Sleep, anyone?

10:15 went to bed (she did..I tossed and turned until...)
11:15 woke up to feed
11:40 went back to bed
2:15 woke up to feed (3 hours...wow!)
2:45 went back to bed
4:40 woke up to feed
5:05 went back to bed
5:15 woke up and cried. Inconsolable . Change diaper. Massaged belly. Got up and walked around with her. (despite my efforts to go prevent Jackson from hearing Madelyn he wakes up and asks for us)
5:50 went to sleep

This is becoming Madelyn's routine every night for a few weeks now, minus the crying. She only cried for a bit the last two nights. Its going to take more than caffeine to get through today. I feel almost as David did when he when he wrote Psalm 142.

"5 I cry to you, O Lord;
I say, 'You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living.'
6 Attend to my cry,
for I am brought very low!
Deliver me from my persecutors,
for they are too strong for me!
7 Bring me out of prison,
that I may give thanks to your name!
The righteous will surround me,
for you will deal bountifully with me."

Of course, David was in more of a pickle, but you get the idea! Sleep depravity is no piece of cake. I am keeping in mind that this is just a season. And, in the grand scheme of things, it truly is a short season. But at these wee hours of the morn, it seems long. Very long. I am thankful that the Lord is my portion and that I have more to look to than a cup of coffee to get me through today. Its a good thing, too, because I don't even like coffee!

Transitions

Transitions come quite often in a two-year-old's life---especially in my two-year-old's life. A few months ago, he moved to a new house, his daddy got a new job (and a new schedule), and he got a new baby sister. A month ago, he started to process of potty training. Just this week, we made one more transition, as if he hadn't had enough! Although, this change seems to be a good one so far. We put up his fire engine bed and took him out of his crib. He absolutely loves sleeping in this bed! For the most part, it has been a bit easier to put him down for naps and bedtime in it. The first couple nights were hard because he was just really excited about it. But, after threatening to make him sleep in his crib (which I have kept up in his room to illustrate my threat), he settles down and goes to sleep. When he woke up in his bed the first morning he slept in it, he exclaimed, "I DID IT!" He was so proud that he slept in his "Big Boy Bed" all by himself. This bed was given to us by our friends from church. All of their kids used it as well. I am thankful for this bed because it made the tradition into a "Big Boy Bed" just a little bit easier!

Birthday Boy!

On Friday, Jackson turned the ripe old age of 1. The time has gone by so extremely fast! He has become such a little boy is so little time! He is walking everywhere...no crawling for him! He says a lot of words, but his favorites lately seem to be "oh, wow" and "uh-oh." He is a smart boy. I will ask him at any time if he wants to sing a song and he will start to sing "row, row, row..." It is quite possibly the cutest thing!

Jackson had his 12 month check-up yesterday. He weighed in at 23 lbs and measured at 30 " tall. He is just above the 50th percentile in both areas. That is quite an improvement from 6 months ago! I am so glad he grew! Jackson also got five shots yesterday. I think that is one of the hardest things for a parent to watch. He did have a reaction to the Chicken Pox shot he got. It was just a rash around the area that the shot was given. It was almost gone about thirty minutes after the shot was given. The doctor had never seen a reaction like that before, so he asked us to stick around, and after 30 minutes, Jackson was given a clean bill of health! Speaking of health, Jackson got his first cold. He is a bit on the miserable side right now. We suspect it was from being around so many kids----and perhaps some sick ones----at his party. The doctor agreed that was where he most likely got it from. Green, snotty noses and little coughs are no fun---for either of us!
Well, enough about that...Jackson has been such a tremendous blessing this past year to both Troy and I. Troy posted a good blog on that subject. He mentioned four things he has learned this first year of Jackson's life. I have a list of my own:

1. God is so merciful, generous, and gracious in so many ways.
2. My husband is an amazing daddy.
3. Having Jackson to care for can make me forget about my needs. My spiritual, emotional, and physical needs matter, and I need to take time to tend to those needs in order to better tend to my family's needs.
4. There is no such thing as sleeping in once you have a little one (8 hours of sleep is a privilege!)
5. There is nothing that can melt my heart more than a little child showing that he loves me (giving me a big hug and smile, while affectionately patting me on the shoulder).

So there you have it. Now, to get to the fun part of the blog...the photos! Here are some photos of Jackson's birthday weekend!

Jackson with his one of his birthday presents from his mommy and daddy...a shopping cart!"Hello?" Jackson talking on his new cell phone.Jackson's favorite present......was so kindly given to him by our neighbor, Genny, who happens to have the same birthday.Jackson had a blast with the wrapping paper in bows!Jackson's was a bit worried about the whole birthday cake situation...

...but he soon got over it!

"All done!"

Uncle David and Jackson playing Jackson's first educational video game.
On his birthday, Grandma, Grandpa, Nonna, Uncle David, Aunt Robyn, Uncle Mike, Aunt Gen, Uncle Tim, and Genny all came over to celebrate with us. He got a lot of great gifts, and even some that we can benefit from as parents...such as an amazing umbrella stroller (Thanks, Robyn!!!). Who knew who convenient those things can be??? Jackson slept hard that night and woke up the next day to another "birthday"...

Jackson is 10 months!!!

I know. I know what you are saying..."What?!? When did THAT happen???" Well, at least that is what I am saying! Jackson is two months away from being a whole year old! I can't believe how fast the time has gone!
So, to update all the fans of Jackson out there in blogger world, here is the offical 10-month update. Jackson is still toothless. He is THIS close to walking. He stands up on his own on occasion and will walk holding only my finger with one hand. He has said a few words. Well, actually, he says a lot of words...we just don't understand most of them! He has said "bye" which actually came about months ago, and he has also said "mama" (in reference to me! Yea!), "kitty," "cat," "dog," and "doggy," which comes out "oggy." He also said "I love you" once! You don't believe me??? We have the proof on video! I wish I had Troy's skills because if I knew how to get that video off the camera onto this computer, I would post it! It was amazing!

Aside from words, Jackson has learned to say "more" in sign language. We taught him this so he could tell us if you wanted more food, juice, cuddling, books, etc. He uses it for everything he wants. It is so cute! He will do the "more" sign for more food, and then clap when you give it to him. He is so precious!Jackson loves his daddy. He squeals with excitement and crawls to Troy every day when he gets home from work. He wrestles with him. He even claps or laughs when Troy comes into the room...I think its because Jackson thinks Troy is going to do something funny (and he usually does!). I would say, aside from me, Jackson is Troy's biggest fan!Now, I am sure that every parent thinks that their kid is the smartest, cutest, funniest kid in the world. I'm making no claims here, but I will tell you that he figures things out really quick. For example, when I was running the bath water for him, I put him in the bath, and get grabbed his rubber ducky, stuck it under the running water, and somehow figured out how to position the ducky to where the water would shoot off the tail of the duck and into his mouth. That is genius! I mean, I sure haven't thought of that!

Speaking of baths, Jackson gets more excited about getting a bath everyday. He will crawl into the bathroom when I ask "Do you want a bath?" and climb up to the tub and squeal with glee until I put him in.
I have made it a part of his routine to give him baths every night before bed. He seems to go down quicker if I do this. When we put him to bed, we give him his doggy and he sleeps through the night. That is right...he is STILL sleeping through the night! Can I get a big "PTL"? Seriously though...praise the Lord! We prayed many nights for this to happen on a regular basis!
Well, I believe that sums Jackson's tenth month up! Again I will say how much of an amazing blessing it has been for Troy and I to see this precious gift from God grow everyday! I could have never imagined the joy that comes from being Jackson's mom!

Jackson's Best Friend

Gary and Carolyn bought this dog puppet for Jackson back in June when we were in Cambria. Jackson smiled at it, but then ignored it at first. Now he absolutely loves it! He hugs it, bites it (that is a sign of affection, I guess...), sleeps with it, and plays with it. Since we have discovered that he liked to sleep with it, he has been sleeping through the night!!! Yes!!!!!! Who knew that the secret to sleeping through the night was a stuffed dog puppet?!? So, in honor of Jackson's Doggy and their companionship, here are some pictures...

Sound Sleeper...

The other night, Jackson woke us up because he was crying. When I went into his room, he was standing in his crib sobbing, so I calmed him down and left again. He cried when I left the room for no longer than a minute. I assumed he fell back asleep. My assumption was correct. However, when I went in to check on him in the morning, I found him in this position. He must have been so tired that he couldn't muster enough energy to lay back down after he stood up again! Poor little guy! He didn't seem to mind, though! What I would do for a back like that!

Yea!

For the past few nights, Jackson has slept through the night. We didn't even hear a peep from him last night! For the first time since Jackson was born, I slept 8 hours straight, without waking up! Oh! That felt glorious!!! I am enjoying this while it lasts!

Jackson is 8 Months!

Well, I must admit that I totally forgot to post Jackson's 8-month-old post last week! So, here it is, a week late!

Jackson is growing up so fast! He is almost walking! He has taken a couple steps by himself and is pulling up on everything now. Which means he is also taking everything off the coffee table, the rocking chair, the couch, etc. He gets so happy when it discovers a new piece of furniture he can use to stand up. It is so cute!Jackson is also crawling. He gets around, which means I keep a close watch on him. If it gets really quite, I know something is up!

Out of all things in this world, Jackson is fascinated with fans at this time in his life. He can point out any size or shape of fan anywhere! I can ask him "Where is the fan, Jackson?" and he will point to it right away. It is so precious! He just stares at this with amazement, whether they are moving or not!
Baba, Mama, and Nana have been added to Jackson's regular vocabulary this month. He also is now saying "mmmmm" almost every time he takes a bite of food! As for food, he eats a lot of it! He is now eating a variety of food including egg yolks, cottage cheese, yogurt, apple sauce, mangoes (his favorite), any melon (another favorite), and lots and lots of Cheerios. He even knows the sound of the Cheerio box when I get it down!

As for sleeping, Jackson is doing better this week. He may be teething. Some nights we give him Tylenol. Some we don't. He doesn't have any teeth yet, but it time, they will come!

Troy and I can hardly believe it has been 8 months since God blessed us with this precious little boy! The time flies! I suppose it is because, despite some challenges along the way, we are having so much fun!

Sleep...what is sleep?!?

I'm not sure I remember what a full night's sleep feels like. Just last week, Jackson slept through the night. That is a rarity. That night seems so far a way. It is 1:35 am and I can't seem to grasp what that night was like. The concept of a night without crying and screaming seems so far out of reach. Perhaps it is the lack of sleep. Perhaps it is that I haven't been this tired since Jackson was a newborn...seriously. Perhaps I am extremely frustrated because WE HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING!!! Crying it out hasn't worked. Non-crying methods haven't worked. Things we do out of desperation (like driving him to sleep...pulled that trick a couple weeks ago) haven't worked. Nothing has worked. I am pretty sure he isn't teething...we have assumed he's teething for 4 months now, just because he wakes up crying. He has no other symptoms of teething. Am I missing something here? Are there more tricks I don't know about? Did anyone else have trouble at nearly 8 months? Help!?!? Oh...wait...do I hear silence...maybe he is asleep. Perhaps I should go back to bed before he wakes up again. I'm glad I had somewhere to vent. I felt like screaming for a moment there. Phew.

Yea for Sleep!

Jackson was having a hard time napping recently. He also goes to bed later than I would prefer him to, so to get some tips on how to fix those problems, I bought Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems by Dr. Richard Ferber. Some of you may be familiar with this book. It was first published in the 80's and contains the breakdown of the "Cry it Out" sleep method. Since it was first published, it has been revised with a gentler tone and more information on nap-taking. With just applying a couple ideas of Ferber's in one day, I noticed a huge difference! Jackson is going down right when I put him in his crib after his nap time routine. He also is taking one less nap and going to bed earlier. The next step with be trying to get Jackson to not depend on his pacifier to go to sleep. I recommend this book to anyone who is trying to get a good night's sleep for their baby and themselves! It covers absolutely everything and is not just for parents with infants. Parents with toddlers and older children who have sleep problems will get something out of this book, too. I thank the Lord for using this book as a means to fix Jackson's sleep problems, and as a result, keep me sane!

Sleep Update

For those of you who gave me advice on how to get Jackson to sleep in his crib...THANKS! He is now sleeping in his crib for his naps and at night. He is practically sleeping through the night, too! Troy and I are getting much better sleep and we are all happier in the morning. Jackson wakes up with nothing but smiles on his face! It is such a difference! It used to take him about an hour to wake up because he was fussy and he would go in and out of sleep. I'm so glad Troy and I had Jackson make this transition! Jackson has a schedule now and a routine. Yea!!! It makes our lives so much easier! Plus, Troy and I actually get to do our devotional and talk at night without worrying that we are going to wake Jackson up. I also get to sleep next to my husband. Thats always good for a marriage! Again, thank you for all the great advice!

SLEEP S.O.S!

The time has come. I can't go much longer without sleeping next to my husband! Jackson must go to sleep in his crib. There is nothing that can put a damper on intamacy in marriage like a child sleeping in between you and your husband. We are looking into the "Cry it Out" method that has gotten some bad publicity, but it really isn't as bad as it sounds. It doesn't involve you leaving your child in his/her crib to cry with the door shut. This article on BabyCenter.com sums the method up nicely. What do you all think of this method? Does it work? Is there another method we can try?

We have tried putting Jackson in the Bassinet, but with no avail. If he sleeps in it, he will only sleep for a couple hours, and then he won't go back into after a feeding. We are going to move onto the crib. So, with that, I must ask...plea...with all you mothers/fathers who read this blog to comment. Please share your advice, even if you've never left a comment before! We can use all the advice we can get! Also, if you have tried rice cereal with your child to get him/her to sleep through the night, let me know how it has worked out for you!

Our New Kitty

Meet Libby. She was rescued by our apartment's assistant manager. We adopted her on Tuesday of this week. She is about 6 months old and very spunky, but loves to cuddle. She also wants Cassie to play with her really bad, but Cassie just won't have any of that yet! Cassie is very good at tolerating her. So, Libby does the next best thing...she follows Cassie around and does whatever Cassie does! Of course, for Troy and I, a new baby + a new kitty = even less sleep!Libby is sneaking up on Cassie and Cassie is pretending not to notice.

2 Months!

Jackson is 2 months old! I can't believe how fast the time has flown by! He is sleeping 6-8 hours a night now for the past week and I managed to get Jackson to sleep at 11:15 last night instead of the time he usually ends up going to sleep...1:00 AM! He is smiling a lot and even almost laughs now. Peek-a-boo is a favorite game of his and he loves to get whispered to in his ear. He also holds his head up really good, he likes to practice standing up, and his eyes seem to be changing to a blue color. Our little baby is growing up! :)

My cup of tea!

Troy bought a single-cup beverage maker today. I'm not sure if thats actually what it is called, but that is exactly what the machine does. It will brew a single cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. It is perfect for Troy and I because we only have one cup at a time anyway. It works by putting discs of your favorite beverage in the machine and hot water goes through it and into the cup. I had my first cup of hot chocolate in a mug that my aunt got me for Christmas...the saying is perfect for the experience I am going through right now. Although, I must say, on that subject, Jackson slept through the night last night! He slept from about 12:30am to 7:50am! That is almost 7 1/2 hours!!! That felt AMAZING! I'm not going to get my hopes up for tonight, though. He hasn't developed a pattern yet. Any moms who have advice on how to get a child into a bedtime routine, please do, share! Otherwise, I may need more than one cup of a caffeinated beverage!

Oh, Caffeine...why do you plague me???

I had about 8 oz of Dr. Pepper around 6pm last evening. Here it is approaching 12:30am and I feel I could still be awake for hours. I tossed and turned and even kicked Troy out of the bedroom and into the living room (sorry, Troy!) and I still am not sleeping. Caffeine never used to effect me like this...only after I got pregnant did the very, very, very occasional swig of caffeinated soda keep me up until the wee hours of morn! Why did I give into the temptation of the shiny maroon can? It sounded so good as the air bubbles crackled on the ice! Oh, but how I am reminded that it is not worth it! Caffeine is the enemy...at least for now!