sleeping update

Cash did a good job in bed until he woke up at about 4am calling for us again this morning. I went in and slept on the trundle and he went right back to sleep. He slept until about 5:15 and then started asking for Daddy. I stood up to go ask Chandler to go in and sleep on the trundle until it was time to get up but Cash thought that meant he was coming too so we all headed to Mommy and Daddy's bed at 5:15am. It was over after that because Chachi was on the bed and that just spells F U N!

Not sure why he is waking up so early - i hope the bed is comfortable. it is probably that he just wakes up and can't get himself back to sleep yet. Another couple days and we should be good to go. It is strange and sad to think that he wont be back in his crib - ever. I guess i need to finish moving the rest of his things out of that room (diapers mostly).

What goes around, comes around

I remember this feeling and i don't like it. When we first put Cash in his crib and decided the best thing to do was to let him figure out how to sleep on his own it was really hard and sad - for me. Not so much for Cash. He got the hang of it but i guess i wanted to feel needed or even that I was abandoning my baby. So now we are transitioning Cash to his big-boy bed it is more of this same feeling. I was stressing a little because the past 2 nights - yes, we are pretty early into it - had been rough but not terrible. The worst part is that it was taking 1.5-2 hours to get him to settle down and fall asleep. I was laying down with him in his bed which i realize now was just license for him to goof around, jump on the bed, pull my hair, pick my nose, climb all over, etc. I was spending so much time in his bed/room because i just assumed that because he could climb out of his bed, he would. Although, last night it dawned on me that he actually hasn't tried to do this. Each time he had woken up in his new bed he would wait for us to come get him, even at 4am last night he cried for us rather than trying to get out of bed. So Chandler and I talked about it and we decided that tonight i would put him to bed, turn out the light and walk away. And that is what I did. It's heartwrenching - really. He cried, for about 45 seconds. I walked away to use the bathroom and before i could flush he was not crying and he was not peeking out the door. I assume he is either talking himself to sleep or fell asleep. I am fighting every urge I have to go in there - surely he needs me, surely he wants me to lay in his bed with him, surely he can't be ok or asleep. But i'm sure he is ok and i'm sure he is alseep. I feel terrible for walking away. I feel awful that crying was his last memory of the day. I also remember that what got me through these feelings the first time around was how happy I was to see my boy the next morning. And happy that he was happy because he slept well.
Tomorrow when Cash gets up I will shower him in hugs and kisses - enough that he'll say "no, Mommy" and "Stop it Mommy". That will make me feel better i'm sure.
Cash is also in bed a little early - about 45 minutes. My boy likes to and needs to sleep. He gets a good 12 hours at night and a 2-3 hour nap during the day. I know when he hasn't gotten enough sleep because he is a totally different boy. Not in a bad way but in a way that it is hard to keep him happy. When he is well rested he is charming and happy and never complains. Learning to sleep in his big-boy bed has left him a little short on sleep so as soon as the eye rubbing started tonight we went for the bed. Hopefully the more comfortable he becomes in his new diggs he'll catch up on some winks...

"It's 60 years old!"

Chandler put together the bassinet last night. We had to do a little repair work since the last user but it was no sweat for my handyman. Chandler replaced a couple of the brackets, screwed some new holes and its as good as new (if new is 60 years old). Chandler will probably end up restoring the whole thing before we pack it up. it could use some touch ups, new screws, some wood putty, etc. He's so cool for wanting to do that. Although i'm not sure who is going to use it for a while...oh well.
Cash also was excited to see it and when he woke up this morning he ran over to it and said "bed". He immediately tried to climb in it - which he could probably do pretty easily. So we had to talk about how that bed was for little babies and we got his baby doll - Lindsey Floyd - and let him lay in it and then we put the baby in it for a nap. I laid the baby in there face up and Cash said, "no, nigh night" and flipped him over so he was face down. That was pretty cute and interesting to see that he equates sleeping on your belly with sleep. Although now i think i'll have to keep a pretty close eye on the brothers when it comes to nap time!!

VICTORY

victory is mine!! it only took 90 minutes but Cash is napping in his big boy bed for the first time. We got in a few fights, he pulled my hair, i smacked his butt, he hit his head twice on the wall because he was jumping around but he is asleep now (hopefully he's not passed out from the head bumping! just kidding Liz!!)
We have the room exactly where we want it. the noise machine in place, the gate in place, the bed rail up, the step stool easily accessible so we are confident to leave him alone in there to sleep. I like that he is starting with a nap because the room isn't totally dark so when he wants/needs to get up he can see where he is going. I don't want to give him a night light because i really don't want him relying on it.
I'm interested to see what his reaction is when he wakes up. I'll have some nice snacks and a little prize for him when he does so hopefully he will get the point that this is a really good thing.

Meanwhile, I am decorating the house for Christmas while Chandler is out running some errands. its kind of nice to be able to get some things done in the peace and quiet because i know that this will be one of the last "peace and quiet" times i have for a while. Exactly 2 weeks from this exact moment (1:50pm PST) i'll be holding my new little one. yikes, better get back to work!

use your manners

Cash is pretty good about saying "please" and "thank you" but sometimes he forgets. Today when Cash wanted to sit up on the counter to watch what I was cooking went to chandler and asked, when we told him to use his manners so he said, "daddy, get up there manners".

happy Thanksgiving

We had a nice, quiet Martin-day for Thanksgiving. Of course we missed being with the family and all the boys but we got through it. The best part was that we had nothing to do and stayed in our pajamas for a long time! Cash was actually in his pajamas until after he woke up from his nap! I cooked a turkey and stuffing, mashed pototatos and gravy - mostly for the leftovers. We had dinner at Marilyn's. We ate at 3pm and were home at a very reasonable hour so we got to keep relaxing into the evening.
Cash is now asleep in his big boy bed. This is a big deal. its the first time he's actually slept in that bed. a few times he's been close but he's never actually fallen asleep in there. Now i've got myself in a bit of a pickle - what do i do now? I don't want to leave Cash in there because what if he tries to get up in the middle of the night? In the dark he might fall out of the bed. There is a guard on the bed but he knows how to get around it. I just don't want him to try to climb down in the dark and fall off. Then, if he did get down safely I don't want him to try to get out the door because he could take a wrong turn and head down the stairs in the dark. We realize now we have a little more work to do before we can let him sleep in there all night.

11-24-09

Cash didn't make it overnight in his bed last night. Mainly because when Chandler was trying to get out of the bed/room he made a huge noise and woke him up. After that we couldn't get him back to sleep in the bed. Oh well. We are going to try some real sleep training this weekend since we have time off work.
Cash went to the dentist today. We talked about the dentist for a few days and what he did so Cash would be prepared. We practiced opening our mouth wide and smiling to show the dentist our teeth. Forget all that. The minute Cash walked inside and sat in the waiting room he said, "go outside" - needless to say he wasn't anxious to get into the exam room. We went in and Cash sat in my lap and got to see all the tools. He really liked to squirt the water and air, he played with the suction thing and the tooth brusher but when it came to looking in his mouth he clamped down hard! The only time he opened his mouth was when I tickled him or he cried. Dr. Davis really didn't want to force him so we were getting ready to leave and Cash opened his mouth for about 15 seconds - enough to see that he had no decay or cavities. Thank God!! I was so nervous. We will go back in 6 months and see if we can get a cleaning. For now we will just try to brush his teeth as often as he'll let me and go from there.
I also had a doctor's appointment today. Nothing much going on, except i've had some incredible pain in my hips and legs lately. Its called Pubic Symphasis Diastasis and its when the connective tissue in your pelvis relaxes and throws everything out of whack. It hurts bad. But i'm feeling better the past couple of days so i'm not going to complain. Everything else was normal. One more routine check next week then we are off to the races.

Big Brother Bed

Cash asked to go to bed tonight - in his big boy bed. We were getting dressed in the nursery and he kept saying "in there, in there" so we went into the other bedroom and he said, "go to bed in here". Ok, if its that easy i'll be really excited. Something tells me that we aren't going to get off that easy but at least he understands that you sleep in that bed and not just jump around on it.

Dentist

Cash has his first dentist appointment this week. We are trying to talk up the dentist so its not a total surprise and he's been a little better about not fighting me when we try to brush his teeth. He still doesn't let me get in there like I would like to but its better. I don't have really high hopes for much at the dentist but they assured me that it is better to just get in there and let Cash start getting used to seeing the dentist. Also, we have been watching some sesame street videos about teeth and the dentist. HOpefully he is picking up on some of it...

Boy did Cash put us through the ringer today. He was a perfectly well behaved boy today but he just had tons of energy and it took a lot of creativity from his daddy and I to figure out ways for him to burn it off. We knew we were in for it this morning when he woke up - at a very reasonable 7:30 - screaming "Mommy I did it" from his bed. We went in to see that he had pulled a lot of the clothes out of the drawers and threw them all over his bed and room. We got up and needed to call Grammy's house to talk to everyone. Cash is such a ham and he knows it. He was pretty charming on Skype, carrying on a conversation with Wiley and talking to Grammy and Pop. When Cash started climbing all over the furniture we decided we should get out of the house. We went up to the park since it was such a nice day - 65 degrees, sun shining, no wind. We spent a long time at the park. We started at the playground and rode the horses and climbed all over the wagon. Then we went to go down the slide and Cash needed no assistance from anyone and dove headfirst down the big slide. He is so brave and really thought it was great fun to slide down and see if Mommy could catch him (don't worry, I did). Then we moved onto the rest of the playground. Cash was still outrunning us so we took him to the big grassy area and he ran up and down the hills. We started to take a walk around the walking path and saw the craziest thing. Racing down the hill - the Exploration Peak hill that we sometimes climb - were two adult Coyotes. They were running so fast and came right down behind the park. Luckily the park is secured by a big fence, and they weren't at all interested in what was happening at the park, instead they were more interested in racing each other, but it was a little freightening to see them come barreling down the hill. Its one of those moments when you ask yourself, "what would I do if they got into the park". I'm just going to rely on Chandler to fight them! After a while, Cash got tired and we headed for the car - but not before we played spin around in the grass which was pretty fun. We came home and Cash took a short nap (only 1.5 hours). He woke up and had lunch then we went out to do some errands. When we got home Cash chased Slider for a good hour straight. He chased her in and out of the kitchen, into the back bedroom and up and stairs. I couldn't believe he ran as much as he did. He did fall down and bump his lip but only whimpered a little and was more interested in seeing the blood and eating the ice than the hurt.
All in all we had a good weekend and we are one more weekend closer to being a family of 4! yikes.

I am so glad! The boys both got their H1N1 vaccines today. I've beena little stressed over it since Dr. Roberts said she really, really wanted them to get one and the total freak-show that was the heath district a few Saturdays ago when we first tried to get them. But i must say, Chandler really stepped up for this one. He heard there was a clinic at our closest high school and motivated everyone to go first thing this morning. We got there about 45 minutes before the doors opened, the line wasn't bad and I now have 2 vacciated boys. Although Chandler had to tell a little fib because they are only vaccinating the "high risk" categories (he said he has a newborn at home) and Cash has to go back for a 2nd dose because he got the dead virus. Cash has to go back for a 2nd dose of the seasonal flu as well so we will try to do those together.
The rest of the day was spent cleaning, laundry, playing and running errands.

our little Mexican

Cash alternates between Sesame Street and Handy Manny as the shows he likes to watch. This morning he said "Hola" to Sylvia when she opened the door! Sylvia thought this was funny and called him 'our little Mexican' and said that when she makes the kids bean and cheese burritos Cash always has two!

what a difference a day makes

Cash was like a different boy last night. Maybe it was because he gets a little too much "freedom" on the weekends and Sylvia is more structured (although i think i'm pretty structured) but the monster that terrorized my Sunday was totally gone when Cash got home from school yesterday. He listened to directions, minded his manners, never hit the dog! He sat so patiently and helped me cook dinner - Mac 'n Cheese which isn't a quick process. He shredded (aka ate) the cheese, stirred the milk and sprinkled the breadcrumbs all without any problem.
Then he ate dinner really well. He didn't put his feet on the table or lean back in his chair one time. He ate a lot without asking to get down. He ate his fruit too. He asked for milk but when i gave him water he still drank it and said please.
Even this morning he didn't fight me when I got him dressed - he would prefer to stay in a dirty diaper and pajamas all day. I am really trying hard to give him choices and talk to him about good behavior and praise him when i get it. When I asked him if we could take his pajamas off he (of course) said "nope" but then i said, "lets take your pants off so we can put the screwdriver together" (he is really into his tools lately). He willingly laid back so i could change him.
I think just little things that make him think he has a choice in the matter or like the decision was partly his will help. Also, if he starts spitting instead of saying "no" and getting too angry with him I am going to tell him where he can spit and either let him spit in the toilet or outside. Spiting isn't the worst thing that he can do so i am trying to keep it in perspective.

Cash is saying really long sentences like, "mommy open this please" and "i wanna go see daddy" and "go upstairs to get blankie and dummy please" and "get down Chachi we're eatin' dinner".

Mommy's helper

Last night Cash helped me make bannana bread but now every utensil in the house is dirty.

Spitting mad

Cash is now also pushing his boundaries really hard and Chandler and I are in a race to figure out a discipline structure that works for us – and Cash. When Cash gets upset he collapses and cries. Usually we can get him out of this but mostly it is because we give him what he wants. I really want him to be able to understand that he can’t always have what he wants (Doritos for breakfast) so I’ve started talking to him about this and also about acceptable behavior. The worst though is that when he gets mad he spits and yells. This is a really hard part of parenting and thankfully he’s a good boy most of the time but this weekend I think we saw a glimpse of the future if we don’t get some discipline rules in place…more to come on that subject.

And, Chandler asked him if he wanted a spanking and he said "yeah"

I love Cash - a weekend in review

I don't know if I’m getting more and more tired or Cash is getting faster and louder and smarter - probably a combination of the two - but this weekend just about took everything out of Chandler and I (more me though, I think). My head has been swimming for the last couple weeks with all the things I haven't done to prepare for a new baby in the house. I guess I just realized that this baby is coming and if I don't at least do a few things we're all going to be in big trouble. And, with a 2nd baby, of the same sex, you take a lot for granted (I have all the clothes, left over diapers, nursing bras and pads, etc.) and don't feel this amazing need to spend hundreds of dollars and hours at Babies R Us. So Chandler encouraged me to make a list which I found more challenging than anything because it was so hard to think about what needed to be done - but I did it and started crossing things off.
I cleaned out Cash's drawers, put away clothes that didn't fit him and moved current clothes into his new room. I pulled the newborn and 3 month clothes out of the boxes, washed and folded them and put them away in the baby room. Chandler moved the recliner around and I created a nursing station in our retreat - complete with lamp and books. I cleaned out my own underwear and sock drawer. We put the 2nd mattress on Cash's trundle (we're ready for sleepovers with Wiley!!) Cash got his flu shot (needs a 2nd one in 4 weeks - we aren't busy right!?) I did all the big people laundry. And lots of other things that i can't remember right now. The list is still pretty long but at least I have a plan.
We also took some time on Sunday and went to see the airplane demonstrations at Aviation Nation at Nellis Air Force Base. We didn't actually go onto the base with the other 150K people but Chandler found us a great little parking spot where we could sit on the back of the car and watch the airplanes zipping around in the sky without all the scary noise that I know would have worried Cash. He did love seeing the airplanes and kept pretty good track of them in the sky. At one point a plane came right overhead and tipped his wings at us - pretty cool stuff. I would have liked to go onto the base but it would have taken a good part of the day and we Martins are busy folk!
In order to check something else off the list - Cash needed a couple more shirts since we've been rotating the same 2 fire truck shirts and one elmo shirt for a while now - I took him down to Kohl's. We only stole one item and broke one item so I’m going to put that outing in the win column. I did lose him at one point so that wasn't too good - and it really freaked me out. Note to self: Cash can climb out of shopping carts now and he runs fast! I was checking some sizes and turn around to catch the last second of his escape and before I could get him picked up he took off through the racks. luckily I called out and he answered me so I could find him. but I did have a good 5 seconds of shear panic.
He is also in a no-bath phase again. For some reason he hates to get his private parts wet so he won’t sit down in the bathtub. We've tried everything. The closest we can get is to have him sit on the side of the tub with mommy or daddy. Oh well, that's the least of my problems. He'll get back in eventually.

Honey

I called out to Chandler across the house today "honey, something, blah, blah, blah." Now Cash is calling his daddy "Honey". its pretty funny.

progress

Today we made some progress after some very unproductive weeks. This morning someone came to our house to take blood and urine for our new life insurance policies. Then, after not eating for 12 hours (!) we went to brunch. Cash got to play in a fountain afterwards because he was such a good boy. Then we went and got Cash's seasonal flu shot. We still need to find the boys H1N1 shots but this is a step in the right direction. Then we went to Sam's Club for the weekly milk supply. We got Cash another mattress for his trundle too. Cash came home and took a nap and mommy did laundry - lots of laundry. I even got out the new baby clothes and some other baby stuff and washed it! we got a couple supplies we'll need for when the baby comes like sensitive wipes and i've started organizing the drawers in the nursery. I've started moving Cash's clothes out of the nursery room and into the "big-brother" bedroom. I also just made a chicken pot pie and the boys are watching "Up". We will all be tired tonight!
My list keeps growing but at least i've started scratching things off too.

34 weeks and boring

Everything is pretty boring with the baby - and that's a good thing. 34 weeks today. Measuring appropriately, strong heartbeat, blah, blah, blah. One more month to go.

H1N1 vaccine

got my H1N1 vaccine today. it hurt.

Monsters

Cash is feeling so much better these days. He wakes up happy and that makes me so happy. Sylvia reports that he is also doing really well at daycare and squeels with joy when the girls chase him around the yard!
Much to my surprise, Cash knows the names of all the Sesame Street Monsters. I was so shocked but it was also really fun to quiz him and watch him get all the names right. We watch Sesame Street on the computer while we are winding down from the day and while i was loading it up the page showed all the monsters. Cash immediately said, Abby, Grover, Burt, Ernie, Bird, Cookie, Elmo, etc. when I pointed to them. I knew he had Elmo and Cookie down but the others were such a shock. And I'm amazed he knows the difference between Burt and Ernie - I still can't figure that out! I can only imagine what is inside his brain just waiting to come out.
He's also at the stage where he repeats everything - and i mean everything - you say so watch out!

Spit and Vinegar

Cash is really a piece of work these days. We are trying to be extra sensitive knowing that he's probably wise to the new baby thing and he's also dealing with bronchitis but boy oh boy! He is pushing boundaries and being naughty whenever he gets a chance and he'll cry (with real tears) when you call him on it. Last night he spit food out all over me and I made him go sit on the other side of the room and he whaled until I let him come back. Then he spit again. He isn't trying to be mean, he just thinks its funny. I notice he does a lot better when i give him a lot of attention. I loved on him a lot this weekend and we were both home sick on Monday and did great. He even said, "Lub you mommy" after we had spent the day together.

He is a bit fickle though. At night, i make him take medicine and brush his teeth - two things that he absolutely hates and usually cries about. After that he only wants daddy to put him to bed and read him stories. He is getting better with the teeth brushing. We have to change it up a lot but the latest is checking to see if there are any monkeys in his mouth.

Development at this stage is really amazing. He is talking way more and in longer sentences. He knows more words than Chandler and I can figure out (it is such a trip to hear him say words we didn't know he knew.) He has amazing problem solving skills - like he can figure out how to go hand-over-hand to get his balloon down to where he can see it. He can jump with two feet off the ground. He is really funny too. He makes the funniest faces you'll ever see. He loves to dance and can sing a little tune if he's in the mood. Mostly he loves to make daddy sing and dance though. He will ask to watch Elmo, Grover, Cookie (his favorite, no surprise) and Abby.

Chachi/Slider continues to be terrified of what's to come. Cash will come barreling toward her and try to ride her, kick her, pull her tail, push her off the couch, etc. He knows he isn't supposed to do any of that because sometimes he will sit down beside her like a little angel and pet her gently and say, "look mommy" like he is so proud of himself for following the rules.

Eating is hit or miss with him lately. Sometimes he just wont eat dinner at all. I figure he's ok and will eat when he's hungry. There are just a lot of other things he'd rather be doing right now.

Cash loves to call people and look at pictures of family. He'll ask to "talk to grammy" or "lets call Pop". We also look at pictures on Flickr and he tells me everyone's name.

oink

today is the worst day yet with this flu. I thought i was feeling fine. Yesterday was a breeze and I thought i was on the mend. Last night wasn't bad either and i only woke up a couple times coughing. Today is another story. I am sick, sick, sick. throwing up and feeling terrible. I think i might be sick because the fluid from my nose and chest is draining but i hope it goes away soon. I'm just glad Cash is back at daycare because i wouldn't be able to handle him and this at the same time.

Poor Us

I have swine flu. Cash has bronchitis. We are a pretty sad sack over here.
Caught my flu early enough that it is really not much more than a very, very painful cough/chest cold with occassional stuffiness and runny nose. Only one night of fever - which is the only reason i went to the doctor. Otherwise i would have just thought it was a cough and dealt with it on my own. Tamiflu makes you feel better almost immediately and I got a pretty decent - albeit short - night's rest last night.
Cash on the otherhand has probably been sick for a while. That's how bronchitis goes - like if a cold or something goes untreated it gets down in your lungs. Bad mamma! I just didn't want to rush to the pediatrician when i thought it might pass. Lesson learned. So now he is on 2 medications, one to get the stuff out of his lungs and the other is amoxicillin to get rid of anything else that is lurking. Poor guy.
I was really pissed this morning when i called the pediatrician's office and i couldn't get in until 3pm this afternoon and it was with a different doctor. When Cash was born Dr. Glasser had just opened her practice and she only had a few patients and it was always so easy to get in to see her and she was always on time and you knew everyone and it was definitely a small office with all the charm. Since then she has added about 5 new doctors to the practice plus all their patients. Its nearly impossible to get in to see her anymore unless you have a long standing appointment. I would have opt'd for Urgent Care today except that i was worried about H1N1 so i thought we better see a pediatrician. Anyway, we ended up seeing a different doctor who i LOVED! I liked her so much more than Dr. Glasser who i have never minded but Cash never liked her and usually runs in the other direction when she comes into the room. Today was a completely different experience. Dr. Goebel was gentle and kind and took a lot more time allowing Cash to get used to her (usually dr. glasser just gets down to business, ignoring the cowering child in the corner). For the first time Cash let a doctor look into his ears without me having to hold his head down - he even showed Dr. Goebel where his ears and eyes were so she could look into them. He talked to her and showed her things and told her how he was feeling. It was pretty amazing. I think i'll request her from now on.