crib!  He actually is out of our room and into his real crib and doing great!  He hasn't totally mastered the skill, but thats mostly because Jake and I haven't mastered the skill of total routine & consistency yet . . . but we'll get there, or at least as close as we want to get!  : )

So no, you won't be seeing little Hunter passed out on the Boppy or bum-up on the blanket in the livingroom...  but the beautiful thing is you may not see him at all if you come over!  He won't be strapped into his bouncy chair with Jake or I leaning over him, Hunter giggling back at us as we try to get him to sleep . . .  This means he might be sleeping snugly and soundly in his crib in the back room.  Like a normal kid!  

I'm sure we'll still have sleep issues and struggle with different phases of the sleep-thing.... but right now, today, I'm enjoying the REST Jake and I have gotten, and I feel like we have just overcome a HUGE mountain in our little lives as parents.  He no longer sleeps in our room so I can't lean over and check on him & make sure he is okay, but honestly, I need to trust that God will take care of him and really, what good was it doing for me to look at him in the night anyway?  (minus the fact that he is SO cute when he sleeps) (and when he's awake) (and okay even when he's crying).  And why did we wait so LONG to make a change?  Oh well.  I suppose it just helps us to appreciate our time together as a married couple AND parents who can actually have a conversation together in the evening, or even watch a movie together one of these days?  If our lives didn't change drastically when we became parents we wouldn't appreciate the gradual move toward the "new normal" where each day isn't a new marathon and life with a child is just the way it is!  

However, I just might need to buy our downstairs neighbor another coffee gift certificate.  Unfortunately she probably needs it more than I do now!  

Hunter, we love you and pray that we always try to make the best decisions for you and your health!  

Rock Solid

And so it begins.  Our baby is beginning the beautiful adventure of eating real live solid food!  I was pretty adamant about not starting until he was 6 months old (minus the sour red skittle that "someone" gave him) and I kept to it!  

On his 6 month birthday, here's how we celebrated:

With Rice Cereal!

And it wasn't just Hunter who was having fun, we were like little kids in a candy store, just waiting for him to take another bite, and see what he did!  

And... he pretty much thought it was the best thing in the world.   After watching us put hundreds of things into our mouths, watching the spoons & forks go in with piles of yummy-ness and come out empty and shiny, wondering what all the excitement of eating was all about, trying to grab the snacks out of moms hand, it was finally HUNTER's time to shine!  He finally had the piled spoon go in and the empty come out, and he flat out LOVED it.  And I have to say we did too.  

And so did his Mimi.

And so did his Auntie.

And so did his Uncle.

Then we all got smart and decided the food was a hit but the clothes were not, so off they went!

Here are his favorite foods in the world so far!  

(and consequently, all the ones we have given him)  

*Rice Cereal

*Bananas

*Sweet Potatoes

*Carrots

*Peas

*Water from a sippy cup

So on one hand I think its pretty much the bees knees that he's doing the whole growing up thing, (did I mention he's been sitting up on his own for about a month?) on the other hand. . . I am REALLY loving this stage he's in right now, and wouldn't mind it sticking around for a while!  He is the most happy, smiley, giggly baby ever and I don't want him to change!  Well, he could still change in the sleep department but I'm over that for now.

As I watched him sitting up and eating, it was the first time I could picture him as anything but a baby.  Eating is such a universal, lifelong necessity that really connects us all, but makes my little guy look just a little less like a. . .  "baby"!  I could see him as a 5 year old, singing songs at the table and asking for more food, I could see him sitting with his soccer team at the pizza place after a big win, I envision a picture of him sitting with his prom date at dinner, and oh goodness why am I still writing because words like Rehearsal Dinner are popping in to my head and I can't even go there!

I suppose when I get irrational like this someone should kindly remind me that he's only eating because we are physically FEEDING him, and he doesn't really have a choice in the matter!  :)  Okay.  I'm back from my emotional speed-calendar.  Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

But really, who wouldn't want to sit next to this handsome face at their Senior Prom?  Really.

I love you so much precious Hunter, lets always enjoy our meals together!  

 

Punkins and Apples and Sun, oh My!

What do these three things have in common?  A trip to Bellewood Acres, that's what!  A beautiful sunny Autumn day at the pumpkin patch and apple orchard was the perfect way to introduce Hunter to our favorite Fall adventure.  

He started out by getting pumped up with Uncle Jeremy about our afternoon.

He then experienced the Sampling Room and tried to rip every slice of apple out of Auntie Kiki's hands... but she's too quick!  And, thankfully, Happy Crab was there to the rescue.

We then taught Hunter how to pick apples.  He is studying these ones carefully because he wants to pick out the yummiest ones.

He found the perfect one!  But then he realized he didn't know how to pull the apple off the branch, so he had his daddy help him out a bit.  Just a bit though.  

He then asked like a million times if he could ride the goat horsey thing, and of course his auntie caved, so here they are, riding away!

So fun to share special times like these with fun people!

We then boarded the "train" to the Pumpkin Patch!  We had to scootch together to not get thwapped by a branch from the apple trees at times.  It was quite dramatic.

Then Hunter wanted to sit on a Pumpkin.  So he hopped up & we thought it might be a good picture so we decided to crash his party & pose for a picture with him.  Look at that smile!

He reeeally liked that Pumpkin.  So of course we had to buy it.  

I'm sure we're having a teachable moment in this picture.  Hunter looks like he understands.  

My its a lot of work to go to Bellewood Acres!  Our arms were full but so were our Fall-loving-hearts!

Surprise Guest!  Auntie Melissa showed up in the parking lot as we were leaving.  Had to make the most of the photo op.  

And there ya have it.  See ya next year, Bellewood Acres!  Or next week.  I guess we'll see what Hunter talks us into because after all, this IS his new favorite Fall adventure!

Oh Yes We Did

Oh yes.  We ran, walked, and perhaps even crawled like a girl.  Remember my previous post?  That was just to get you excited to hear about the REAL DEAL.  Here's a wrap-up of our half marathon weekend!

Every year there's been a pre-race dinner for Run Like a Girl, but for some reason we never got around to signing up for it.  Boy were we missing out!  Talk about a great (girly) evening!  We ate chocolate before dinner, enjoyed a wonderful meal, filled up a wine glass (and took the glass home),  cheered loudly in attempt for them to throw free stuff to our table, bought raffle tickets for the TONS of amazing items they were giving away, looked under our chairs to see if we were the lucky winners of the "Bag of Courage" (Rachel now has no excuse to not dig deep into her bag of courage!) and ate more chocolate while laughing the whole evening.  So fun!  All the while looking out into the Bay during a gorgeous evening.  Pretty wonderful.  I think the dinner event also distracted most everyone enough that when we went to sleep that night we almost forgot what we were about to do to our bodies the next day!  Okay well, almost.   

Here's who we shared a table with.  What lovely ladies!

Rochelle, Julie, Carol, Rachel, Cindy, Melissa, Kjirstin, Amie, and Martina!  

The Haugland Girls

Okay so its not all fun and games.  Wait.  Yes, it actually was!  The half marathon was a little over the top, a little cheezy, and a LOT amazing.  Did we get crowned with a tiara within the first two miles?  But of course!  Were we eating chocolate by mile four? Why yes.  Did we do a little disco dance somewhere along the way?  You betcha!  (It gave Kjirstin a chance to advertise for her Young Life Dance-Off in November. . . little plug) Did we get our picture taken with a SUPERHERO while eating yet again MORE chocolate?  Hmm... only at Run Like a Girl.  And after mile 6, we of course acknowledged Breast Cancer Awareness with the Ta - Ta Mile.  We were given a pink bracelet to help us remember. . . and without feeding Hunter for an extended period of time that day, lets just say that I didn't need a bracelet to be aware!   We then enjoyed some shot blocks to keep our energy up, and were given a lai at the Hula mile before we walked/ran/staggered across the finish line.

You think I'm finished?  Ha!  What girly half marathon would be complete without some handsome FIREMEN at the finish, ready to give us our medal and congratulate us on our completed goal.  Not this one! This was definitely a surprise and a fun new feature from past years.  This one still makes me chuckle a little.

Now you might think that an Out - And - Back style half marathon might be a little ho hum, but you haven't seen this course!  My Aunt Carol described it as a "Half Marathon Hike" because it is the most beautiful course any of us have ever been on!  It starts in a park and then goes along the interurban trail that overlooks the water, crosses creeks, passes moss - laden forested areas, and sweeps through magical trails draped with tree branches and beauty all around.  So we all agreed that seeing it for a second time only enhances your experience!

Okay back on track (I could talk about this all day).  Once we were done gawking being congratulated by the firemen, we were pretty much treated like royalty.  They of course provided the normal bread, fruit, and ice cream, and even the 10+ minute massages.  But, are you ready for this?  They also had salon studio artists come and give "Sweaty Up - Do's" to all who wanted.  Unfortunately I couldn't really find this as an attractive option for me, but it looked as though others were reveling in it, and they really did look pretty good after some good curling/spraying/up - do - ing!  Perhaps I missed out. . . but I had a cute little guy to go see and hug and he didn't care what my hair looked like!

Here's a few of us post - race

And yes, this year it brought out the muscle pose in us as well!

Melissa's are not real.

What a fun event to share with family and friends!  Seriously.  Come join us next year, or at least consider it!  If not, then well, I guess there's just more chocolate for me!

There should be some fab pictures posted in the next week or so.  Check 'em out at:  http://www.runlikeagirlbellingham.com/About_the_Event.html

Happy Half Birthday!

I can't believe our 5 pound little miracle has been with us for 6 months!  Almost every day (still) I have to pinch myself to make sure this is for real.  This crazy silly lovey boy has been the best thing that has happened to Jake and I, and I am SO in love with both my guys.  This past half a year has been like "the cherry on top" pretty much every day.  Yes.  Even if I didn't get any sleep.  Its been that cool.  Six months in terms of my life or even our marriage really doesn't sound that long, but I have to say that I'm not one of those moms who says it "just flew by!"  To be honest?  If someone were to tell me Hunter is turning One, I'd almost believe them!  (Perhaps thats because of that lack - of - sleep thing though)  So no, life hasn't really seemed on fast-forward since he was born, but I'm kind of happy for that fact!  Because since people DO say it is over in the blink of an eye (the whole baby-stage thing) I'm happy that at least during the process, I feel like I have been able to enjoy it, even the long days & nights!  :) 

Alright.  So.  Do we still have 5 - Pounder?  No way!  Here are some stats:

6 Month Numbers:

Height:  25 inches  

Weight: 14 pounds 10. 5 ounces

Head circumference:  17 inches

Percentiles:

Height:  5-10%

Weight:  5-10%

Head: 25%!

Anyone want the nitty grittys?  Here's some more Hunter-Habits!

Favorite Things to do:  

Jump on your lap 

Jump on your face (he really gets a kick out of this one!)

Sit up and do anything!

Put books in his mouth

Put anything in his mouth

EAT

Giggle!

Grunt

Play in the exersaucer

Pretend to walk

Smile!

Play with anything that crinkles or rattles

Get his diaper changed (he really doesn't mind!)

Be upside-down

Go for a walk or jog in the stroller

Rocking back and forth to music (especially at church!)

Getting tickled

Be in anyone's arms, as long as he's getting attention

Eat Rice Cereal!

Put his hands in my mouth

Say BaaBaaaBaa or MaaMaaMaaa

Hunter's favorite things to NOT do:

Go to Sleep

Tummy Time

Roll over (He tries to stop himself if I "help" him roll over even!)

Snuggle close

Be in the Ergo 

Be held like a baby

Be alone

Wait for his food for even a second once he thinks he's going to eat

Get his clothes changed

Take a bath (although he's getting better!)

Did I mention he doesn't like going to sleep?

I'm guessing you were going to ask about his schedule.  Glad you asked!  Here it is:

Wake up:  Anywhere between 7:30 and 8:30

Eat

Have fun with mom (me!)

1 . 5 hours after he wakes up, almost to the minute, he's ready for his first nap.  

We either:  Take a Jog in the Bob, or put him to sleep in the swing

How long is this nap, you might ask?  Well.  I call it the "Pathetic Nap" because it is anywhere between 20 minutes and 1 hour, generally falling in the 30 minute range.  Yes.  a little short, but it works for him!

Wake Up

Eat

Have fun with mom (me!) 

Perhaps do an errand or to with me, depending on the day

1 .5  hours after he wakes up.... again, almost to the minute, he's ready for his "Real" nap of the day.

This can last anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half.  

Wake Up

Eat

Play/Go to a Cross Country Event/Anything else thats going on

...and then ANOTHER nap comes along, ranging somewhere between 30 minutes and 1 hour.  It must depend on the dreams he's having.  If he's in Hawaii on the beach, perhaps it will be 1 hour.  If his mom is making him do tummy time or take a bath, its the 30 minute kind I'm sure.

Wake Up

Eat

Play!

Then, the rest of the day is what I like to call "the Crapshoot."

Because, really, that's what it is.  Hunter's got his own little schedule going for the evening time, and we get to just be a part of it!  :)  It is getting a little more predictable, but every day is just a little bit different. Might there be another nap? Maybe!  Might he cry for an hour to get to sleep?  Perhaps!  Might he giggle for 30 minutes and go down easy? Oh yes, its possible!  But in general, he will be asleep anywhere from 8:15pm to 9:30pm.  Not bad, but.... we're gradually shifting him to an earlier bed-time!

Midnight Madness:

Oh no, it doesn't stop here!  There's the night-time schedule!  And well, haha, I guess that depends too.  We just did away with the swaddle not too long ago, and that took away most of the predictability of his night-time, but it still seems like a step forward, as we don't want to swaddle him for the rest of his life! (I'm pretty sure CPS may get involved somewhere along the line).  So lets just say that Hunter wakes up anywhere from 2-4 times a night to eat, but the average is 2-3 times.  I attempt to get him to fall back to sleep without eating, but its generally to no avail.   Once he sees me, its like walking into that aromatic restaurant and even if you weren't that hungry when you walked in, you know you'll have a plate of food with your name on it before you leave the place!  I guess its kind of like that.  So yes.  I get to see a lot of Hunter at night.  But he's pretty precious, and its the only only time he falls asleep in my arms so to be honest?  I kind of love it.  

Any teeth?  Nope.

Any hair?  Its getting longer!

Hunter so far pretty much loves... people!  Are you surprised?  He doesn't really show too much favoritism yet, and really loves being with anyone who will give him a smile.  Try it, he'll give you a gummy grin back!

How does he sleep?  The huge question!  Of course, with a blanket close to his head to he can snuggle in and block some light.  If anyone knows me very well,. . . you know he's my son!

And Diapers.  You've been wondering this all day.  Do Jake & I really use cloth?  Yes, and we love it!  

I know some of you didn't think we could follow through. . . but here we are, 6 months in, and going strong.  Although we use a little more water & a little more electricity, I really do think we save tons of money and a little room in the landfills every day!  So.  Its been a very positive process.  

Some of my favorite things:

Seeing him when he wakes up from a nap.  Those smiles are priceless!

Watching Jake and Hunter together.  Jake loves his little boy!

When he REALLY giggles, not the "I'm tired" type.

Watching how inquisitive he is.  He has so much to figure out!

His expressions!  He has so many different looks, they crack me up!

Being a mom.  Oh how I look at things differently.  

Hunter, your daddy and I love you so much.  May God bless your every day, and may we always love you the way we should.  Thank you for being our little man, our 6 month old baby boy!