The two big topics of conversation around my peers (aka other parents with babies) these days include 1) when people plan to have their next child and 2) sleep. Ironically, people seem excited in general about having children and furious at how little they get to sleep.
People love to talk about their baby's sleeping patterns and schedules. And that's because most every parent I've met is sleep deprived and wants to know the magic secret to having your children go to sleep, stay asleep, and sleep again during the day.
I've read loads on this topic. I engage in these conversations enthusiastically. I can complain with the best of them that, until recently, Rachel has not been good at napping for very long. I dish out advice with the best of 'em. I brag because Rachel can fall asleep well in a car seat, stroller, backpack, etc. and travels well during the day because of this. Lately have we really worked on a nap schedule in the crib, and I can safely say that she will now nap for a total of 2-3 hours during the day. That is why I've been on the computer so much lately - it's a quiet activity that does not wake her up!
Night times have been all over the map for us. In fact, we have statistics below to show it. When she was a newborn, she didn't sleep all the time like other newborns. She was alert and wanted to be up and play. I expected to sleep very little with a wee baby because that's what everyone talks about with newborns. But quickly, she learned to sleep decently at night. In fact, by 10 weeks old, life looked pretty good to us as she started sleeping well. At 4 months old, we were celebrating what amazing parents we were because our baby had a great, early bedtime routine and went to sleep nicely and slept through the night well... often sleeping 11hrs straight.
At 5 months old, Rachel seemed starving to me. I nursed through the night all the time and sleep escaped us. After solid foods were started, we launched into some serious sleep training as we screamed and cried and tore our hair out letting her 'cry it out' and it worked brilliantly. We entered the work day like normal people after a good night's rest. We didn't even mind the 5am wake up because our baby slept well often from 7:30pm until 5am. Life felt pretty normal.
Then Rachel learned to stand up in her crib, and problems returned. We had to go in and lie her down over and over and over and this didn't work well for letting her cry if she woke up. Then we moved and went on a long trip and she became used to snuggling in bed with mommy and nursing at night once again. Then we moved into our new home and sleep training began again. It didn't work at all this time and we came up with many reasons why: teething, stuffy nose, not being consistent, not waiting long enough, waiting too long, new environment, new schedule... etc. It was rough. We've been grumpy. We have not been particularly on the ball with tasks or patient with others. I think it is actually harder to be sleep deprived now than it was with a newborn because I got used to sleeping well again, briefly, and then had that taken away.
This past weekend Rachel slept 3 nights in a row for over 8 hours straight, and we breathed relief. We smiled. We slept in until 7am one morning and dreamed of morning snuggles for months to come. We celebrated the fact that Rachel was now old enough to sleep through the night and our days of exhaustion were over.
We were, of course, wrong. Rachel has a new habit of pooping multiple times a night and has kept us awake plenty of times this week and we are TIRED. I know we are luckier than other parents. But still, the lucky parents who say that their baby has slept well through the night since they were 6 weeks old and nap for 3 hours IN A ROW every day... those parents almost make me cry. (I'm only slightly exaggerating.)
So I'll keep reading. I'll keep talking about it. I'll keep notes. I'll celebrate any day that Rachel naps for longer than 90 min in a row. I'll jump for joy after any night that she sleeps for 8 hours or more straight. But, above all else, I'll keep hoping that we can return to sleeping through the night consistently, once again.
And until then, by the way, there will be no serious talks about having any more children in this household.
PS - Here are the 'stats'.
Rachel slept 8 hours straight or more this many nights in these months over the last year:
Oct, Nov- 0
Dec - 2
Jan - 7
Feb - 8
Mar - 1
Apr - 2
May - 11
June - 29
July - 5
Aug - 0
Sept - 3
September 30, 2011
September 26, 2011
The Shed
Well, it doesn't take most people over 3 weeks to put together a shed from Lowes. But it's finally finished! We started this project on Sept 3rd when Nana was visiting.It took us many trips to the store to decide what shed could hold all our bikes, skis, and other gear. We decided on a metal shed that is 8' x 10', and then realized we had to drag the heavy box home. (It took 2 Lowes employees plus both of us to load it into the car.) Later, we decided we had better put plywood down as a floor, which resulted in 3 more trips to Lowes (don't ask).
Now, let's back up a little ... we are pretty experienced movers. We've put together many pieces of IKEA furniture. But handymen we are not. And Rachel is not very helpful with projects like these. Yet I think we have finally put together all the pieces. Well, maybe not. But really, what's a project like this without a couple small extra pieces?
But we did use all 338 screws (no, seriously, that's how many were listed on the packing list) and we are pretty proud of our shed.
Here's a look at the whole project:
Now, let's back up a little ... we are pretty experienced movers. We've put together many pieces of IKEA furniture. But handymen we are not. And Rachel is not very helpful with projects like these. Yet I think we have finally put together all the pieces. Well, maybe not. But really, what's a project like this without a couple small extra pieces?
But we did use all 338 screws (no, seriously, that's how many were listed on the packing list) and we are pretty proud of our shed.
Here's a look at the whole project:
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| Floor - end of day 1 |
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| That's a LOT of screws, nuts, bolts, and plastic washers |
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| Walls on after Day 2 |
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| Rachel asleep in car on way home from Lowes with plywood |
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| We drove home like this with the trunk open |
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boxes help hold roof braces on |
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| Roof on after Day 4+ |
Falling in love with Boulder bike paths and other perks
What a great new city we live in! We are really enjoying it here.
One of the amazing things here is all the terrific bike paths that can get you just about anywhere. On Saturday morning, Jason was coaching and grading so Rachel and I went on a bike adventure. We loaded her Chariot full of styrofoam and set out on the bike path. We biked all the way out the the recycle plant and dropped off our styrofoam. (It's free of charge if you come by bike!) Then we biked into town to explore the farmer's market and the 'Fall Festival'. We bought cherry tomatoes and walked around exploring tents, crafts, food, and balloon makers/clowns.
Sunday we had an awesome family day. We decided not to hike up a 14er after all since Rachel has a runny nose and we've been feeling a little run down ourselves. So we went for a family run in the morning on the trails, and then in the late afternoon we went on another bike ride. Since we had some Denny's coupons and had cravings for breakfast fare, we biked there, had dinner, and biked home. Rachel is a pancake eating machine!
Another perk to Boulder is how close it is to fun kids activities... like the Denver Zoo. We've been three times since we moved here and are already Zoo members. We went last week with a group of moms and babies and saw a cheetah, elephant, monkeys, gorillas, orangutans (including the baby), brown and grizzly bears, lemurs and flamingos. Today we went again and saw leopards, tigers, a polar bear, seals, sea lions, giraffes, lions, zebras, foxes and camels. Not a bad way to spend a morning!
I have no pictures of Rachel doing any of these things... but we do have some silly videos of her playing lately.
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| Rachel stands alone |
One of the amazing things here is all the terrific bike paths that can get you just about anywhere. On Saturday morning, Jason was coaching and grading so Rachel and I went on a bike adventure. We loaded her Chariot full of styrofoam and set out on the bike path. We biked all the way out the the recycle plant and dropped off our styrofoam. (It's free of charge if you come by bike!) Then we biked into town to explore the farmer's market and the 'Fall Festival'. We bought cherry tomatoes and walked around exploring tents, crafts, food, and balloon makers/clowns.
Sunday we had an awesome family day. We decided not to hike up a 14er after all since Rachel has a runny nose and we've been feeling a little run down ourselves. So we went for a family run in the morning on the trails, and then in the late afternoon we went on another bike ride. Since we had some Denny's coupons and had cravings for breakfast fare, we biked there, had dinner, and biked home. Rachel is a pancake eating machine!
Another perk to Boulder is how close it is to fun kids activities... like the Denver Zoo. We've been three times since we moved here and are already Zoo members. We went last week with a group of moms and babies and saw a cheetah, elephant, monkeys, gorillas, orangutans (including the baby), brown and grizzly bears, lemurs and flamingos. Today we went again and saw leopards, tigers, a polar bear, seals, sea lions, giraffes, lions, zebras, foxes and camels. Not a bad way to spend a morning!
I have no pictures of Rachel doing any of these things... but we do have some silly videos of her playing lately.
September 21, 2011
Hair, words, tongues, arches
I thought our next blog would be about finishing the shed in our backyard and finally unpacking our last boxes and showing a clean and organized house. Well, we're not there yet.
But Rachel is doing some fun things. Her one little tooth is about half way up and seems to want to stay there. She wants to hold your hand and walk everywhere, but she doesn't seem to understand that people do this without holding on to your hands for support just yet.
Her hair continues to grow so we started playing with hair clips and pigtails. She is not interested in these contraptions and tugs at them and complains. So, I cut her hair again for the 4th time and now her bangs are short again. Still I'm hoping for winter pigtails under her hat so she doesn't get a tangled rat's nest like she did last time we went camping.
She is starting to communicate more. She can sign for 'more' and wave and clap a little bit better all the time. She will copy your gestures also - if you sing 'If you're happy and you know it shout hooray!' and put your arms up overhead, she will also put her arms up overhead. During 'itsy bitsy spider' she tries to gesture for the rain and the spider a little bit.
She thinks tongues are very funny. I'm not sure where this has come from but they make her giggle.
She knows the meaning of the word 'no' and sometimes follows these instructions. Other times, she doesn't, and continues to empty the drawer or box that she is exploring!
We think she has said her first few words, although this wasn't the historical moment we thought it would be. She has said 'dadada' and 'mamama' for months but we don't think she has really known it to mean people. However, she does say 'dada' after he leaves out the door and she does say 'mama' when she's sad and I come over to pick her up. But her first official word we are going to count as 'dog'. She loves dogs! She kicks and squeals with delight if she sees one down the street. She has books and songs and clothes about dogs and the other day she consistently pointed to a dog and said 'DA!' several times.
She hasn't done this since, however, so it's not a mastered skill. But we've written it in her baby book anyway.
Last weekend we hiked up the local favorite hike called 'Royal Arch'. Jason did the hard work of carrying Rachel in the backpack for the steeper ascent and the more technical work. It was a nice day, a good workout for us all, and a good break from school work for Jason. Rachel stayed awake the whole time because we saw 22 dogs while we were out for less than 3 hours so she spent half the time panting and shrieking with excitement!
This coming weekend we hope to take Rachel up her first mountain over 14,000ft. I wonder if she'll see any dogs there and say 'DOG!'?
But Rachel is doing some fun things. Her one little tooth is about half way up and seems to want to stay there. She wants to hold your hand and walk everywhere, but she doesn't seem to understand that people do this without holding on to your hands for support just yet.
She is starting to communicate more. She can sign for 'more' and wave and clap a little bit better all the time. She will copy your gestures also - if you sing 'If you're happy and you know it shout hooray!' and put your arms up overhead, she will also put her arms up overhead. During 'itsy bitsy spider' she tries to gesture for the rain and the spider a little bit.
She thinks tongues are very funny. I'm not sure where this has come from but they make her giggle.
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| Emptying the bathroom drawers |
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| Emptying videos and papers from an office box |
We think she has said her first few words, although this wasn't the historical moment we thought it would be. She has said 'dadada' and 'mamama' for months but we don't think she has really known it to mean people. However, she does say 'dada' after he leaves out the door and she does say 'mama' when she's sad and I come over to pick her up. But her first official word we are going to count as 'dog'. She loves dogs! She kicks and squeals with delight if she sees one down the street. She has books and songs and clothes about dogs and the other day she consistently pointed to a dog and said 'DA!' several times.
She hasn't done this since, however, so it's not a mastered skill. But we've written it in her baby book anyway.
Last weekend we hiked up the local favorite hike called 'Royal Arch'. Jason did the hard work of carrying Rachel in the backpack for the steeper ascent and the more technical work. It was a nice day, a good workout for us all, and a good break from school work for Jason. Rachel stayed awake the whole time because we saw 22 dogs while we were out for less than 3 hours so she spent half the time panting and shrieking with excitement!
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| Jason and Rachel at overlook |
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| Rachel points out the Royal Arch |
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| Nursing at the overlook - view over Boulder |
This coming weekend we hope to take Rachel up her first mountain over 14,000ft. I wonder if she'll see any dogs there and say 'DOG!'?
September 12, 2011
Blue Lake
Sat we packed up and headed out after lunch toward Fort Collins. Our friend (and wedding MC) Roger and his buddy Eric met us there (where they live) and took us West out Hwy 14 along Poudre Canyon. A very pretty drive! Lots of fishermen out in the water along the way and trails heading off all over the place. Did we mention that the entire State seems to be FULL of parkland and trails?! Very cool. So - up we went - away from the dry hot Front Range and into the mountains. :)
Rachel did well on the drive until the last portion of it, where she let us know she was hungry for dinner and we responded by handing her bits of food until we arrived.
After some discussion about where we should actually camp, and finding a free and legal campsite, we unpacked. Car camping has become our friend and we are getting better at packing everything but the kitchen sink when we go now. We brought real pillows on this trip! (In fact, in our unpacking process we've learned that we own 8 pillows and deemed 2 of them car camping pillows.) Our friend Amber gave us her Big Bertha tent, which we had been using on loan on previous trips. It takes two people to set up and it weighs quite a bit, but we can stand up inside and put Rachel's travel crib inside it. Roger and Eric helped entertain Rachel and give her wild berries (don't worry - they are professional woodsmen and know their stuff) while Jason and Meggan set up the tent, the travel crib, and started dinner. We fed Rachel chicken, carrot, broccoli, fruit leather, toast pieces, and apple sauce. Then we took turns eating our very basic dinner of tortellini and pasta sauce out of a jar. (On our next car camping adventure, we might even pack butter and spices and fancy food.) Rachel decided that looked yummy, too, so she went ahead and ate half of Meggan's first serving. Rachel must have inherited her Mommy's second stomach - she can really pack it away! We tried to encourage her to drink as much as possible, and even put water in a bottle for her to drink in the car, while camping, and while hiking. She played with it more than she drank out of it, but it was worth a shot.
The toughest part about camping with Rachel is keeping her warm enough. We have the benefit of warm down sleeping bags, but infants and down don't mix safely. So we wrapped Rachel in layers: a warm sleeper, a fleece suit that goes over a sleeper, a warm fleece sleep sack, and then a soft fleecy blanket over her and another under her. She also had a purple fleece toque with a chin/ear strap and in the night I added a pair of socks over her hands. She looked like a white fleece starfish. She had so many layers on she couldn't move her arms or legs - they just stuck out and she couldn't move.
So Rachel said good night to everyone else around the campfire and did her bedtime routine and then screamed and screamed. After a diaper change, she went down much better. The adults actually got to relax around a campfire for a little while and eat S'Mores (mmmm thanks Roger!) under the full moon and perfect clear starry night. As it got colder, we decided to turn in. It took us a while to get warm in our down sleeping bags, and we worried that Rachel might not be warm enough. I think we were at about 10,000ft and we think the temperature got down to about 34F (1C).
She woke up at 12 midnight and her hands were cold. Her trunk, head, and legs felt fine. So Meggan nursed her and put her little hands next to Mommy's skin for a while and she went back to sleep without any troubles. The same thing happened again at 4am. Rachel woke up at 6am ready to play... but it wasn't very light out or very warm out yet so we sang songs, read books, and snuggled up in the tent for a little while before Jason took Rachel for a morning stroll outside.
After a successful breakfast and packing up, Rachel was tired and cranky and ready for her morning nap. She took it about 15 minutes into the hike, in the backpack, as we started out on the trail. We had a 5 mile/8km hike in to Blue Lake, along a very good trail with a slight gradual incline. We were a little uncertain how the day would go and how long it would take us, since we're used to hiking about 2 hrs max with Rachel. But, as usual, she did awesome the whole time. Roger and Eric left us for their own adventure at about the 3.5 mile mark, and we continued to the lake. The weather was perfect - blue sky and warm. It took us over 2 hours to get the to lake, where we ate lunch and played for at least 30 minutes before deciding we should get going because the clouds were rolling in and the wind was picking up. But nothing came of this and we had a pleasant walk back to the car. The last 30 minutes seemed to take forever, but we made it back without any trouble.
An interesting note about Rachel's hair. Not only is it getting lighter, and even taking on a red tinge, but it is getting longer. So after wearing a hat again all night and all day, she had some interesting tangles and things sticking up everywhere. Time for conditioner and de-tangle strategies! Might have to move to a pony tail or clip strategy in the future.
We explored some smaller highways on the way home and saw huge fancy ranch houses at the base of the mountains as we headed South back to Boulder. Rachel complained for the last 30 minutes of the drive but was happy again once she was fed. When we got home, we ate, unpacked, and put ourselves all to bed.
All in all it was a lovely weekend, a fantastic family outing, and a terrific way to recharge our batteries for what is likely to be a busy week ahead!
Rachel did well on the drive until the last portion of it, where she let us know she was hungry for dinner and we responded by handing her bits of food until we arrived.
After some discussion about where we should actually camp, and finding a free and legal campsite, we unpacked. Car camping has become our friend and we are getting better at packing everything but the kitchen sink when we go now. We brought real pillows on this trip! (In fact, in our unpacking process we've learned that we own 8 pillows and deemed 2 of them car camping pillows.) Our friend Amber gave us her Big Bertha tent, which we had been using on loan on previous trips. It takes two people to set up and it weighs quite a bit, but we can stand up inside and put Rachel's travel crib inside it. Roger and Eric helped entertain Rachel and give her wild berries (don't worry - they are professional woodsmen and know their stuff) while Jason and Meggan set up the tent, the travel crib, and started dinner. We fed Rachel chicken, carrot, broccoli, fruit leather, toast pieces, and apple sauce. Then we took turns eating our very basic dinner of tortellini and pasta sauce out of a jar. (On our next car camping adventure, we might even pack butter and spices and fancy food.) Rachel decided that looked yummy, too, so she went ahead and ate half of Meggan's first serving. Rachel must have inherited her Mommy's second stomach - she can really pack it away! We tried to encourage her to drink as much as possible, and even put water in a bottle for her to drink in the car, while camping, and while hiking. She played with it more than she drank out of it, but it was worth a shot.
The toughest part about camping with Rachel is keeping her warm enough. We have the benefit of warm down sleeping bags, but infants and down don't mix safely. So we wrapped Rachel in layers: a warm sleeper, a fleece suit that goes over a sleeper, a warm fleece sleep sack, and then a soft fleecy blanket over her and another under her. She also had a purple fleece toque with a chin/ear strap and in the night I added a pair of socks over her hands. She looked like a white fleece starfish. She had so many layers on she couldn't move her arms or legs - they just stuck out and she couldn't move.
So Rachel said good night to everyone else around the campfire and did her bedtime routine and then screamed and screamed. After a diaper change, she went down much better. The adults actually got to relax around a campfire for a little while and eat S'Mores (mmmm thanks Roger!) under the full moon and perfect clear starry night. As it got colder, we decided to turn in. It took us a while to get warm in our down sleeping bags, and we worried that Rachel might not be warm enough. I think we were at about 10,000ft and we think the temperature got down to about 34F (1C).
She woke up at 12 midnight and her hands were cold. Her trunk, head, and legs felt fine. So Meggan nursed her and put her little hands next to Mommy's skin for a while and she went back to sleep without any troubles. The same thing happened again at 4am. Rachel woke up at 6am ready to play... but it wasn't very light out or very warm out yet so we sang songs, read books, and snuggled up in the tent for a little while before Jason took Rachel for a morning stroll outside.
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| Rachel shows off tangles in hair |
We explored some smaller highways on the way home and saw huge fancy ranch houses at the base of the mountains as we headed South back to Boulder. Rachel complained for the last 30 minutes of the drive but was happy again once she was fed. When we got home, we ate, unpacked, and put ourselves all to bed.
All in all it was a lovely weekend, a fantastic family outing, and a terrific way to recharge our batteries for what is likely to be a busy week ahead!
September 8, 2011
Rachel in Boulder
Well, we've been here nearly one month and Rachel is nearly 11 months old! Wow. Her baby pictures don't look like her at all anymore - she's now blond, smiling slyly, getting into everything, and standing up like a big girl.
So here's what Rachel and I (Meggan) are up to these days while Jason is at work so much. I'm relieved to be able to report a bit of a schedule/routine, even if I wish it included more sleep for Rachel. Also, Rachel still nurses 5 times during the day and once in the night, which is a lot but fine for us for now.
5:30am - wake up, Jason gets ready for work and leaves - Rachel and I do breakfast, diaper change, get dressed, clean up kitchen. Rachel likes to help with kitchen activities like unloading the dishwasher or emptying the bottom drawers. One of Rachel's favorite things to do these days is hold out an object to give it to you, hand it over, and then ask for it back. This game can go on and on and on.
8:30am - Rachel goes down for her morning nap, which usually lasts 30 min and allows me to shower, get dressed, and email all you folks.
9:30am - leave for morning activity. On Monday, Tuesday, and Friday this is a walk or a hike. On Wed we go to the library and on Thurs we go to African music.
11:30/12 - home for lunch
12:30pm - Rachel goes down for a nap, which usually is an hour but we're always hoping for more.
2pm - snack and then afternoon activity. On Mondays this is a structured playgroup at the church downtown. Other days it's grocery shopping/errands/play in the park.
4pm - Rachel is tired and wants to nap again so if we're out driving or walking, she'll fall asleep. If we're home we keep her awake by playing in the house. Favorite play times in the house include:
- opening and closing any doors or cupboards
- if Rachel can find her way into the bathroom, emptying the toilet paper roll or splashing toilet water
- standing up and pushing the stroller around the living room
- reading stories
- emptying out the clothes drawers or taking laundry off the drying rack or out of the laundry basket
- playing catch
(in this video we are playing catch and clapping and laughing, but then Rachel sees the camera)
- standing on own
- trying to clap and singing songs about clapping
- crawling around outside and crawling up the steps that lead into the house
5pm - Rachel has her dinner, usually this is also when I cook dinner for us
6:30pm - Jason arrives home if it's a regular night and he's not late from parent night or softball game. Jason and Rachel play, Meggan and Jason eat, and every other night Rachel has a bath
7pm - start bedtime routine and Rachel goes to sleep
9pm - Meggan and Jason fall asleep and hope that Rachel will continue to sleep as well. We have very squeaky floor boards in this house so anything near our room means being very quiet and tiptoeing around
11:30pm - Rachel wakes up. One of us goes in and tells her to go back to sleep. Often she settles well.
3:30pm - Rachel wakes up screaming and convinced that she is starving and needs her mommy. Her first tooth is also poking out barely, and slowly slowly creeping its way into the world. We try to go through our sleep training process but often I give in after a while and nurse Rachel back to sleep. This is a work in progress, and I've got to stop this soon so we can all sleep more.
5:30am - repeat as above.
It's interesting to see the trends of what other caregivers in Boulder do and don't do with their kids. Examples:
- Everyone thinks I'm crazy for planning on nursing Rachel beyond 12 months
- Generally the recommendation on solid food here is a bit different than it was in Penticton. Babies here tend to be encouraged to have purees for longer than we were used to. Some parents are shocked to see what Rachel can take down with no teeth and not choke.
- Ergo-style front and back carriers are prominent here and kids are carried in these devices all over town. Strollers are found in the small umbrella style on the bus or the bigger jogging kind for running or exercising. I get weird looks when I take the bigger stroller on the bus. This whole trend has inspired me to continue using the BabyBjorn carrier with Rachel more than I did at home, despite the fact that it's hard on my body after a while because Rachel is getting a bit big for it.
- Many moms work part time and have an at-home nanny for their little one when they work. Dads seems to work full time (I haven't met any Stay At Home Dads).
- Some people use cloth diapers but most use bleach-free/chlorine free disposables.
- Everything is organic here. This includes most food, baby food, baby clothes, etc. I'm not sold on this added expense in life, and actually find it annoying to pay more for food because it's organic.
- Parents tend to split the weekends. For example, moms get Sat off to go do their own thing while Dad stays with baby for the day. Sunday the Dad gets the day off while Mom has baby. Jason and I tend to do everything together as a family on weekends except when he is planning/working/coaching/marking for school.
Finding some BALANCE.
Being a SAHM (stay at home mom) has its beautiful perks and its hardships. I really miss work, but it sounds like it will be many, many months before a Green card comes through. It's nice to meet other moms and go to playgroups and walks and explore. i am happy to be meeting more moms and hope that I can develop these into good friendships over time. I miss my old friends. I miss their support. It's fun to giggle with Rachel. If I could, I would choose to work part time and be with Rachel part time. But we're making the best of it.
Jason also hasn't found much time for himself. He's working and coaching and trying to stay ahead of his classes but constantly feels like he's getting behind.
Last night we each took a turn going for a short run, since over the last month we have hardly exercised at all. We need to find time to take better care of ourselves and get time on our own.
This weekend we have to finish the shed and get some things out of the rain, but we also hope to go CAMPING!!! YAY!!!
So here's what Rachel and I (Meggan) are up to these days while Jason is at work so much. I'm relieved to be able to report a bit of a schedule/routine, even if I wish it included more sleep for Rachel. Also, Rachel still nurses 5 times during the day and once in the night, which is a lot but fine for us for now.
5:30am - wake up, Jason gets ready for work and leaves - Rachel and I do breakfast, diaper change, get dressed, clean up kitchen. Rachel likes to help with kitchen activities like unloading the dishwasher or emptying the bottom drawers. One of Rachel's favorite things to do these days is hold out an object to give it to you, hand it over, and then ask for it back. This game can go on and on and on.
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| Unloading dishwasher |
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| Handing over a spoon, and asking for it back |
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| Emptying out the bottom drawer |
9:30am - leave for morning activity. On Monday, Tuesday, and Friday this is a walk or a hike. On Wed we go to the library and on Thurs we go to African music.
11:30/12 - home for lunch
12:30pm - Rachel goes down for a nap, which usually is an hour but we're always hoping for more.
2pm - snack and then afternoon activity. On Mondays this is a structured playgroup at the church downtown. Other days it's grocery shopping/errands/play in the park.
4pm - Rachel is tired and wants to nap again so if we're out driving or walking, she'll fall asleep. If we're home we keep her awake by playing in the house. Favorite play times in the house include:
- opening and closing any doors or cupboards
- if Rachel can find her way into the bathroom, emptying the toilet paper roll or splashing toilet water
- standing up and pushing the stroller around the living room
- reading stories
- emptying out the clothes drawers or taking laundry off the drying rack or out of the laundry basket
(in this video we are playing catch and clapping and laughing, but then Rachel sees the camera)
- standing on own
- trying to clap and singing songs about clapping
- crawling around outside and crawling up the steps that lead into the house
5pm - Rachel has her dinner, usually this is also when I cook dinner for us
6:30pm - Jason arrives home if it's a regular night and he's not late from parent night or softball game. Jason and Rachel play, Meggan and Jason eat, and every other night Rachel has a bath
7pm - start bedtime routine and Rachel goes to sleep
9pm - Meggan and Jason fall asleep and hope that Rachel will continue to sleep as well. We have very squeaky floor boards in this house so anything near our room means being very quiet and tiptoeing around
11:30pm - Rachel wakes up. One of us goes in and tells her to go back to sleep. Often she settles well.
3:30pm - Rachel wakes up screaming and convinced that she is starving and needs her mommy. Her first tooth is also poking out barely, and slowly slowly creeping its way into the world. We try to go through our sleep training process but often I give in after a while and nurse Rachel back to sleep. This is a work in progress, and I've got to stop this soon so we can all sleep more.
5:30am - repeat as above.
It's interesting to see the trends of what other caregivers in Boulder do and don't do with their kids. Examples:
- Everyone thinks I'm crazy for planning on nursing Rachel beyond 12 months
- Generally the recommendation on solid food here is a bit different than it was in Penticton. Babies here tend to be encouraged to have purees for longer than we were used to. Some parents are shocked to see what Rachel can take down with no teeth and not choke.
- Ergo-style front and back carriers are prominent here and kids are carried in these devices all over town. Strollers are found in the small umbrella style on the bus or the bigger jogging kind for running or exercising. I get weird looks when I take the bigger stroller on the bus. This whole trend has inspired me to continue using the BabyBjorn carrier with Rachel more than I did at home, despite the fact that it's hard on my body after a while because Rachel is getting a bit big for it.
- Many moms work part time and have an at-home nanny for their little one when they work. Dads seems to work full time (I haven't met any Stay At Home Dads).
- Some people use cloth diapers but most use bleach-free/chlorine free disposables.
- Everything is organic here. This includes most food, baby food, baby clothes, etc. I'm not sold on this added expense in life, and actually find it annoying to pay more for food because it's organic.
- Parents tend to split the weekends. For example, moms get Sat off to go do their own thing while Dad stays with baby for the day. Sunday the Dad gets the day off while Mom has baby. Jason and I tend to do everything together as a family on weekends except when he is planning/working/coaching/marking for school.
Finding some BALANCE.
Being a SAHM (stay at home mom) has its beautiful perks and its hardships. I really miss work, but it sounds like it will be many, many months before a Green card comes through. It's nice to meet other moms and go to playgroups and walks and explore. i am happy to be meeting more moms and hope that I can develop these into good friendships over time. I miss my old friends. I miss their support. It's fun to giggle with Rachel. If I could, I would choose to work part time and be with Rachel part time. But we're making the best of it.
Jason also hasn't found much time for himself. He's working and coaching and trying to stay ahead of his classes but constantly feels like he's getting behind.
Last night we each took a turn going for a short run, since over the last month we have hardly exercised at all. We need to find time to take better care of ourselves and get time on our own.
This weekend we have to finish the shed and get some things out of the rain, but we also hope to go CAMPING!!! YAY!!!
Nana's visit
After the Mommy in the house was quite sick, the Daddy was struck. Jason spent Monday night August 29th sick as a dog and had to call a sub in on Tuesday the 30th. Nana arrived later that day to see our house, lend a hand, and help us get settled. We planned to show her the lovely farmer's market, trails and mountains near our new home.
On Thursday Sept 1st, Nana came with Meggan and Rachel to their Thurs morning 11am African Music class. This is a small group of babies, toddlers and their caregivers who follow the lead of a brilliant singer from Ghana who helps them sing and dance to African music. Rachel loves it! She giggles and waves her arms and nods to the beat. She loves to watch the other people in the class sing and move.
After class, we headed up into the mountains. North to Estes Park and into Rocky Mtn National Park. We went for a lovely hike past Bear Lake toward Dream Lake and beyond. It was gorgeous! The chipmunks and squirrels came out to play, and we even saw an elk and mule deer near the parking lot on the way home.
We had booked a motel room for the night and set up Rachel in her travel crib. She fought this and fought this and took nearly two hours to finally get to sleep. Nana was hit with the stomach flu, and did her best to be quiet and brave through her illness in the hotel room, trying not to wake Rachel! Rachel woke early in the morning and then snuggled on and off with Meggan as we coaxed Rachel to sleep while Nana battled the horrible bug.
Friday morning Sept 2nd Nana tried to recover enough to get in the car and enjoy driving through the park. Our goal was to explore the park and spend the night at Winter Park. But poor Nana couldn't do much of anything, and despite the glorious scenery just had to fight to make it through the day. Rachel and Meggan saw another herd of elk on a snow patch just below the visitor's center midway through the park at over 11,000 feet. After a beautiful picnic lunch in Grand Lake, we decided it wasn't worth another hotel room and drove home to put Nana to bed on her mattress in our place. Poor Nana!
pictures of this trip
By Saturday morning, Nana felt a little better. The weather also changed from Summer to Autumn - just like that! No more sunshine and 95 degrees - instead it was cooler and damper. Jason coached two softball games but in between, we went to Whole Foods for lunch and did a little shopping. Nana felt good enough to bike into town with Meggan and Rachel and do some exploring. We bought an outdoor shed to try and give us some extra storage at home for our various bikes/strollers/skis/camping gear, etc since we don't have a garage or much room here. So the majority Sunday and Monday were spent putting together our shed while Nana played with Rachel. (Other breaks Jason did some school work since he still needs most of his 'free time' to plan out his classes.) Eventually, however, we gave up on the shed and decided we couldn't start the roof because we wouldn't be able to finish it before dark. So we decided to go for a hike instead.
Tuesday the weather was yucky, Jason returned to school, and Nana had to leave in the afternoon. We did a few things around the house (ie. Nana played with Rachel while Meggan tried to be productive), went for a walk with another mom and little boy, and then went for a drive up the windy roads above town. Nana then caught her bus and headed to the airport to return home.
We hope that the stomach bug is done now and we are thankful that, somehow, Rachel managed to avoid it!
On Thursday Sept 1st, Nana came with Meggan and Rachel to their Thurs morning 11am African Music class. This is a small group of babies, toddlers and their caregivers who follow the lead of a brilliant singer from Ghana who helps them sing and dance to African music. Rachel loves it! She giggles and waves her arms and nods to the beat. She loves to watch the other people in the class sing and move.
We had booked a motel room for the night and set up Rachel in her travel crib. She fought this and fought this and took nearly two hours to finally get to sleep. Nana was hit with the stomach flu, and did her best to be quiet and brave through her illness in the hotel room, trying not to wake Rachel! Rachel woke early in the morning and then snuggled on and off with Meggan as we coaxed Rachel to sleep while Nana battled the horrible bug.
Friday morning Sept 2nd Nana tried to recover enough to get in the car and enjoy driving through the park. Our goal was to explore the park and spend the night at Winter Park. But poor Nana couldn't do much of anything, and despite the glorious scenery just had to fight to make it through the day. Rachel and Meggan saw another herd of elk on a snow patch just below the visitor's center midway through the park at over 11,000 feet. After a beautiful picnic lunch in Grand Lake, we decided it wasn't worth another hotel room and drove home to put Nana to bed on her mattress in our place. Poor Nana!
pictures of this trip
By Saturday morning, Nana felt a little better. The weather also changed from Summer to Autumn - just like that! No more sunshine and 95 degrees - instead it was cooler and damper. Jason coached two softball games but in between, we went to Whole Foods for lunch and did a little shopping. Nana felt good enough to bike into town with Meggan and Rachel and do some exploring. We bought an outdoor shed to try and give us some extra storage at home for our various bikes/strollers/skis/camping gear, etc since we don't have a garage or much room here. So the majority Sunday and Monday were spent putting together our shed while Nana played with Rachel. (Other breaks Jason did some school work since he still needs most of his 'free time' to plan out his classes.) Eventually, however, we gave up on the shed and decided we couldn't start the roof because we wouldn't be able to finish it before dark. So we decided to go for a hike instead.
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| Meggan's road bike, Rachel asleep in Chariot |
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| Car show in town on Labor Day |
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| Hiking is such hard work! |
Tuesday the weather was yucky, Jason returned to school, and Nana had to leave in the afternoon. We did a few things around the house (ie. Nana played with Rachel while Meggan tried to be productive), went for a walk with another mom and little boy, and then went for a drive up the windy roads above town. Nana then caught her bus and headed to the airport to return home.
We hope that the stomach bug is done now and we are thankful that, somehow, Rachel managed to avoid it!
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