And so it goes

Neither of my children have ever been the sleep through the night kind of kids. Now at the ages of 4 and 2 they have improved, especially Francesco. Even if they were to actually sleep through the night they are early riser as well, I am talking 5:00 - 5:30 am. So I feel like I don't get enough sleep on a regular basis and my husband is well aware of the fact. See the kid don't want him in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning so he is not bothered by them, unless I am not there.

I went to my parent's last week to help my Mother with a church retreat. My husband even said to me more than once, "I bet you are going to love getting to sleep through the night." He said this because lately Nicolo had been up two to three times a night in the past week and now I was not going to be there. He was preparing to be the one bothered that night.

So here I am at my parents and it is 10 pm on a Friday and I decide to go to bed because I am exhausted from being up since 4:30 am. I am looking forward to being left alone all night in a bed all by myself.

As you can guess, since I am writing this post, that did not happen. My father has an 11 year old, 85lb German wire haired pointer who is now "retired" from hunting due to bad arthritis in her hips. So at around 12:30 am I hear the dog barking, I get up and think she may need to go out. It took me ten minute to find the key to open door (my dad has his house lock down like Fort Knox's) and I let the dog out. I think all is well and go back to bed. Now I am not one of those, fall right back to sleep kind of people it take me time to go back to sleep. Then I hear the dog again whining and barking around 1:45 am. I get up and again think she must hear something outside or need to go out, I tried to let her out but that was not it. I was done with her at this point, because again I was woken up and don't fall back to sleep easily. I decide to shut my door and try to go back to sleep. Then at 3:15 she started again with the barking and whining, this time I know she doesn't need to go out and she is just whining. I now think if I bring her in the room with me she will settle down.

When I do bring her in the room she tries to get up on the bed, but with her hips she has a hard time. I who at this point just wants her to be quiet help this 85lb dog onto the full size bed. She takes up most of it and them proceeds to lick her paws all the while shaking the bed. This bed is an old brass poster bed and every time she shakes the bed the post hit the wall. I get up, take a small blanket and fold it up to put behind the post to stop the banging. While I do that the dog positions herself directly in the middle of the bed, leaving the only spot big enough for me to lay at the foot. Now I am the pet!

At some point she did get off the bed and I had it back to myself but that was not long before 5:00 am when my father came in the room looking for her. So them I was up again and for the day. I asked him why was he up so early on a Saturday? He said it wasn't early and he is always up at 5:00 (now I know where Nicolo get it from). He then asked me if he had woken me up? I just shook my head.

I did tell him about my night and he apologized but it wasn't his fault. When I told my husband he laughed and then told me that both the kids slept through the night, and so it goes!

Dream Little One

Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things that escape those who dream only at night.
~Edgar Allan Poe

24 Days to Go

In 24 days we will have a new bundle of joy in our growing family. Right now I don't know if it is excitement or pregnancy insomnia but I have been wide awake since 2:00 am. This has become a regular occurrence. It also make it hard to get through the day awake. People say to me "you look tired", I want to say you would too if you have been awake since 2:00 am. I have been pushing for a mandatory nap time at work, people think I am joking.

I have such mixed feeling about the approach of this baby. Part of me can't wait (the uncomfortable, painful, heartburn, can't sleep, beach whale part) and part of me wants him to stay nice an warm were he is.

I worried so much before Bubbie was born that I would not be able to handle taking care of a baby, but at 20 months he is proof that I can. Now I worry, will I be able to mange 2 and how will Bubbie deal with not being the center of my world. I have tried to prepare him for his brothers coming but he just does not have the comprehensive ability to understand.

I do feel good that we have prepared him in other ways. We are bottle free, crib free, highchair free. We talk about him being a big boy, we no longer call him the baby. We have him doing so many things on his own (partly because he wants it that way), he can get on and off his chair and bed, he does the steps all on his own and now is climbing in and out of his car seat. It's almost like he does know what is coming and he is getting ready in his own way.

I have been surprised at how different this pregnancy was compared to Bubbie. This time definitely went by much quicker, I didn't gain that much (nor did I need to) and this babies kicks and movements are so much stronger and different. I swear I can feel the baby "breathing", I know they don't breath but he has these movements that look and feel like breathing. I think it's called fetal breathing movement, like practice. My Braxton Hicks have been very strong and frequent this time as well. I try to tell him he doesn't need that practice (having a repeat c-section) but he continues to practice.

So in 24 day (or sooner) I will be the proud Momma of two boys. I am really excited. I will need to change the name of my blog, it won't just be Bubbies Corner anymore.

The Bottle War Continue

After my last post we had two awesome nights. Same bedtime routine, off to sleep without a hitch. Slept through the night till 5:45-6:00 am. Perfect! I never even mentioned how great he was doing to anyone. G and I would just look at each other with this knowing look in the morning. We were afraid of jinxing ourselves.

Last night it appeared that the trend was not to continue. There was some mild fussing after being put in the crib, took him about 45 mins to fall asleep. I had to sit with him for a few of those mins (rubbing his feet). Eventually he was out.

1:15 am, he woke up and started to fuss. We made sure he had the binky (two of them for that matter), we changed his diaper, checked his teeth, even gave him Tylenol. Nothing worked. We tried the sippy cup with water, that did not go over well at all.

I held and rocked him for the first hour and then G took him. He actually took him downstairs so I could get some sleep (which is not easy when you know your baby is upset). We knew that I would give in, so G took him. He said he was up for about another hour and he would hold him and rock him, but no bottle.

He finally went back to sleep. Mind you we all needed to get up about 2 hours later, but we managed. He did not appear to be any worse for the wear this morning, just a little extra cranky.

So Daddy won the battle last night. Tonight cross your fingers. We couldn't give it to him even if we wanted to. Tomorrow he is getting Tubes in his ears and not allowed anything but clear liquids after midnight.

Send me all your good Momma Vibes, I will need them.

Go Figure

So we have been dealing with multiple recurrent ear infections with Bubbie since the age of 6 months. He had one after the other from January to March of last year. He seemed to of made a full recovery during the spring and summer but as the fall months approached they (the ear infections) returned.

We are currently treating our 4th ear infection in a matter of 9 weeks. It is very frustrating and I feel so bad for Bubbie.

We are scheduled to see the ENT specialist at the end of this month, I can not wait. I am actually hoping they will put the tubes in his ears. The poor kid needs a break. I believe the current infection is just plain resistant to even the strong antibiotics, we shall see, we are on our 3 class of antibiotics now.

So for the past 5 days the poor kid and his wonderful parents have had absolutely no sleep. I can only image how hard it is to sleep with the pressure behind his ear drums and the cough that just won't let up. To top it all off he only wants to lay on his 6 1/2 month pregnant mothers belly.
Picture this: a 32 lb toddler laying on your 26 week pregnant belly (tossing and turning all night) while the little one inside you kicks constantly (most likely in protest to the pressure from his brother) and you are stuck laying on your back. How much sleep do you think you would get?

So, last night Bubbies made a turn for the better, the cough has subsided, the fever is gone and he was ready for a good night sleep. Sleep he did, for a straight 10 hours, God knows he needed it. Momma on the other hand didn't. Go Figure! Why?! God knows I was tired and no one was climbing all over me. It was the lack of activity and fussy that kept me up. I had to keep checking to see if he was OK, it had been so long since he was able to sleep I thought something must be wrong.

Needless to say he was in great spirits this morning, which makes up for my lack of sleep. I just hope tonight we both get the hours needed and then all the spirits in our house will be good!

Bubbie V.S. G

My dear husband G and my dear son Bubbie have decided to have a battle of wills.

G: "He needs to learn to go to sleep on his own. He knows if he cries enough you (and he say it like its a dirty word) will pick him up."
Me: "Fine than I just won't get involved."

So while I was away G basically "Ferberized" Bubbie very successfully. Now he goes to bed, fusses once or twice and then he is down.

G - 1 Bubbie - 0 :^)


G: He needs to learn that he can't get into bed with us at 4:00 am, he must stay in his crib.
Me: But I am so tired, I can't take the noise.
G: You can't pick him up, you have to let him cry learn.

It has been 5 days were G has successfully gotten Bubbie to stay in his crib all night.

So this morning at 4:00 am Bubbie started again. I went to the couch. G held strong for about an hour. After an hour G comes out in the living room holding a wide awake, sobbing 14 month old. Now we all have been awake since 4:00.

G- 1 Bubbie- 1 :^o

The worst part is that this is not my battle and I have to listen to it. I admit I would have totally caved after 5 minutes. I am tired and at 4:00 am. I still have 1 1/2 hours I can sleep, I 'll take it.

It will all be alright.

I am going away again and they can battle it out. When I get back there better be victor one way or the other.

Cause as the saying goes "when momma ain't happy, nobodies happy."
(And when momma pregnant she is TIRED!)

Brainless @ 2 AM

For some god forsaken reason I have no true cognitive ability between the hours of 2:00 am and 4:30 am. I not sure if it is from shear exhaustion or shear stupidity but it occurs often.

For four day in a row Bubbie's has awaken at the witching hour of 2 something am. Now that it is just me and him during the week I don't have the will power to try and rock him back to sleep and put him in the crib. I will bring him in the bed with me and for 2 1/2 hours he will doze off, wake up, cry out, kick me in my uterus, fall asleep, wake ups, cry out, hold my hand, pull my hair, fall asleep, so on and so on x 2 1/2 hours. I spend the time trying to make him comfortable, telling my self not to feed him cause he is big enough now (25 lbs) to make it through the night with out eating.

We make it till 4:30 a.m. and FINALLY I make him and bottle, a whole 8 oz, I figure he must be starving. He has been fussing x 2 1/2 hours, he has got to be starving. He then only takes 5-6 oz. So here I am, patting myself on the back for getting him to hold out and he only take 5 oz. After 4 days of this routine and me being proud that I have him hold out, the light bulb went off.

Just maybe his teeth are bothering him at 2 am and a little Tylenol my help him out. Being 8 3/4 of a month old without a tooth in his mouth it's almost obvious that has to be on the top of the list of issues. I really don't think it is hunger, he barely finishes the bottle. Why I can't come to that conclusion and reach for the Tylenol on the bed stand at 2 am is besides me.

G told me to pin a post-it-note to his Jammy's that say TYLENOL in big letter to remind me.
I am dense, but I think that if we have the same issue tonight, Tylenol will now be my first thought.

Short Nights

No one ever told me that you can not make even the smallest change in a infants life and they become all out of whack. We recently moved and went through a huge change and I understood that he was not sleeping through the night. Finally it got better and all I did was change the height of the crib mattress and I was back to square one. I turned around the other day and he had pulled himself up to stand. I was ecstatic, he was reaching a milestone. Then he reached forward and I realized that the rail was only waist high and any further he would flip over. That was it, I had to move the mattress down. Now with that one small change he is back to getting up in the middle of the night, LORD HELP ME! Let us pray that after a few days things will settle down.
Still no teeth!