Post 12 (7/21/14)

I've recently noticed a somewhat concerning trend in my behavior. I've started to show a trait that up until now I've considered extremely douchee. I am sad to admit I've been referring to myself in the third person, and not just occasionally. Phrasing like, "Daddy said no," or, "Daddy doesn't really want to play princesses right now." It's really a little disturbing. I'm going to have to make an effort to alter this behavior before the little ones pick up on it, or at least come to think its acceptable behavior.

Okay, enough about me and my slippery slope into being a butthead. Let's chat about the kids real quick. 

Cali has started ballet class, this week will be her third week. She absolutely loves it. We always knew she would enjoy dancing, she's been doing her own interpretive dance since she could walk. The first day we took her to class, she had an ear-to-ear grin for the entire 45 minutes. Last week she may have had a slightly harder time listening, but she still loved it. I'm really excited for her. Being able to provide the opportunity for my children to pursue the things they are passionate about is something I've always hoped I could do as a parent. 

Soooooo Happy!

Bodie is still fighting sleep but the last few nights have actually gone a little better. I've been laying him down and just letting him cry it out. The first night I had to go in after 45 minutes to calm him back down a bit. He fell asleep after another 20 minutes of crying and then slept through the night. The next night was almost identical with the exception that he woke once in the middle of the night. Thank goodness my wife was willing to go down and soothe him that time because I didn't have it in me. Last night, he cried for a good 30-45 minutes but then he was down for the count. I tried everything else I could think of before this "tough love" approach. It was starting to look like we were just encouraging the tantrums. This seems to be working a little. Don't worry though, I'll keep you all posted. 

Captain Handsome

Post 11 (7/17/14)

Anyone interested in temporarily adopting a 10 and a half month old boy? I say temporarily as I want him back as soon as he sleeps through the night consistently.

Ok, I don't mean that. The first night he's not home I'll be sad and miss him terribly, just like date nights when our parents take him for us. The break is always nice but we end up missing both kids terribly before we even get home.

This kid has decided that going to bed in the evening is the worst thing we could ever do to him, lately. Every night for the last three nights in a row, and he's done this every once in a while before, we go through the usual routine, trying to ensure we've covered all our bases. We change him, put him in the most comfortable PJs we can, and feed him (just to top him off). The feeding usually takes place in his room where the lights are down and the white noise is playing. He usually falls completely asleep before he even finishes the bottle, snoring and all. The problem comes when we lay him down. As soon as his head hits his pillow, he pops awake and starts screaming at us.

This is usually followed by another small bottle, thinking maybe he didn't get enough, a dose of baby tylenol because he is teething, more rocking, and even letting him cry it out when we can (this is limited because his sister sleeps in the room next door to him). The rocking tends to work, until we lay him down again and the cycle starts over. On a typical night, lately, this will repeat two or three times before he finally stays asleep. The icing on the cake is when he wakes up two hours later screaming at the top of his lungs and we have to go through the process all over again......and then two hours after that. 

If I could fit and this would work, this would totally be me.

Now, I know this is all temporary but SHEESH, this is exhausting. This is one of the reasons I started this blog, so that I can vent out in the open, get it off my chest, and hopefully have a little more room to cope with the rest of the day. That and coffee, lots of coffee. 

My saving grace