To baby wise, baby whisper, happiest baby on the block... info. overload!

First a few pictures. The last one is proof of Elliott's first tears. Tough times! We have started Elliott fashion time since we have so many cute 3 month outfits and it seems like she will probably outgrow them before she can safely make her debut into to world and leave the shelter of the house. Who needs a special occasion to look cute, right?!


Now onto the crazy stuff....

All of you know that I am a student by nature. I loved school, hence the 3 degrees. I loved the research aspect and acquiring new knowledge. So, I have been reading and researching in my limited free time all the different ways the experts think one should raise and train a baby. There is baby wise (not created by a pediatrician or child development expert, fyi). Then, there is the baby whisperer book. And don't forget the happiest baby on the block with the 5 S's.

I am working on the getting your child to sleep book right now.

Why all the research you ask? No, there isn't anything wrong with Elliott. But, we are trying to prepare for life when I go back to work and to help Elliott adjust. We have been tracking her daily to see if she had a natural pattern and found that she did. So, we have put her on a schedule based on that pattern but that works better for our schedules too. She is on a four hour schedule and hopefully this will lead to her sleeping through the night soon.

The rock and hard place moment for me concerns the rock not rock controversy. Baby Wise states that you must let you child cry it out when you put her to sleep and not use sleep props like a swing or rocking and shushing. The reasoning is that she will not learn to self soothe and be dependent on you to get to sleep.

The Baby Whisperer encourages parents to rock and soothe their baby's. But, you are to comfort them, lay them down and if they cry, pick them up and pat them and lay them back down. The reasoning being that the baby will eventually learn to self soothe.

The Happiest Baby on the block uses the 5 S's to soothe a child: swaddle, side, suck, shoosh, sway. It directs parents to use these to calm their children and get them to sleep. We have been using these since day one and it really does help to calm her and to get her to sleep.

So, we are trying to figure out how to balance the theories and what works best for Elliott. I tried the whole cry it out bit last night and ended up with an upset baby from 10-midnight ish.

She was awake through her entire 4 hour block. Not fun! I let her cry for 10 minutes and would pick her back up and calm her and lay her down and the process would start all over again.

Now, I know from my training that a baby will cry on average anywhere from 2-6 hours a day and that the APA states that crying is healthy and needed to facilitate sleep. We let her cry before feedings and for a few minutes every time before we put her down for a nap. However, we use the 5 S's to calm her and get her to bed. This method meshes with what I have learned about attachment theory and bonding.

So, bottom line. We are working on it! The 4 hour schedule seems to do well. Just need to figure out the whole how to soothe/ sleep thing. Pray for us as we seek wisdom and guidance in this. Oh yeah and sleep at night for Mommy would be awesome!

5 Weeks

Photos first and then the latest news.....

One of Elliott's newborn photos courtesy of our friend Heather! She was 2 weeks old here. I can't believe how much she has changed since then!

Elliott is 5 weeks old here. She enjoys her bath time. We just have learned not to do them at night because unlike some babies where baths calm them, baths just cause Elliott to be WIDE awake.
Once again, she is 5 weeks old. Daddy is doing a great job! He even braves the poop diapers like a champ now. He has been gone a lot this past week and we have missed him very much. I really appreciate his help and couldn't imagine doing this without him.

We are now 5 weeks old and doing well. Elliott had her month check up this week and has gained to right at 10 pounds and gained 2 inches in length. The Dr. said that she is doing great and can be expected to gain an ounce or 1/2 ounce a day. How crazy is that?!?

I think that she must be in a growth spurt now, as she is eating more and has been cranky the last two days. She has also started having tears when she cries. That is a sign of growth and it makes it even harder on us when she cries. Poor pumpkin!

Shaun is back to work full time and that leaves a lot of mommy and Elliott bonding time! We are getting more of a routine down and hopefully we will have a schedule that works for everyone soon.

I managed to make it out of the house on Friday alone and attempted to do some Christmas shopping. It was chaos out there! I never noticed how many people around you in public do things that are dangerous. For example, when walking into Target, there was a group of people standing right by the doors smoking. So, everyone walking in and out of the store had to walk through their smoke. My shirt smelled like it and it was only a minute that I was exposed to it. If Elliott was with me, I would have been one mad mama! While standing in the check out line, I was surrounded by sick people. The man in front of me kept sneezing without covering his mouth! And he looked like he should have been in the hospital he was so pale and sickly looking. The woman behind me had a terrible cough and I had to look back several times because I thought she lost her lung. To top it off, as I walked to my car, the woman parked beside me was sitting on her back bumper smoking. So, as I rushed to unload my bags into the back of the tiguan, I endured her smoke again and got to smell it all the way home until I rushed into the shower.

So, note to self, it is so not worth the trip for me right now! I'll shop online: quick, easy, and no inconsiderate people. My friends keep encouraging me to get out of the house and I do agree that I need to do so. If I go out, it won't be shopping, maybe to the gym or to get a pedicure!

Christmas is coming soon. I have been overwhelmed with the number of Christmas outfits that have been given to Elliott! It is a virtual 12 days of Christmas Elliott fashion show! She has also received several presents already and I think more Christmas cards than Shaun and I! We aren't doing the whole visit with Santa thing due to her being in quarantine still and the fact that Mall Santa's creep me out due to all my years working child abuse cases. Special side note: clowns, people who do puppet things, people who dress up Santa, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, all make me nervous!

Shaun and I are looking forward to spending our first Christmas with Elliott. Shaun has to work due to how the holiday falls, but we are taking some time this week and next to enjoy. Shaun preaches on the weekend of January 1 and 2. We hate that we can't be home to see our family and friends. We really hate that we will miss seeing some of our family who only comes in during the holiday. And all the fun and food that the holiday brings! We are truly blessed to have such wonderful family and friends. We love y'all and look forward to seeing you sometime in the new year. You know, y'all can always come visit here too.

Merry Christmas!

Already 4 weeks?!?

First a few photos!

Elliott's first bath

Too Cute in her yellow suit!

Handmade bow from Jade

Wow! Time is flying by! I can not believe that Elliott will be 4 weeks old tomorrow! Our days are getting more routine. Sometimes it seems like the movie Groundhog Day.... diaper, eat, sleep, cry, diaper, eat, sleep, cry. But I love it!

Elliott is growing a ton. We had to take her to the doctor's this week for a rash on her face. No worries, it is super common and apparently she has sensitive skin like her mama. So, we have to wash all clothing, including ours in dreft and if anyone holds her, they must be covered in a blanket that we have washed to prevent her skin coming in contact with their perfumes, detergents, or other things. She weighed 9 pounds and 12 ounces on Monday! She is wearing size 1 diapers and 3 month clothes. We are working on a schedule that fits our needs and hers. She seems to be doing well. It is also neat because she has more awake time now and without crying. We really are blessed with a sweet baby and she is a good baby.

I am recovering still and it is getting easier each day. My blood levels are increasing and as they increase, I will continue to get better. My incision is healing and I am off of pain medication. I even get to drive now! In fact, I took my first trip alone to Walmart yesterday. It was weird to not be with Shaun and Elliott! So, luckily it was a short trip!

I hope that everyone is getting ready for the holidays. I can't believe that it is almost mid-december. Shaun and I aren't planning on doing too much for the holiday. He will have to work our Christmas services and preaches the first weekend in January.

I hope to return to working on Sundays starting in January. I am answering emails and phone calls, but am not attending meetings or working Sunday services. When I do return, I plan on keeping Elliott with me. It is cold and flu season and the Dr. has ordered that Elliott not be allowed out of the house until 6 weeks of age and recommends that she not go to the church nursery. I learned that mandatory procedure for a child who presents at the Dr.'s with a fever is hospitalization, ivs, and a spinal tap. So, needless to say, it is better to be safe than sorry.

That's all I know for now. Keep us in your prayers!

Jessica