Happy 8 months Graeme!
Your dad and I were able to get the inside of the house decorated for Christmas over the past weekend during your naps because TA DA you’re into your third week of sleep training and you’re doing wonderfully! More on that later, but I couldn’t NOT have your 8 months picture(s) in front of your very first Christmas tree. Christmas is your mom’s favorite time of year and I hope you love it just as much, if not more!
So, sleep training. Yea. I didn’t think I would ever be that parent – not that there’s anything wrong with being “that parent”, obviously because I just became one. But I never thought I could be OK with you crying yourself to sleep. And I guess I still am not OK with it. That’s why when I found SleepWell Baby I threw our money at them. Their free phone consultation had me at “We don’t use the crying it out method”. Now that we’re in the middle of our third week (after two weeks of hand holding by our consultant), I am 500% positive that we did the right thing in hiring someone. After all, we had tried everything else with no such luck. Sure, the first night was rough and the few nights following weren’t awesome but now? Now, you don’t cry AT ALL going to sleep for naps or for night time and are asleep within minutes! And when you wake up in the middle of the night and you do cry, I know it’s because you’re hungry. Another great thing about SleepWell Baby? They are pro-breastfeeding and nursing once (or twice even) during the night, if that’s what I want to do. You were so use to nursing/snacking all night long since you were sleeping in bed with me most of every night, so the first week I nursed you twice a night. The second week, you transitioned from two feeds to one (somewhere between midnight and 3am) all on your own! I know that soon you’ll be ready to drop the one night feed altogether, but I’m not going to rush you. I still LOVE nursing you!
You’re nursing every 4-5 hours during the day and only once at between 7:30pm and 7:30am. We introduced breakfast into your day and you are loving eating mashed up fruit about an hour after you’ve nursed. By that time, we’re usually at our favorite coffeehouse, Etcetera, where you’ve become a regular! Everyone loves you there and you love being there so I make it a priority for us most mornings. Sure, mommy loves their Chai Latte too! You still love eating veggies for dinner and soon will start practicing with soft finger foods (because you STILL don’t have any teeth!) and sippy cups!
This time last month you had just started standing and leaning on furniture but now you’re pulling up on anything you can get to -furniture, people, dogs, walls, you name it! And, as of Thanksgiving morning, you can get to everything! You’re crawling everywhere and getting into everything now. We baby proofed our house as much as we can but the dog’s water bowl is still up for grabs. Literally. Just yesterday you spilled it three times and because of that, you got scolded for the first time. Your favorite thing to play with, thankfully, is not the dog’s water bowl but a red solo cup. You push and throw it around on the hardwood and tile flooring and crawl after it. It’s obvious you favorite color is still red.
You are still a momma’s boy, especially when you’re hungry (duh) or tired. Your favorite people are those you see regularly: me, your dad (oh boy do you LOVE your dad!), your Mimi and Papaw, your Nana and Granddaddy, and your Nanny Jean (Jeannie, our nanny). You’re getting more use to your aunts and uncles and you really enjoy playing with your cousins. Watching you explore and learn and grow makes me and your dad happier than you’ll ever know. You are such an amazing blessing to us and I’m proud to be your momma.
Disclaimer: SleepWell Baby did not pay me one cent to advocate for them. Y’all, they seriously are miracle workers and I will sing praises about them and their method time and time again because it simply worked for us when nothing else would. Successful sleep is so much more involved that I ever dreamed and once we made the changes, it started to click not just Graeme, but for Neil and myself as well. If you have a 6+ month old and are struggling with sleep (night or day), give them a call. They will change your life. No exaggeration!
