Update on Life

Today is a good day. It seems like every 3 days we have a terrible day and I think I'm going to lose my mind, and then we have a great day the next day. James has slept 6 hours the last two nights. This is good. He was sleeping 5 before that, so I'm hoping we're moving up an hour every few days. :) We'll see. The trouble I'm having now is with naps. I'm happy for any advice (but don't be critical - because I'm sensitive about being a good mom). James is on a feed wake sleep 3 hour schedule. This is flexible sometimes but for the most part works great when I'm pretty strict about it. He is sleeping great at night - as far as me putting him down in the crib and leaving and then when I feed him in the middle of the night, I go back in and then leave after he eats and he is great then too. Trouble is with naps. He's been napping in the swing, but all of a sudden, probably the last two weeks, he's starting screaming out in his sleep - well, he is asleep until he screams out, and then he's awake :(. So...I decided that it's important for him to nap in his crib just like he sleeps in there at night - I think he will sleep more soundly. I have tried this several days, one of the days being yesterday, and it was TERRIBLE. He cried for over an hour in his crib (this is the part where I don't need anyone to say I'm a bad mother!!! I know, I know, I cried about it already!). I went to check on him every 10 minutes. I kept thinking he would surely tire out and go to sleep - I mean, I can have a strong will too, so don't make me wait you out. Well, guess what? He didn't. Finally I looked it up online, the whole baby wise, nap thing, etc., and all these people were saying only terrible mothers would leave them to cry at this age, yadda, yadda...so I was crying, I went in and got him (finally), and as soon as I got him while I was crying about how evil I was, then he immediately stopped crying. I put him on the couch beside me, and guess what, he was quiet and just went right to sleep. Well, that's good, but it won't do for long term. I want him to be a great independent sleeper...and at night, we're making real progress, but daytime...not so hot. So, we have a pediatrician appt. for 2 month checkup on Monday, and I'm going to ask her. They're the ones that told me it was okay to go ahead and put him in his crib at 2 weeks and help him get used to his own bed - and that worked AWESOME after a couple of rough nights. They also are advocates of feed wake sleep stuff. So...I put him back in the swing for naps. Even though he cries out a couple of times, usually. It's better until I can get some advice from the dr. about why he's crying out and what to do about napping in the crib. I mean, if he cries until it's time for him to eat again, then if he doesn't act hungry, do I just let him keep trying to sleep? Is it letting him win to wake up? Or, do I just get him and let him eat (even though he won't eat that well since he's so sleepy) and then let him immediately go to sleep and we don't have any awake time? This mom thing is tough. He is getting so fun though when he's happy! Oh my word - when he does take good naps, he is in a great mood and just smiles and smiles and talks.

Lan and I are going to Cracker Barrel tonight for dinner and one of our church ladies is keeping him. Ya'll, he is so cute and I love him so much - I CAN HARDLY STAND IT!!

The rice cereal is working GREAT. Except that I think now he doesn't want to eat quite as much for most meals. He seems fuller faster. Alright, here are a few new pictures...

James playing on the tummy time mat cousin Amy gave us. We haven't put water in it yet...I don't feel like cleaning that up - but it seems to serve the same purpose even without water :)
James in the kitchen with me today...getting ready to bake brownies. I was singing songs to him. I was trying to sing some upbeat ones - ha, I was trying to remember like some old Carmen or DC Talk - but hello, the only songs I could think of were Can't Touch This, the first verse to Ice Ice Baby, and Rockin' Robin. I have got to work on my repoirte (is that how you spell this??). But, he seems to like it - probably because I look like a fool - ha.

Here's a message James wrote for his Grammie and GatorPa who are coming next week - trying to decide if they are going to come on Thursday night or Friday morning...hopefully this will help convince them - I mean, hello, priorities, people!!!???

And, finally, another shot of James in the kitchen today. He really likes it in there. We made some brownies for Ms. Susan, who is watching him tonight :) (just for a little while when we eat at CB).

Oh, my bad...this is the last one. I took this the other day in his room - this face cracks me up. Kelli, this is the outfit you gave James, remember?! And, if you could see the bottom of his foot, you'd see he has on Finn's socks - they have W's on the bottoms :)