Tyler: Week 20

November 3-November 9, 2010 (19w-19w6d old)

Baby Wise:

Well folks, we are definitely out of the 4th trimester!  The books I've read were right on, baby is now capable of being spoiled and will cry/scream to get their way.  Time for a new game plan, it's time to hit the books.  I'm going to give the Baby Wise method a try and see if it works for us.  I'll journal my way through it in hopes that it may help someone else or that I might receive some helpful tips along the way.

I picked this method because it seems to meet in the middle of the 2 extremes.  On one end you have methods that are strictly schedule, everything goes by the clock and you let baby cry it out.  On the other end you have methods that focus on nurturing, meeting every single need regardless of time/schedule and you never let baby cry it out.  This is the one I had been following and while it was great for the 1st 3 months, I see a pattern starting to develop where our lives revolve around baby's every whim and screaming whenever that whim is not met.  Looking to the future, I see a toddler throwing a temper tantrum every time he's told no.  I will continue to meet every need, but not necessarily every want.

The Baby Wise method has you do eat-activity-sleep cycles and goes by a schedule that has flexibility when needed.  If you have a 3 hr cycle and baby gets hungry at 2.5 hrs, then feed him.  If you have errands to run, then run them and get back on schedule when you get back.  Sounds good to me, a goal of a schedule but flexibility when needed.

The book starts out on the importance of family and marriage.  Mom and Dad are baby's universe and if they don't have a good relationship, baby tends to not be as happy or stable and can feel as though his world is crumbling down.  A good, happy, secure marriage makes baby happy and secure.  Whew, I passed the first step.  We'll see how well I do in the next step in my next post.

Tyler Update:

• His 3 hr naps are history.  Naps are now 30-45 mins and only twice a day.

• His new trend is happy all day, fussy all evening.  I'm thinking he's not getting enough sleep.

• If you put your hands on his feet while he's on his back, he'll push himself across the floor.

• He now gets distracted while BFing.  He suckles, smiles at me, looks around to make sure he's not missing anything and repeats.  Sometimes he's so distracted that I have to nurse in a dark room or face him towards a blank wall so he'll keep nursing.

• All his babysitters and me have to hold him facing out or he thinks it's boob time.  Once he gets boob on the brain, there's no turning back.  Like father, like son!

• He can turn pages of a book.  Here he is with his sissy reading to him:

• While he is a thumb sucker, many times the thumb alone is just not enough.  He believes in equal opportunity for all fingers.

Show and Tell:

Toby and Tyler having a play date.

Tyler chillin' while his sitter Mandy washed his bottles.

Tyler flying high on Daddy's feet.

Tyler in his favorite toy, the exersaucer.  Look at those cheeks!

Tyler sleeping.

Video:  Daddy making Tyler laugh.  We finally captured his dolphin noise (done at 9 seconds).

Mama Update:

• Work is going well.  We filled our Friday babysitting opening, so we now have full coverage.  We have my mom, Kerry's mom, Ty's sissy and our friend Mandy watching him M-F while I work.  I couldn't be more pleased.  Everyone is incredible with Ty and so helpful around the house.  I'm a very lucky mama in that I get to see him during the day and am able to continue BFing.

• Due to losing so much hair and not seeing an end in sight, I had to cut it all off.  It was a shock initially and I cried over it, but I'm content with it now.  Sadly, it didn't seem to slow down the falling out.  I really need to go get my thyroid checked.