Sleeping through the night update

When Autumn's doctor and I were discussing the way to get her on the path to sleeping through the night, I made the comment that everything up to this point has been so easy with her that I knew that this was going to be our downfall. The doctor responded that Autumn may surprise me and leave the difficult days until adolescence. Well, after a week of diligently practicing what my doctor suggested, Autumn has proven to amaze me once more!! I was really skeptical about the whole plan, but I kept an open mind about it. I mean, if you're used to getting food at 3am and suddenly it's cut off, wouldn't you be pissed? I especially expected push back on this new plan from the little one who really enjoys her milk (see previous post with her now current weight of 11lbs!).

We started the plan last Thursday night and have worked on it every night since. The first 3 nights, we put Autumn down at 9pm after a bath, some books and some milk and she woke up at 3am. I waited the appropriate time (2, 4, and then 6 minutes of her crying), then picked her up and she was easily rocked back to sleep in my arms. Sunday and Monday nights proved to be a bit more challenging, as she woke up at 2am both nights, but the 8 and 10 minutes of crying were brutal. I felt like such a horrible mother! She was screaming for me and I had to just lay there and listen. I watched that clock like a hawk and as soon as the time was up, I jumped up and got my baby. Last night, I was shocked to wake up at 3am and see her peacefully sleeping away! I even had to check to make sure that she was breathing because she was so still! I went back to sleep and she woke up at about 4:15 am and I was able to rock her back to sleep once again. 7 whole hours of sleep! That may not be officially sleeping throught the night, but I know we're at least on the right track!


On a lighter note, a funny thing happened this morning. Kate was over helping me with Autumn and so she changed her diaper and put some little pants on her and then fed her. About 30 minutes later, after the bottle was empty, Kate picked Autumn back up to head to the kitchen and we noticed that something was not quite right with her pants... See for yourself!

How she managed to do that (without noticing!), we will never know. I think Aunt Kate needs to practice putting on baby clothes a little more...

Because I'm too tired to type anything...

I shall make you smile!!

I also wanted to share this video... We got this Jeep for Autumn when I was about 5 months pregnant and Jeremy has been dying to break it out ever since. It may be a little premature, but Autumn had her very first Jeep ride today!

And then, so did Sunny...

Particularly Rough Day for Autumn

This morning, we went to the Pediatritian for Autumn's 2 month appointment and boy was I surprised when they put her little chunky monkey self on the scale and it read 11 pounds even! My mom and I had another side bet on the weight and goodness gracious I was off. My bet was under 10 1/4 pounds and hers was over. I guess you can't win 'em all! She is now 22 1/2 inches long which puts her in the 50th percentile for both height and weight. Perfection :)

We also discussed how to get on the path to sleeping 10-12 hours every night, which seems like a zillion years away from where we are right now. Autumn has slept 6 hours straight a total of 3 times, and they were not in a row. She usually sleeps 3-4 hours at a time now. But I have the prescription from the doctor of how to work towards that long stretch of sleep. Tonight I'm supposed to ignore her when she first wakes up in the middle of the night and let her get to a full-on cry. After 2 minutes of that crying, I'm allowed to pick her up and comfort her, but not to feed her (unless I can't take it anymore and I give in). From what I'm being told, her mid-night feed is not necessary and is just for comfort at this stage. We'll see how this goes tonight, but I don't have high hopes.

The one ray of sunshine during the appointment was when we were discussing what Autumn can do. They asked if she is smiling (definitely yes!), following objects with her eyes (check!), responding to sounds (have you seen her impression of the movie Teen Wolf??). She's right on target developmentally in all of those areas. I mentioned that when I hold her up in a standing position, she pushes back with her legs and will stand there with support and the doctor said "really?". So she tried it, and sure enough, my little one performed! And the doctor's response was "Wow, that's early!". Yep, folks, I've got a prodigy on my hands!

The worst part of the whole appointment was at the end when she received 4 shots. There were 2 in each thigh and she screamed as expected. She did amazingly good afterwards, though. I guess that short memory span really helps out in certain situations. I think I did pretty good during the torture. While she was laying on the table, I just leaned over her and did not watch the huge needles being plunged into my daughter again and again. I just tried to comfort her and tell her it was all going to be okay.

After Autumn's 3pm feeding today, she started crying a horrible screaming cry and I suspect it's due to the 4 shots that she received this morning! I'm sure the baby Tylenol that she received this morning has officially worn off. I have a feeling that the sleep regimen is not going to go as planned tonight. She doesn't feel good and I know it. I don't think I'm going to be able to hear her scream for 2 full minutes! Oh well, we can really start trying tomorrow!

Family Photo Shoot!

Today we went to Kate's for our very first real family photo shoot! We had a great time and got some great pics. Thank you, Kate! You are so incredibly talented :)

Tomorrow is Autumn's 2 month pediatritian appointment where she will get her first big round of immunizations. I mentioned previously that I may need to be sedated for it and I still feel the same. The one good thing that is going to come out of all of this is that we will no longer be under house arrest. Autumn will be able to officially venture out in to the world! YIPPEE!!!

Autumn, Week 8

This has been another week of milestones for my little prodigy! I was finally able to witness Autumn rolling over! On Tuesday, after our bathtime, we went to have some important tummy time and as soon as I put Autumn on her tummy, she flipped over. I really saw it this time! I ran to get the video camera to make sure that it was documented this time. As soon as I turned on the camera she did it again (twice) and then I ran out of tape. Go figure. I took my extra blank tapes to Bryan last weekend, and I'm not sure where they are now, so we didn't get any more footage. It's not as if I can take the videos off of the camera yet, since I still don't have the right software, haha! Someday I hope to get it and I will keep my promise of posting the videos here.

I also discovered the greatest baby clothing invention known to man. Babylegs! They're basically just big legwarmers resurrected straight from my childhood. But what a great idea for babies! They serve the purpose of keeping the legs warm, but there is no elastic on Autumn's tummy to irritate her. And there are no pants that have to be removed during diaper changes! They're awesome, hands down. I'm done with pants, I must have these in every color. Not to mention, they are absolutely PRECIOUS! You be the judge, these are the Rainbow Brite version :)

Autumn has been extra smiley all week and this morning was no exception. After learning that her favorite song is Bicycle Race by Queen (no joke, I watched the kid smile and laugh throughout the whole song!), I hooked up my newly purchased webcam. Here is my first attempt. I was on the phone with my mom as I was playing with it, so hers is the voice in the background. Look how strong my little girl's neck is! And try not to smile with all of those smiles and coos that Autumn throws out! I have to apologize both for the poor quality of the video and for the way I look. I don't get dressed up a lot these days!

Tomorrow is the baby shower for Jessica and baby Gonzo! She's almost 38 weeks, so he could come any day now! I know this sounds crazy, but I'm ready for another tiny baby (not necessarily to have in my home, but one to hold and love on)! Autumn is getting to be such a big girl! The next thing you know, I'll be posting about her first steps or her first day of school. OK, that may be stretching it a little, but she's not getting any younger!

On Sunday, we'll be taking our first official family pictures! Stay tuned for the results...

Busy weekend in Aggieland!

We had a wonderful time in Bryan/College Station last weekend. Autumn and I headed east because I was going to attend a shower for my pregnant friend, Joan. We started our trip on Friday and made a pit stop in the grand ol' town of Caldwell to see Sarah, Dave, and Emilee Jenkins. Emilee is now 9 months old and absolutely gorgeous! She was crawling all over the place and all smiles. We wore her out, but snapped a picture of the two girls on our way out.

We then headed to Granny Nell's house, where Autumn was smothered with kisses. Needless to say, she didn't mind one bit!

On Saturday afternoon, I went to Joan's shower. Joan looks amazing for being 34 weeks pregnant and I had a great time! Unfortunately I didn't take my camera, d'oh! After the shower, we headed over to GiGi's house for more kisses! I did take my camera for that one, though and got a sweet picture of the two!

Saturday night was one that Autumn had been waiting for for a long time. It was finally time to meet her future running buddy, Felicia! Elizabeth and I are convinced that we're going to have our hands full with these two. They'll be spending every summer together for the rest of their lives as far as we're concerned (whether they like it or not, haha). We joked that Autumn will be saying "do I have to spend time with Felicia again?" and Felicia will be saying the same about Autumn. These days, though, we can make them like each other! We sat Autumn in Felicia's lap and started snapping. Although we didn't get a great picture of the two girls, we did record the meeting and we will cherish these pics forever!

Before we headed home on Sunday, Autumn got a visit from Joan, Wes, and William Zurovec. William is going to be another of Autumn's boyfriends when he arrives!

I feel so blessed that we have so many friends that have children that are relatively the same age. Autumn will have no shortage of friends to play with, that's for sure!