Like Mother like daughter. Like father like daughter.

Earlier today I was driving in my car and a song came on and I was snapping my fingers to the beat. Then, in horror, I stopped short. My MOM does this!!!! When I was younger and we were driving in the car, my mom would always snap her fingers to the beat of the music if she really liked it. For whatever reason (sorry, mom!!) I always cringed when she did this. It seemed like such an "old" person thing to do and kinda "dorky". Well I apparently have joined the ranks of "old" and "dorky" because I was snapping my fingers to the music today :)

This also then reminded me of ALL the times I do something and Joe will say, "oh my God, you're dad does that!" It's funny, when it comes to most of my mannerisms and my person to person interaction and communication, I am a LOT like my dad. I even use my dad's jokes and quotes sometimes. For instance, my dad used to always say to us as kids, "What do you think, we live in a barn?" when we'd leave the garage door open or something. Yes, I have used that line when Joe has left the door open before. I HATED when my dad said that when I was younger. But yet here I am, spouting off that line like it's my job.

But on the other hand when it comes to my organization, planning, competativeness, and people pleasing ways, I am 100% a product of my mother. I guess it's completely unavoidable and whether you like it or not, you will become more and more like your parents than you ever thought possible as you get older. It can be a scary thought, but fortunately for me I have great parents, so I guess I should feel lucky. There are worse afflictions.

So, who are you like: mom or dad??

Labor Day weekend update

This weekend sucked b.a.d. I worked all weekend, was incredibly tired, and barely saw Joe or Ryder all weekend. On a more positive note, I did make double time when I worked Labor Day---so that part is nice. And...I do love the girls I work with on my weekend this weekend and I enjoyed eating a ridiculous amount of bad food at our Labor Day potluck :)

I am thankful that Joe's parents stayed home this weekend to help out with Joe a little. Joe could go up to their house during the day so that I could sleep and not wake up from hearing them play and all. It's a curse that if I'm home and trying to sleep because I work, and I hear them downstairs I seriously cannot sleep because I'm wishing I was down there. Or I'm thinking of how Ryder's schedule is going...ahha. I need to let that go.

Anyways, Joe did awesome with Ryder's sleeping this weekend. Basically Ryder goes down for the night between 7 and 8pm and he usually makes a few noises (but doesnt cry or anything) around midnight, but goes back to sleep. Then wakes up around 530 or so to eat. A couple times he went back to sleep for joe, one day he didnt (sucky to be up at 530 am!) BUT, this morning, he did the same schedule and after I nursed him, he went back to sleep till 9! woo hoo. I need that sleep, especially since I get to wake up at 3am regardless of Ryder and pump those boobies!! Oh the joys of nursing ;)

Well, everyone enjoy your week and good luck to all you teacher friends I have out there. I hope you all have a good class of kids!!

Flash Me Friday: your extra room

This week's flash me friday: your extra room. To join in the fun, head on over to Jen's blog and leave your link!

We don't really have a "bonus" room. In a previous blog post, you saw our sitting room we rarely use. And we do have an unfinished basement we never go down to unless we have to change the furnace filter or reset our internet or something. Well here is another room we never use. It's a "loft" area in our upstairs. Someday I'll probably turn it into a play area when Ryder is a little older. (that's our bedroom through the double doors and the laundry room to the right of our bedroom)

If you turn to the right at the top of the stairs, you see our random "loft area" (ryder's room is the door on the right). You'll see my college desk, which I never use. A picture that Joe won recently at a golf tourney and a little shelf thing that we'll someday put somewhere in our house ;)

Oh, and I forgot that we also have two bins with Ryder's clothes he's outgrown. The first one on the left with the cover is 0-3 months---yes, ALL is 0-3 months clothes...The second bin with the open top is the start of 3-6 months clothes that no longer fit...ryder has a LOT of clothes!

A better night for Ryder (and mom!)

Last night was even better :) It really does give me hope---even though there is one thing I've learned about babies since being a mom: just because they do something for a day or two does NOT mean it's their "new schedule". Just when you get happy that they are doing something the way you like it, you tell someone about it and then the next day they change it. Just to spite you.

Anyways, so last night ryder went to bed at 745pm. He woke up at midnight, which is when I turned off the monitor for 15/20 minutes. I turned it back on, and he had put himself back to sleep. Then at 3am, I got up and pumped and I heard Ryder at 330. I turned off the monitor and waited 15 minutes and turned it back on and alacazam: he put himself back to sleep again! Then I didn't hear him till we got up for good at 710am. So he slept for almost 12 hours (with the exception fo waking up twice) and I never once had to get up and give him his paci. He put himself back to sleep too! woo hoo. And the last few days I also lay him down for his nap and he fusses a bit and then falls asleep on his own. Like I said, I'm cautiously opptimistic :) I do work this weekend, so Joe is going to hold down the fort and not cave in and go get him right away. I'll keep everyone updated on how the weekend goes early next week. Also...stay tuned for a Flash Me Friday later today hopefully!

Day three...damn rain storm!

Night #3 of this experiement went about the same as before, with the exception of the dang crazy rain storm last night. Ryder was sleeping by 730 last night. He woke up at midnight and I let him cry for 10 minutes. Gave him his paci and he slept for about 10. Then he woke up again and I let him cry for 15 min, then gave him his paci and he fell back asleep till 3am. Of course, the hurricane that happened in Mayer last night started around 1am and kept me up basically all night, regardless of whether Ryder was awake or not! Stupid--I could have actually gotten SOME sleep if it weren't for that. Anyways, at 3am, I let Ryder cry it out for 15 minutes to start and then gave him his paci. He slept then till 550am. I fed him at this time and he went right back to sleep till about 8-830 or so. So his sleeping wasn't terrible even though he did wake up three times. I took molly's trick and had Ryder sleep in our main level and I slept upstairs and would just turn the monitor off while he cried so I wouldn't have to feel so dang bad (ha, I sound like an evil mom) but anyways, it seemed to work. I could still hear him when he cried loudly, but other than that I couldn't. I guess we'll just keep on trying this tactic and hopefully it gets us somewhere. Ryder has gotten better about putting himself to sleep for naps, which he never used to do, so I'm hoping that carries over into the night and he can learn to put himself back to sleep sooner rather than later!!

Also, I work all weekend, so it's up to Joe to continue this...wonder how that is going to go???! He's such a softy, that I don't know if he can do it ;)

Day 2 of no sleep..but better at least

So last night Ryder went down at at 7pm like we usually try to get him down at for bed. He woke up for the first time at 1045 for a brief five minute cry before he went back to sleep on his own. Then!!!!......He woke up at 1230, 1, 130, and 2am. Each time I gave him his paci and he fell right back asleep. I think he kept waking up during this time because he's used to getting fed at this time normally. He never really had a "cry out" session where he really cried, but that's because I gave him his paci. Like I said yesterday, he usually gets more mad at night when you try to give him his paci and he spits it out or just won't even open his mouth to take it at all. So I don't know if I've opened a new can of worms here or what. I think he's discovered, 'well, since she won't feed me, I guess I'll wake up and take the next best thing: my paci".

Anyways, so then he slept from 2 to 4. He woke up at 4, I gave him his paci and he fell right back asleep till 540am. I fed him at this time and put him right back to bed and he slept till about a little after 7am. So, like I said, I never had any cry fests for Ryder last night, but now we're doing the whole get up a million times anyways for a paci fix. So my question is: do I let him cry it out without his paci so that he doesn't develop the habit of HAVING to have his paci to go back to sleep??? What do you think? I am open to suggestions....

The first day after the cry-out

So, I decided that now that Ryder is getting rice cereal in the morning and in the evening, he's not starving and he doesn't NEED to eat in the middle of the night. So I thought I'd see how it goes with trying to let him cry a little. We put him to bed for good at 7pm. At 1am he finally woke up, I caved and fed him. He went right back to sleep but was up again at 330. He fussed for the first ten minutes, but then he started to really cry at 340. I would go over to his pack n play every five minutes or so (he was in his pack n play in the living room downstairs so that dad wouldn't hear him all night. Mom slept on the couch by him) and give him his pacifier-which he refused to take and it would just tick him off even more. So I did that about three times and at 4am when I did it the third time he accepted the paci and fell right asleep! No need for feeding him.

After that, he woke up three times between that 4am time and when he got up for good at 8am. But each time I just gave him his paci and he fell right back asleep, which he never does. So he only fed one time between when we put him to bed at 7pm and when he was up for the day at 8am. That's really good in my book, even though I was awake a TON and slept ZERO last night. We cut out two feedings the first night! I'm hoping it goes better tonight and the next and the next until he just sleeps. We'll see.

Tonight my goal is to not cave in at the midnight/1am feeding and let him cry it out. I never thought I would be the mom to let my child cry it out. But after five months of no sleep and ESPECIALLY the last two nights before this, I thought...okay I'll try A.N.Y.T.H.I.N.G. to help. So I'll try again tonight like I said, so cross your fingers.