Bedtime 2.0

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by smartelectric, but as always, opinions are my own.

I mentioned in the last kidlet update that Leo is sleeping in his own room these days - which is great on so many levels.  Our family bed was getting pretty crowded with four of us in there.  He had been sleeping in his own bed for a bit, but bedtime was taking a ridiculous amount of time because I would put him to bed in his room, then put Zoe to bed in our room...or, jb would put him to sleep and I would put Zoe to sleep and both adults had to be out of commission for bedtime.  It just made sense for me to put them both to sleep in one fell swoop - the trade off was that our bed was crowded.

So we knew we had to make the switch back to Leo sleeping in his own room. Our strategy was to make his room a place he wants to spend time - rather than the room that stores his clothes, as it has been.  The key to making his room irresistible?  Bunk beds.

This is the face that captures how he feels about his new bed

His favorite friends love it, too

The bottom bunk is "Zoe's bunk"

But it's also a "reading club house"

The top bunk is his own territory.  We insisted that adults are too big to be on the top bunk (in part because I think I'd snap that bed like a twig and in part because the whole point is that we are trying to get him to sleep alone), and Zoe isn't able to get up there unassisted, so we've tried to sell it as his own little haven.

He even can indulge in a show

Of course, Leo invites Zoe up to hang out sometimes

So once his room was cemented in his mind as the best place on earth, our goal was to ease him into falling asleep in his bed alone.  This was totally new to him.  He has always fallen asleep snuggling with either jb or me.  Usually in the family bed, but even when he was in his own bed, I would lay with him or massage or cuddle him until he fell asleep - so sleeping without a human next to him is a brave new world.

We started with plenty of stuffed animals to keep him company.  Added some glow in the dark stars for ambiance.  His humidifier duck keeps him breathing easy.  That little penguin projects stars in different colors on the wall and ceiling.  And, as always, we read him a book before tucking him in.  Still...the transition from snuggling on our lap to tucked in alone in the dark needed something to make it seem less sudden.

This is why the timing was perfect when we were asked to review the Goodnight Dimmer SmartBulb.  The SmartBulb is shatterproof - which is awesome in a kids room.  When I first opened the box Leo yanked it out of my hand asking, "What's this?" and my first reaction was a slow motion "Noooooooo!"  But then I realize that it was no big deal because apparently you can throw it against the wall and it won't break into pieces thanks to a special coating.  (We did not test this theory, despite Leo's lobbying for it.)  These bulbs last up to 3x longer than traditional bulbs and come with the 2 year guarantee.  It's a green, energy saving, incandescent option - I didn't know that existed! - that was designed by a grandfather right here in PA.  

Bright Light

The coolest thing about this bulb, though?  It automatically dims.  No dimmer switch or special lamp required.  I just screwed it in to the inexpensive Ikea lamp in Leo's room and with a double click (switch it on twice in a row) it's set to slowly dim to a night light over a 20 minute period.  This allowed for a gentle transition for that part of Leo's bedtime routine that is still new.

Dimmed down to a drowsy night-light

So this is how it goes in our house for bedtime now (and it's been working): I set the bulb to slowly dim.  I tuck Leo in and kiss him goodnight.  Then I lay in the bottom bunk with Zoe and nurse her.  While the Smartbulb is doing it's thing, I put an audio story on my phone.  Leo lays in the top bunk, listening to the story, reassured that he's not alone since Zoe and I are in the bottom bunk, and the dimming light sends his body the message that it's time to wind down and rest.  

Next thing you know there are two sleeping kids.

Bottom bunk baby

Top bunk big kid

Beautiful, right?  This frees my evenings up to snuggle with jb, watch a show or write a bit.  Hallelujah!  Around midnight Zoe usually wakes up and I move her to our bed to put her back to sleep.  I'm loving being able to put both kids to bed at the same time AND having enough room in my own bed.

The one downside?  Now that Leo and Zoe are no longer bedmates there is no more synchronized sleeping.  Or well, not quite as cute...

Bunny is no Zoe

Sweet dreams, everyone!

Night!

Zoe Aurora is One!

Zoe turned one on Saturday.  Oh my big girl.  This morning my weekly e-mail was titled "Your Toddler" rather than "Your Baby" and it made me tear up a little.  Of course I still think she's a baby - heck, I still think Leo is a baby - but speaking of toddling - the kid is walking.  It's not her main mode of travel - but she will take steps without assistance if she is inspired to do so.  Leo wasn't walking at his first birthday.  On the other hand Leo had a good repertoire of words at one year (even complicated ones like "Talula") and Zoe only has two or three might-be-words.  Most notably "haaaaa" which is "hi."

She is quick crawler and while she still cries if she feels that I am walking away from her or leaving the room, she is quite brave about creating her own distance from me.  I cannot keep her in a room without the assistance of a door or a gate and when I took her to the wading pool at Sister Cities park she just cruised away until she was on the other side of the pool.  She didn't even look around to make sure I was still there.  

Zoe is still nursing several times a day, but isn't quite as nurse-centric as Leo was.  Leo would never pass up an opportunity to nurse - which was great because it was an easy way to comfort or quiet him anytime.  Zoe sometimes will accept it as a comfort measure, but she's quite in tune with when I'm just hoping it will keep her quiet.  She naturally responds by being as loud as possible.  She rarely nurses in public because she doesn't want to miss anything.  She's also taken to squirming and arching her back to force me to put her down when I'm trying to keep her in my lap.

[Warning: if you scare easily, you may want to sit down before watching this.]



She loves music and she loves dancing.  She loves it when Leo makes her laugh.  She likes remote controls.  Her favorite song is "Good Night" by Laurie Berkner and wants me to make every stuffed animal sing it.  She will shake the toy at me to let me know she wants it to sing and when I sing she is so happy and then kisses it good night (usually with a lot of tongue).



She loves swinging at the park and I can see her dying to run around and climb along with Leo.  She can go astounding stretches without a nap, but still easily falls asleep in the stroller/carseat/carrier when we are on the go.  She hates having anything on her head - so sun hats are not much help.

She mimics everything.  Sounds, movements, faces.  When we ask her to make "ojitos" it slays me - she squints her eyes and makes the funniest face.  She loves being outside.

So what did we do for her birthday?  We attended a summer concert.  But not just any concert: Dar Williams, which is a summer tradition for our family.  She loves a picnic and she loves music, so she felt right at home.  She even converted our cooler into a lounge chair.

We sang her happy birthday with her very own cake pop.

This was the best picture I got of her with it - but I suppose it's appropriate because she was surprisingly underwhelmed by the cake pop.  

Dar, on the other hand, she found very impressive.  Both kids stayed up dancing until ten o'clock and fell asleep on the way home in the car, but not before Dar led us in a family rendition of "If I Had A Hammer" - which is a family favorite, so it felt especially perfect to end the night.

Here is the post with a video of Leo dancing at a Dar concert a Zoe's age.  Here is Leo at a Dar concert last year:



And here are Leo and Zoe dancing at this year's Dar concert:



And just for kicks, here is a post from 2009 - back when jb and I went to a Dar concert with a pitcher of Sangria.  Oh man, how times have changed!

Zoe: 11 Months

Standing!

We are just a month shy of the one year milestone and I can't believe how quickly it all flew by.  What's new since last month?

Signing has exploded.  Zoe is signing more, milk/nurse, up, eat, water, play, and potty/diaper. I *think* I've seen efforts for sleep, thank you, and brother.  She supplements these signs with her own brand of creative signing (like pointing at my chest or patting her own chest if I'm not responding to the milk sign quickly enough) and a hilariously emphatic nodding of her head.  Signing is amazing.  The constant shrieking I was complaining about last month?  It's all but gone.  She's happier, I'm happier, we are all happier.

The emphatic head nodding is possibly my favorite thing ever.  It seems like it's her way of encouraging us when we are on the right track of guessing what she wants - but it makes her seem like the most agreeable baby in the world.  It doesn't really matter what we say, as long as we say it with a high question inflection - she will nod her little head furiously - trusting, hoping, that we are understanding what she is trying to convey.  "Zoe, do you want me to pick out all your brothers boogers and sprinkle them in these scrambled eggs I'm making for you?" *yesyesyesyesyes* "Zoe, do you think it would be fun to grab your hat, the diaper bag, the stroller and put on my shoes only to decide against a walk and put them all back?" *yesyesyesyesyes* And so on, and so on.  We can play this game for hours.

If she is very absorbed in an object/activity and I let go of her hand she will stand on her own for a decent chunk of time.  The moment she realizes she is standing, though, she will plop down onto her bum.

Sibling Nap with Diaper Pillow.  Classy.

Zoe LOVES to swing.  It elicits uncontrollable giggles - even when it's just her brother in the swing.  She is sharing - or at least offering whatever she has to whomever approaches her.  She mimics whatever her brother does.  She tries to color by tapping crayons on paper.  She points to the pictures in "I Spy" books when her brother is finding the objects.  She flips through books.  Presses buttons on the remote while holding it high.  She makes everything a phone.

More stroller napping

She gets SO excited by the Skype calling noise and is always so happy (and incredulous) to see family or friends on the screen talking to her.  She bounces and bounces the moment the sound starts and then looks to me as thought to say, "Are you seeing this, too?!?!" when someone appears on screen.

On daddy's shoulders

She's sleeping well and eating even better.  She still only has the two bottom teeth but I think I feel some bumps on her bottom gums.  She LOVES to drink water.  I can't drink water around her unless I'm prepared to share.  I can't really consume anything she's not allowed to have.  Leo has always been (and still is) very cool with the "some things just aren't for babies" rule.  Zoe patently rejects this rule.  In her world, everything is for babies.  The end.

Partners in Crime

She loves music and boogies anytime there's a beat.  She can crawl after you quite quickly, but if it becomes apparent that you are deliberately walking away from her and - heaven forbid - into another room, then she will just sit and cry pathetically until you come to collect her.

Soon Leo will be a spec behind her ear in
these lap pictures

She loves being outside.  She loves going for long walks.  She will often fall asleep in the stroller but it is VERY difficult to get her to lie back.  She will grab onto the tray and fall asleep with her head falling forward.  If I try to gently coax her into a recline after she falls asleep she will awaken and cry until I keep pushing the stroller.  I've mostly given up and started carrying a blanket in the diaper bag to wedge under her head.

Licking my water

This weekend we are going to get a bit ahead of ourselves and celebrate her birthday (along with Leo's) with some family and friends in Pittsburgh.  The days are long, but the years are short.  Just as they say.  One more month in this blink of a year - and on to the next.

Sunshine and Grass

Girl Loves Grass

First visit to the Zoo

Leo's Third Birthday

Today Leo turned three and I think (I hope) his birthday was all he dreamed it would be. We wanted to make the day special - but not too over the top. We wanted him to feel like it is his special day, while reminding him that it is also a special day for everyone that loves him.

(jb did this by telling him that, in a way, it is everyone's birthday because so many of us remember his birth and meeting him for the first time. This resulted in him wishing a happy birthday right back to everyone who wished him a happy birthday.)

The night before I stayed up decorating his chair and making a streamer doorway to the kitchen. When he's older perhaps I'll make one for his bedroom door, but these days he usually wakes up in our room.

jb took the morning off work so we were all able to have breakfast together. Leo and Zoe shared some fruit while I made pancakes. I whipped up some heavy cream with a touch of sugar for "icing" and added sprinkles, candles and singing. He was tickled that he got to eat "cake" for breakfast.  

Then he got some time to play with dad before lunch. For lunch he requested a hotdog, so we obliged with the stipulation that he start with a bowl of broccoli. After lunch, jb went into work and we had story time. We've had a bit of a sleep deficit around here, so he needed the rest and a friend recently passed along a large bag of books to us, so we were all set for an epic story time. 

After napping for a couple hours, he requested a trip to the playground - so off we went. We serendipitously ran into several friends and Leo had a great time. 

Soon dinner time rolled around and jb met up with us to go to Leo's current favorite restaurant, Manakeesh. We ate flatbreads and drank lemonade and just as we were going to wrap it up we surprised him with a mini-cupcake and candle and another round of birthday songs and wishes - interestingly, he wished for a cupcake. 

Finally, we walked home and got ready for bed and he fell asleep pretty darn happy. 

Throughout the day he kept saying he was having a really great birthday - which was really nice to hear, and I believed him. We also received several calls from family to wish him a happy birthday - this is where the "It's a special day for all of us" lesson was repeated. He doesn't have a ton of patience for phone calls to begin with, multiply that by eight and add the distraction of balloons, and, well, it can devolve quickly. But he did pretty well thanking people for their calls and telling them about his day. 

I know kids get harder to impress as they get older, but man, today was perfect. His excitement and happiness were perfect. We managed to get through the day with minimal overwhelmed-ness and no meltdowns, so I hope that sets the tone for the year. 

Leo says his favorite part of the day was the cake - for me, I think it was his birthday interview. The video isn't perfect (almost 15 minutes long and features a cameo of Zoe screaming) but I'm hoping to post it, and perhaps a transcript, soon. 

A Dozen Years

This past weekend jb and I quietly celebrated our 12 year anniversary with a Thai food delivery and a viewing of Monsters Inc. with the kids.  Tres romantic.  I was thinking back to years past and how we'd celebrated - and how much things have changed over the last dozen years.  It made me nostalgic and I looked back at some blog posts.

Seven Years
Eight Years
Nine Years
Ten Years
As for year eleven - apparently I didn't blog about our anniversary last year.

In the year eight post I wrote: "Here's hoping that in another eight years we're looking back on today and marvelling at how young and carefree we were."  Well, it only took four years - but I wouldn't trade it.

Zoe: Eight Months

Zo-za-belle is eight months old!  And - drumroll....we have a tooth!!  It broke through the very day she turned eight months old.  This may explain why she has not been quite as content as usual.  There has been a spike in shrieking and she does NOT like it if I step out of the room she's in.

Zoe` has developed some quirky fears - most notably of the green rubber gloves jb wears to wash dishes.  Zoe will whimper and shriek in clear distress if jb comes near her wearing them.  Zoe also seems to have an intense dislike for balloons (which were Leo's FAVORITE at this age) and swings (as in sitting in them and swinging - which was also Leo's FAVORITE thing in the world at this age).

She is waving - and when she does it, it sounds like she's saying "Hiiiiii."  She likes to sing along when I sing to her - just kind of making "ahhhhh" sounds softly and, in my opinion, melodically.  She also really likes call and response games like echoing sounds or "startling" us with an "eh!" If we continue to act startled at each "eh!" she will keep doing it indefinitely with many, many giggles.

She certainly got the hang of eating.  She can down a whole jar of puree in one sitting and can chow down on finger foods.  She will not stand for people eating in front of her without sharing.  Her favorites are scrambled eggs, banana-blueberry oatmeal cookies (baked with love by Leo), and cheerios.

After a blueberry-banana cookie

She recognizes her name and will turn to look at the appropriate person if we say "Where's _____?"

She is pulling up and is very happy standing to play.  She is scooting on her belly quite fast and will get up to crawl on hands an knees for a few paces before getting frustrated and dropping back down to her belly to go quicker.

At her pediatrician appointment she was in the 95th percentile for height and the 75th percentile for weight - weighing in at 19 lbs and one oz.  She's a big girl!  And we are all so happy she's ours.

Zoe: Seven Months

Happy Seven Months Zo-Zo!

My sweet Zoe Aurora is seven months old.  She's getting so big.  Even Leo tells her, "Zo!  Look how big you are!  You are sitting all by yourself!" whenever I sit her on his lap - which he requests daily.

I still can't seem to get it through my head that she often (for a baby, anyway) wants to be set down.  She's not really a cryer, so when she does fuss I hold her, and pat her, and rock her and and generally try to physically comfort her.  And many, many times she doesn't soothe until I put her down.  Or, visa versa - if she is playing on the floor by herself and she starts to whimper I pick her up only to realize that she really just couldn't reach her toy.  I CAN'T GET USED TO THIS.  It's so different than with Leo.  The girl is an independent woman.

Zoe: Six Months

This kid...she's happy.  My wish for her is that she is able to hold onto this innate happiness for the rest of her life.  Zoe turned six months old just before Christmas.  There's a lot more of the same - cute, smiley, babiness.

Still no teeth.  I thought there was a tooth.  I even announced it on facebook and cried a little about the milestone - but apparently I was mistaken.  I could have SWORN...maybe it peeked out and retracted back up.  Yeah, that must be it.

She's still on the only a taste here and there of solid food plan.  Mostly because we are (again) at my parents' home for a few weeks and I really just don't want to be dealing with solid food diapers while not in the comfort of my own home.  Is that a valid reason for delaying solids?  I don't know.  Come mid January and she can have all the sweet potatoes she wants.

Zoe: Four Months

The Zoester is four months old!  And folks, we are deep in teething country.  There are no signs of actual teeth...but oh the drool!

As seems to be her personality, Zoe has remained upbeat so far, but does show some signs of discomfort including chewing, restless sleep and spontaneous crying.  Poor bug.

At 26.25 inches and 15 lb 12 oz she is at the 95th and 90th percentile for height and weight respectively.  

Zoe: Three Months

Zoe at Three Months

Our happy-go-lucky baby girl is three months old.  Three months is such an awesome age - the cusp between tiny newborn and bouncing baby.  She can keep her head up no problem, likes to always be sitting up when awake, has my father's wildly expressive eyebrows and loves to smile her crooked smile.  

She's laughed a handful of times (the first time because jb coughed - hilarious), but even though she is super smiley the laughs don't come as easily yet.  She does like it when we clap her hands for her quickly and we blalalalalala with our tongue.  

Zoe's Birth Story: The Longest Two-Hour Birth Story You Will Ever Read

In daddy's arms for the first time

Leading Up To The Big Day

I was shocked when I made it to my "due" date (June 21st) since I had been yapping about how sure I was that this baby was going to come early.  Oh, mother's intuition...  My sister, Larissa, had been in town for a few days already and had been helping me prepare the house for our impending arrival as well as doing fun things with Leo (since I was pretty much house-bound).  My feet were massively swollen, but I wasn't very concerned about it since the same thing had happened toward the end of my pregnancy with Leo and my blood pressure had been steady.

I had a midwife appointment on my due date (Thursday) and there was a touch of protein in my urine and my blood pressure was slightly elevated.  That combined with the swelling made her suggest stripping my membranes to (possibly) get labor going - because if I didn't have the baby in the next 48 hrs they would need to monitor my blood pressure and protein very closely.  I agreed and when she checked me she found that I was already 5 cm dilated (halfway there!) and that the baby's head was so low and pressed against my cervix that not only could she feel the head - but she could feel the baby's heartbeat through the fontanelle.  Wild.  She gave us the names of the on-call midwives for the next few days and said she'd be surprised if we weren't back before the end of the weekend.

Going From a Family of Three to a Family of Four

My Family Today

These last few days (weeks, months) are so very bittersweet.  We are all so looking forward to bug's arrival, but I am feeling wistful about our time as a trio coming to an end.  The last two years jb and Leo have been my whole life - we have settled into our roles and built a great little family team.  Of course we have had to change and grow over that time - and adding a new team member will just be another way we grow.  I know this.

It's just that we have created this world; just the three of us - and it's all we've known for what seems like forever.  In reality though, it's only been two short years.  Ten years down the line this stage as a family of three will be a tiny blip on our timeline.  It's so strange to think that someday it will be hard to remember life before bug (as it is now to recall life before Leo).  That makes me want to soak up these last moments.

I am mourning a bit some of the things we will be giving up - mostly the one on one time and undivided attention that Leo gets.  But the more I think about it - while it is true that we cherish those moments we each get with one another, we are all happiest when we are all together.  I think that will still be true when we are a foursome.

Not to mention all that we will gain.  Especially Leo.  jb and I both cherish our siblings - and I really think that Leo is going to be a fantastic big brother.  I just know that they will love each other so much - I think they already do.  I already get so much joy just imagining them playing together, helping each other and being their own kind of team - I can't wait to witness it in person.

So even though I know that ultimately all these changes (while possibly presenting some challenging transitions) will be positive for our family, I'm still trying to savor these last days of just the three of us.

The Big T-W-O

Yesterday, Leo turned two years old.  Initially, our plan to celebrate this milestone was to basically try to recreate his first birthday party - because we had all had such an awesome time, and much of our family is in Pittsburgh.  So months ago we reserved the same pavilion in the same park (for this Saturday) and planned to head to Pittsburgh at the end of this week to recreate the magic - from the menu to the piñata .

Unfortunately, we recently lost a family member and his memorial was scheduled for the same day.  We didn't want to miss the memorial (which is in another city entirely, so doing both was out of the question) and we didn't want family to have to choose to attend one event over the other, so we cancelled Leo's birthday party.  Bummer on every level.

State Of The Big Brother

Here is a quick check-in with the soon-to-be big brother.  He didn't exactly dress up for the interview - he didn't even wear pants.  His stylist is so fired.

Just A Month Shy of the Big T-W-O

Next month Leo turns two.  I can hardly believe it.  He's this awesome/challenging mix of baby and big boy.  One minute he's running full speed down the hallway yelling "no-no-no-no" and the next he's curled on my lap nursing and tucking his toes into each other like he has since infancy.

Recently he has had a lot of extra energy (or maybe the third tri has depleted mine to the point that it just seems that way? No, jb and my mother agree...) and has been really asserting his independence.  It's been challenging and for the last few weeks I've chocked it up to travel/exhaustion/new place/break in routine/adjusting back home - but we've been home for a week now and he is as energetic and willful as ever...so maybe this is just our new normal?

On the other hand, he does seem to be working on those 2nd year molars - and has even woken up screaming with both hands in his mouth a few times - so, perhaps it will pass when the teeth break through.  Either way, it's our current reality, so I'm trying to find ways to balance his toddler vitality with my pregnancy sluggishness.

Big Boy Bed

We've got several circumstances in our home that have nudged us to shift our usual sleeping situation.  Usually, jb, Leo and I all sleep together in our king-size bed.  For both naps and bedtime I would lay with him and nurse him to sleep, then either I would sneak away until I was ready for bed - or these days, more often I would sleep with him.

This was working out great for us for the last 22 months - but a few factors had us reassessing this system lately.

1.  There is a baby coming in June.  This is inevitably going to change everything up - and since this new addition will most likely affect my availability for bedtime AND the dynamic of our family bed, we don't want Leo to associate any jarring changes with the arrival of bug.

20 Months

 Twenty months seems so old - for a baby.  It feels like "almost two" more than "one and a half".  So what's new?

His language is still growing by leaps and bounds.  He's stringing together words and ideas.  He pops up with words that I don't recall teaching him or only saying in front of him one or two times.  He is speaking more and more clearly - which is great for our comprehension, but sad for me because it's like he's shedding his babyhood.  Kecko is becoming Queso.  Fort is becoming Horse.