New Blog Design!

My blog got a makeover! Yay!

I thought it was time to update the design on my blog since Mr. Jack is almost 6 months old. :o)

Thank you Diamond Doll Design for the new blog layout! I absolutely LOVE it.

If your blog needs a little pick me up, definitely check this girl out! She does fabulous work. I think she also does custom art work, invitations and stationary! 

I'm still working on updating some of the links on my page so if you click on something and its jibberish, dont worry, I will fix it soon!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Christmas 2012

Another Christmas has come and gone in a flash! It was so much fun with Jack this year. I'm glad he's finally on a nap schedule because I was worried about how he would handle all the traveling around to parties. He did very good and enjoyed playing with everyone up until the last night of partying and then he was done and had a little meltdown. So we are spending the day inside today and not planning on going anywhere! Good thing its snowy outside today~perfect day for that. :o)

I hope everyone had a great Christmas as well!

Papa & Grandma showing Jack his present!

Kisses for cousin Nan!

The boys lounging

Christmas Eve Morning. Jack slept through opening presents!

Lane hooking his truck up to the tree!

I'm trying so hard to crawl!

Opening presents is tiring

Love this picture! Jack loves his Izzy Boo.

1st Christmas!

Jack and Grandma Neighbors

What? I have a feeling I'm going to be getting a lot of this look in the future!

Jack and his cousins

All Mommy Wants For Christmas Is A Silent Night...

Ha! Jack's shirt really says it all. A perfectly silent night would be the greatest Christmas gift ever. But then again I would probably wake up and go check on him to make sure he was ok if that did happen so I guess it's really not a possibility. :o)

Little man HAS been doing so much better with sleeping lately though. Naps have been awesome and nighttime slightly better although nowhere near where I think he should or could be. Anyway, we changed up a few things and started solids and I really think that has made all the difference in the world.

I read three books on different schedules and ways to get your baby to sleep. (Babywise, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, and The Baby Sleep Solution) All good books. I kind of adapted different aspects from each book. So this is a typical day right now:

Anywhere from 6:45-8:00 am: Wake, drink bottle, tablespoon of baby food, play in bouncer and on floor with toys.

2 hours after waketime he goes down for a nap in his CRIB. Yes, I said CRIB! :o) This little booger is one smart cookie and he just like he decided to ween himself in one day, he decided one day that he no longer needed his swing and preferred to sleep in a bed or a crib. Score for me! No crib training required here (except for staying in there at night~ next on the list!) Sometimes he does wake too early from his nap or wakes up still a little cranky and I put him in his swing and he will sometimes go back to sleep that way.

Since he isnt nursing anymore he eats during his awake time so when he's sleepy he either wants to be rocked for a minute or just laid down in his crib. It literally has been taking under 10 minutes for him to pass out, a lot of times just a couple minutes! It's been SOO nice to have him cuddle with me finally. Sometimes he does fight it a bit but I can usually get him to sleep and its much better than the screaming battles we used to have and the waking after 10 minutes. I think drinking his bottle during his awake time has made a hug difference since he used to eat right before he took a nap.

We continue on this 2 hour schedule throughout the day. 2 hours after he awakes he goes down again. Seems to be working and I dont force the 2 hour rule, he just seems to be naturally tired then and starts to get a little fussy or rub his eyes. I look for those cues and then thats when I try to put him down. So far, so good! He's been taking 3 naps a day~ usually each lasting at least an hour each! Sometimes an hour and a half or two mid day!

Nighttime is still a struggle. He will go down easily most of the time but will wake an hour or so into sleep and has trouble going back to bed without being next to me. Then he's been waking up around 3 am and crying for an hour... yuck. Hoping to figure that one out and keep him in his crib more. A lot of times he's still waking up at least 3 times a night. Seriously kid, you're almost 6 months old! Get with the program!

Another new thing that has been nice~ he will transfer from carseat to crib without waking! I've NEVER been able to do that and just successfully did it last week. I've done it a few times since then and its been successful. He usually doesnt take quite as long of a nap when it happens, but still! Poor little guy has been tired and falling asleep in the car during this busy Christmas season of parties and shopping and running around.

Anyway~ any nighttime "staying asleep/going back to sleep" advice would be welcomed by me. And I hope this can help any of you mommies out there who are still having nap and sleep troubles of their own. :o)

Have A Very Merry Christmas! 

PS. Be on the lookout for a new blog design soon! Yay!

5 Months!

• You weigh 17 lbs
• You are go, go, go all the time
• You are SO close to crawling
• You sleep with me most of the time
• You finally have almost outgrown your swing and prefer a bed now
• Soon you will be in your crib (cross our fingers!)
• You love to be with me and cry when I leave the room
• You're social and love to be around people
• You love your grandparents
• You need a bottle about every three hours~such a hungry boy!
• You hold your own bottle
• You decided to ween yourself from nursing in one day this month
• This month you've tasted rice cereal and sweet potatoes so far
• You love to stand and have help walking
• You've found your voice and sound like a baby cougar
• You love your baby Einstein videos
• You take your binky in and out of your mouth all the time
•  You have to be entertained at all times
• You are very stubborn and determined
• You still hate to sleep but you've gotten "slightly" better. Some days are great, some days are awful. 
• You grab everything and put it in your mouth
• You're smile is contagious
• You're in 6 month clothes
• Growing, growing, growing everyday in every shape and form!

Thanksgiving & St. Nick's Day Celebration's

We've been busy and in the holiday spirit around here! It's been a crazy few weeks filled with Thanksgiving dinners, family time, and celebrating St. Nick's Day (I'll have to do another post on that to explain more for those of you who dont know about it!)

Jack's getting HUGE and he loves a party, as long as its not too loud. haha. Very picky little boy. But very social and he loves to watch people and other kids!

Happy Holidays Everyone!