Oh Noooooo!

I opened my mailbox two days ago to find a package from my good Finnish friends, the Patomos.  I love hearing from my adopted Finnish family and especially love getting surprise packages from Äiti Patomo, (a.k.a. Patomo Mom) as she always sends me a few Fazer Sininen bars.  (Translation: Fazer Blue Chocolate bars.  The BEST chocolate I have ever eaten in my life.)

Well, the first thing that went through my mind as I opened the package was "Oh Noooooo!" My coveted chocolate was in liquid form.  Who would have ever expected it to be 100 degrees in October?  Of all days to be so hot, why did it have to be the day my package arrived?  Luckily, the refrigerator restored my chocolate bars to their solid state and the taste was not lost in the melting process.

Tragedy averted, right?  WRONG.  

The next day I took out one of my bars of chocolate to have a taste.  I only ate one row of chocolate and forgot to put the rest of the 200 g. bar back in the fridge.  

After running a quick errand, I returned home to a beagle that was acting odd.  It was almost as though she was hopped up on some type of narcotics.  She was howling incessantly, running around in circles, and tearing up my tennis shoes.  For the second time in two days, I heard the words "Oh Nooooooo!" bellow through my mind.  There, on my kitchen floor, was an empty blue wrapper.  Not a sliver of chocolate was left of this savaged Finnish delicacy.  My dog had eaten almost 200 grams of chocolate and now was on the caffeine rush of her life.

Not only was I unable to enjoy my chocolate, I now had a dog who was acting incredibly hyper.  She did some gymnastic moves throughout the house, used the carpet as a constant back scratcher, tore apart every shoe insole she found, and decided to bring us a few gifts of her dried poops into our living room.  She then crashed for the rest of the night, keeping us up with her snoring.  I couldn't stay mad at Sofi the Beagle long.  Especially when she had Elisabeth erupting into giggles all day long at this crazy dog's antics.

I should write a book about being a dog owner of a lovable yet frustrating beagle.  Too bad John Grogran already used this idea.  And he did a great job of chronicling the ups and 

downs of life with a beloved family pet. 

I think we're on to something. . .

Elisabeth has been sleeping through the night going on almost two weeks now. As a couple who has always valued a good night's rest, this is our most favorite baby milestone so far. How did we do it? Well, I honestly believe we need to give most of the credit to our Elisabeth. My opinion is there was some type of pysioloical switch that went off in her, helping her graduate from the "4th trimester" (See Dr. Karp's Happiest Baby on the Block book) into happy babyhood. We attempted to "sleep train" her but in the end, as with most first-time parents, it was us who needed to be trained.

Here are my theories on why she went from waking up twice a night to sleeping between 10-12 hours straight each night.

1. Her own crib. Yes, I moved her into her own room, into her own crib and do not turn on the baby monitor at night. She is right across the hall and we can hear her cries quite well from our bedroom. I think we all started to sleep better after the move.


2. Weight/Age - She is almost five months old and weighs a nice, hefty 17 lbs.


3. No more feeding in our bed - When Elisabeth was a newborn, learning how to feed her in our bed while I was laying down saved me from complete exhaustion. However, I more and more frequently fell asleep while feeding her and would wake up two hours later with a baby still in my bed, enjoying the all-you-can eat buffet. I could tell Elisabeth enjoyed this arrangement, thus making her night-wakings quite rewarding for her.
   
4. Elimination of late-night snacks - I figured her need to nurse in the middle of the night had more to do with comfort than with hunger. (Let's face it - Chunka Munka isn't going to waste away from hunger anytime soon.) So, we used Richard Ferber's suggestion on how to wean out night-time feedings. If she woke up four hours after we first put her down, I would make her wait 4 1/2 hours before I would feed her. The next night, she woke up 5 hours after I put her down and I made her wait 5 1/2 hours. It only took me two nights of making her wait an extra 1/2 hour between feedings to eliminate her need to night feed all together.
   
5. Setting of a Schedule - Elisabeth seems to thrive on a schedule, routines and transitions. We tried to let her "cry it out" a few times but I found, through much prayer and anguish, that this was hurting her more than helping. Elisabeth would cry for three hours straight if we let her and refused to fall asleep. As long as we stick to our routines, we have a baby that falls asleep quite quickly and sometimes completely on her own.

We still have some work to do when it comes to taking longer naps but I am not complaining. So, thank you Elizabeth Pantley, Richard Ferber, Marc Weissbluth , Tizzie Hall, and Sonya Moore (a.k.a. my local baby whisperer). This well-rested mother and father (at least for now) salutes all of you for your sleep advice.

Newest Project

I have decided I am going to learn how to smock.  I have always been a fan of this traditional, classic style of children's clothing and my friend, Allison, is already an expert.  Allison has offered to teach me how to do this fine handiwork.

My first project - A white bishop's dress with red geometric smocking for Elisabeth's Christmas/Valentine's Day dress.   Above is the same type of dress I plan to make, only in pink instead of white.  I go this week to buy fabric (white sateen) and will hopefully start soon.  Wish me luck on this endeavor.  I am already dreaming of the future projects I can make for our beautiful baby girl and I get giddy with excitement. 

Cast Away

I was given permission to officially remove my walking boot a week ago Monday. I saw an orthopaedic doctor who told me my bone is mostly healed and I can start swimming and walking again. Whoo hoo! I can't tell you how much I have missed walking! Onward, ever onward.

My thoughts exactly. . .

I saw this blog posting today while I was checking my email. My thoughts exactly.

Anyone else having a hard time understanding why our government is bailing out these banks/companies who have made very poor ecomonic decisions? Lance came home yesterday and told me that we, as tax payers (and I might add we pay A LOT in taxes here in CA), are now proud owners of the largest insurance agency in the country. I was a little miffed. NO one consulted me on this purchase. Shouldn't they have? I am feeling the need to write some strongly worded letters to our government representatives. I hate to say it, but every day I become more and more disillusioned with those we have chosen to lead us.

I guess here's to hoping for a better future. Or at least for leaders with a little better economical sense.

Roly-Poly

Elisabeth is officially 4 months old and continues to live up to her Chunka Munka moniker.  Here were her stats from her well check-up:

Weight:  95th Percentile

Height:  45th Percentile

Head Cir.: 25th Percentile

Bath time has proven to be more challenging to us.  As she has so many rolls to clean, we are never quite sure if we got in between them all.  (Not to mention the fact Elisabeth likes to chew on the side of her bathtub and splash water everywhere!)

She is officially sleeping in her own crib in her own room and we are attempting to train her to fall asleep on her own.  We are on our way to her sleeping through the night.  (A hopeful cross of fingers included with that statement.)

She also reached two important milestones these last few weeks.  First, she learned how to roll over from her back to her stomach.  She doesn't know how to roll over again to her back but I am sure that will come soon enough.  Second, she decided to notice the puppy and vice versa.  As soon as she sees her furry friend, she erupts into smiles.  Likewise, Sofi has discovered that our baby produces some interesting smells and needs to be greeted with a customary lick when we return home from an outing.

We still have not picked an official nickname for her, although it appears that "Ellie" won out on our little blog poll.  Try as we might to call her by another name, Elisabeth just seems to fit the best.  Actually, the closest we have come to a nickname is  "Emily Elisabeth."  Our friend's four year old daughter, Laura Kate, started referring to our girl as "Emily Elisabeth."  I guess LK just assumed all little girls need two first names. . . either that or our little girl resembles Clifford the Big Red Dog's owner.  So, because we think it is too cute, we have not corrected Laura Kate and have resorted to call our baby Emily Elisabeth around her.  Emily Elisabeth seems to fit as well.  Maybe we are on to something. ;-)

Before and After Shots

BEFORE

Elisabeth having fun at the pediatrician's office, waiting for the nurse to return with her 4 month immunizations.  I wish I had a video of this as she was giggling uncontrollably.

*Take note of her luxurious hair.  Her hair often has a red tint and a hint of curl and is quite pretty, in my opinion.

AFTER

After receiving her shots. . . no longer having so much fun.

I often wonder if she is thinking in her sharp little mind, "Oh Mama.  Must must you document EVERYTHING I do?"  Oh, to be a child of a scrapbooker.