Sleep Training

See this little girl? She may look cute and innocent, but she is a little manipulator. You see, for the last couple months, she has been waking up a couple times a night and since we thought she was teething, sick and/or having issues with the newly-introduced formula, I would go in at night, pick her up, and nurse her back to sleep. We finally figured out that there was no real reason for her to be waking up. She was healthy, her teeth had broken through, and she was perfectly happy during the day. So last week we decided to show her some tough love and stop "rewarding" her for waking up. We were just hoping she wouldn't wake up her brother in the meantime...

Night 1: Woke up once, cried for about 10 minutes, and went back to sleep.
Night 2: Woke up twice, cried for about 7 minutes each time, and went back to sleep.
Night 3: Made it all the way to 5:15am, cried about 3 minutes, and went back to sleep.
Night 4: Slept all night!!

Luckily, she didn't wake up Hudson, which is amazing since she cries pretty loud and he sleeps in the next room. I guess he is a more sound sleeper than we realized! Since last week, she has been sleeping through the night pretty consistently. She might wake up, but within a couple minutes, she goes back to sleep. I am so happy to have my good sleeper back.

Thankful on Paper : week four

This week I wrote to the people I spent Thanksgiving with: my mother-in-law, my husband and my son. (Sorry London, you are a little young so I skipped you.) This year we spent Thanksgiving at our house with just our family and my mother-in-law, Joan. It was a nice, relaxing day. After dinner I gave everyone their cards, just listing a few things that I was thankful for:

Brandon- Always looking for ways to lighten my load- cooking dinner, giving the kids baths, reading stories; Always being my #1 fan and encouraging me to dream big and go out of my comfort zone; Being a wonderful dad and partner in life.

Joan- Being so generous with her time and resources; Being supportive of us no matter what we are doing; Loving our kids so much.

Hudson- Always having so much energy and enthusiasm; Being sweet and loving to everyone around him.

Obviously it is good to let others know that you are thankful for them and why, but I also found that it was good for me to stop and think about all the qualities I appreciate in the people I send cards to this year. It's so easy to get busy and take for granted all the people in your life. Taking the time to write cards reminded me just how lucky I am to have these people.

Thankful on Paper : week three

I met Monica about two years ago at Kiddie Gym at Saddleback Church. Actually, I met her son (Tyson) and her mom first... Monica was pregnant with triplets at the time and on bedrest. Hudson and Tyson became buddies, and I always enjoyed chatting with her mom. One day, after the babies were born, Monica came to Kiddie Gym and we instantly hit it off. We started meeting at the park with the kids, and then Monica invited us to her birthday party. Brandon and I decided to go, even though we didn't know anyone... but Brandon instantly hit it off with Monica and her husband too. Since then, we have had lots of family days together and a couple double dates without the kids (not an easy feat with 6 kids, collectively!) Monica is an amazing woman. She is so thoughtful and always has a great attitude. She has 4 young kids and works full-time, yet never seems frazzled or stressed out. (If she is, she certainly hides it well!) I really admire her, and even though we've only been friends for 2 years, I consider her one of my very best friends and couldn't imagine her not in my life.

Thankful on Paper : week two

This week I wrote to my Aunt Thelma, who is my dad's sister.  Growing up, it used to be such a treat to spend the night at her house. My cousin, Amber, and I would go together and we'd have girl time and play at the park, swim in the neighborhood pool, etc. Over the last few years, I have become close to my aunt, and she's always been there to lend an ear or offer advice and wisdom. She is extremely thoughtful and sweet. During each of my pregnancies, she threw me a wonderful baby shower and went all out to make it special for me. She is also a godly woman, and will be going on her first ever mission trip to Honduras in a few months! I have so much love and respect for my Aunt Thelma and wanted to write her a note this week to let her know!

Thankful on Paper : week one

Taken last year at the Pumpkin Patch

I decided to start by writing to my older sister, Danielle.  Danielle is the type of person who will bring you dinner after you've had a baby, then do the dishes and clean up your kid's toys. Oh, and bring you dessert to go with that dinner! She is one of the most thoughtful and generous people I know, especially with her time, which she doesn't have much of to begin with (with 3 kids in school and sports, working part-time and starting up her new cookie business!) She truly is a super-mom... she makes me tired just thinking about all she does! We've had our ups and downs- as I'm sure most sisters have- but I am so grateful for the relationship we have today. I love you, Danielle! :)

Sweet Boy

To say the threes have been a challenge with Hudson would be an understatement. It's funny how people refer to the twos as terrible... the threes have been much worse! He likes to challenge authority, negotiate everything, and it seems that "no" is his automatic response to anything we ask. Lately he has had a couple biting incidents at school, which has us puzzled since we've never seen him do that before.

However, in the midst of that, there are moments when Hudson is the most sweet and loving boy. He is so gentle with London, always excited to see her, and talks to her in a high-pitched voice (that I'm afraid he learned from me). Recently Hudson's teacher shared a story with me. Last week during the Harvest Festival, all the kids were sitting outside on the benches, waiting to take a photo on the hay bales. One of the kids was complaining that there was nowhere for him to sit, and no one was moving for him. Hudson got up and said "Here, you can have my seat!" and moved somewhere else so that friend could have a seat. All on his own.

It's stories like this that warm my heart and remind me that underneath the meltdowns, tantrums and defiance, there is a really sweet and caring boy. We may not do everything right as parents, but at least we're doing something right.

Hudson loves to cuddle with London in the morning.