The Good News
For the last week Baby Bear has been sleeping through the night! It just happened. No sleep training; she just decided to sleep through the night. The first night I thought it was a fluke and I have been afraid to say it out loud ever since. I was still getting up 2 times a night, I guess out of habit, and since I was awake I would go check on her to make sure she was still alive and breathing. Baby Bear likes to sleep on her stomach with her face buried in the mattress; it freaks me out.
What has changed is that she has been going down to sleep 30 minutes later at 8:15 pm and waking up 30 minutes earlier at 6:15 am, but if she will sleep through the night I will take it! After 7 nights of sleeping through the night, I was really hoping that this was it and Baby Bear was now ready to sleep through the night. I was really happy that she was finally meeting this milestone and that we didn't have to sleep train.
The Bad News
Last night, Baby Bear went down to sleep at 8:15 pm. She was really tired and didn't even want to read her bed time stories; she pushed the books away when we got ready to read. She had a hard time going down to sleep, but finally did. She then woke up at 9:30 pm and had a hard time going back down. Finally she went back to sleep. At 1:30am, she woke again and fell back asleep. Baby Bear then decided to wake up at 2:30 am and decided it was time to be up. She did not go back to sleep until 4:3o am!
The Bright Side
I knew it was too good to be true. However, now I know that Baby Bear is capable of sleeping through the night and does not really need to nurse in the middle of the night. Now hopefully she will be back on track tonight. I will even be fine with her getting up 2-3 times a night again as long as she goes back to sleep after each waking. Play time at 2:30 am is not good. I am one tired mama bear.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Mama Bear has a problem
Yes, I am Mama Bear and I am a baby shoe-aholic. See Kai Run just announced their Fall/Winter collection (uh, yah I am on their mailing list) and they are so cute and adorable. I so want to buy Baby Bear a bunch of shoes. But, it is not practical for a little toddler to have so many shoes especially when she will grow out of them in the blink of an eye.
But look at these adorable shoes. Wouldn't these be so fun to wear?
Wouldn't Baby Bear look so cute with these ones?
If Baby Bear were starting school in the fall she would be so cute with these little apples.
Don't worry Papa Bear, I did not buy any new shoes for Baby Bear. And yes, I know I have a problem.
But look at these adorable shoes. Wouldn't these be so fun to wear?
Wouldn't Baby Bear look so cute with these ones?
If Baby Bear were starting school in the fall she would be so cute with these little apples.
Don't worry Papa Bear, I did not buy any new shoes for Baby Bear. And yes, I know I have a problem.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Baby Bear wants to use the spoon her way
The last couple of days, Baby Bear has really been interested in using a spoon all by herself. During breakfast time she wants some of my yogurt and so I have been sharing with her. She loves it. Of course, we had tried baby yogurt months ago and she wanted nothing to do with it, so I stopped buying the baby yogurt because it kept going to waste. So now that she likes it I am off to get her some of her own yogurt. (she doesn't need the fat free version like her mama.)
She doesn't really want me to spoon feed her the yogurt either; instead she wants to use her own spoon and not a baby spoon, she wants a real spoon. She also does not want me to help her put the yogurt on the spoon, she wants to scoop the yogurt out all by herself. Actually it is more like dipping the spoon in and putting the spoon in her mouth the wrong way. Nevertheless, Baby Bear is feeding herself and using her own spoon. Wow, my baby girl is really growing up and becoming so independent. It is all great an exciting but a little sad, since I do miss my little baby. She really is a toddler. Sigh.
She doesn't really want me to spoon feed her the yogurt either; instead she wants to use her own spoon and not a baby spoon, she wants a real spoon. She also does not want me to help her put the yogurt on the spoon, she wants to scoop the yogurt out all by herself. Actually it is more like dipping the spoon in and putting the spoon in her mouth the wrong way. Nevertheless, Baby Bear is feeding herself and using her own spoon. Wow, my baby girl is really growing up and becoming so independent. It is all great an exciting but a little sad, since I do miss my little baby. She really is a toddler. Sigh.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Baby Bear's 2nd Catalina Ski Races
Last year, we took Baby Bear to the Catalina Ski Races when she was an itty bitty thing, only about 6 weeks old and it was her first race. This year she is big girl walking and talking (well almost). Despite the fact that I was sick the entire weekend and spent the majority of the weekend in the hotel room, we still managed to have a fun time. Being with Papa Bear and Baby Bear is all I need.
Baby Bear is a busy walker this year, not the little baby that was all wrapped up in the moby wrap from last year. Wow, how fast time flies. Hard to believe a whole year has passed by.
At lunch, trying her first lemon.
Tired from a long day.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Parenting
Being a developmental psychologist by training, I have read about different types of parenting styles. You would think I would know exactly how I want to parent and what to do. But wow, there are just so many choices and ways to approach things. I don't considered myself as prescribing to a single type of parenting. Instead I am a bit of a sampler and I take from all the philosophies and books that I have read what works best for our family lifestyle and situation. I guess I have an eclectic parenting style. I like to look at the empirical research behind many theories and ideas but in the end I know that what works for one family doesn't always work for another. There is quite a bit of factors that need to be considered that account for the variance.
***I know for the most part I say "I," but really this should be "we." Papa Bear and I are pretty much together on parenting.***
So far what has worked for us has related to what seems to be a popular trend lately, attachment parenting popularized by Dr. Sears. I wouldn't call myself an attachment parent by any means but I do like the 8 principles and I have practiced some strategies encouraged by attachment parenting: I did and still wear my baby, I am practicing "extended" breastfeeding, and I co-sleep/bedshare. I did not do these things because I decided I wanted to follow the attachment parenting philosophy; we practice these strategies because it seemed to work with our family and felt right to us. But I also practice other strategies which makes me more of an eclectic parent. In the end it is all about what works.
I enjoyed wearing Baby Bear and it really helped a lot early on to wear her in my Moby wrap and now in the Ergo carrier. I still wear her from time to time. There are a lot of benefits to wearing your baby and it is great for their development. It is really convenient when Baby Bear wants to be held and carried around, it keep my hand free and it so much more comfortable for my arms especially since Baby Bear is getting heavier. But on the other hand, I do use a stroller and let her play on her own and walk on her own which may be associated with other types of parenting styles.
I did not really plan to practice extended breastfeeding. I only knew that I set a goal to breastfeed for 1 year and I was fortunate to be successful at it and I am still doing so. It just happened. I am not sure when I plan to fully wean Baby Bear but so far it works for us. Right now I am only pumping once a day at work and nursing her in the morning, nights, and weekends. It feels right and I will continue until she decides to self-wean or I decide to wean her. Unlike what is encouraged by attachment parenting, I did try to put Baby Bear on a feeding schedule and it just never seemed to work, so we always worked off of her cues. I wish she would have been on more of a schedule when she was younger. Now as she is older she is somewhat on a general schedule and that has worked really well for us. We have a little bit of structure to our day, which is something we all need as a family.
We definitely did not want to co-sleep for as long as we have been. It just happened and it is how Baby Bear sleeps best at night. With all the struggles that we had with sleep, we do it because it is the best way for us all to get some sleep. I will admit that before having Baby Bear I was really adamant that I did not want to bedshare at all. I guess things change when you are operating on so little sleep. Now it just seems to work and I am not interested in sleep training; we tried it and it worked temporarily. We are not interested in trying it again, it was not for us and our parenting philosophy. I would love not to bedshare, but for now it is what works.
One thing I did want to do that is often associated with attachment parenting was cloth diaper (although I do use cloth swim diapers!). Cloth diapering just did not fit into our lifestyles (and Papa Bear was not totally convinced to do it). I find that being a working mother I have to make some choices about how I really want to spend my free time. I can barely keep up with our regular laundry as it is and I knew we would not be able to keep up with cloth diapering if that was the case. I have learned to let that go.
So far, I feel fairly good about the parenting choices we have made so far (of course, we have only been doing this parenting thing for a year and we have a lifetime more of parenting to do). I am a researcher and that tendency to do research extends into many parts of my life; parenting be one of them. Sometimes, I know it is a wonderful thing because I can feel confident that I am fully informed in the decisions I make. On the other hand, it can drive me crazy and lead me to so much indecision and causes me to over think certain situations. I am working on that one. I just hope as we continue to strive to be the best parents we can be for Baby Bear that Papa Bear and I make the best decisions we can for our family. What we need to remember is that there is no right or wrong (as long as Baby Bear is safe, healthy, and happy); it is all about what is right for you and your family!
***I know for the most part I say "I," but really this should be "we." Papa Bear and I are pretty much together on parenting.***
So far what has worked for us has related to what seems to be a popular trend lately, attachment parenting popularized by Dr. Sears. I wouldn't call myself an attachment parent by any means but I do like the 8 principles and I have practiced some strategies encouraged by attachment parenting: I did and still wear my baby, I am practicing "extended" breastfeeding, and I co-sleep/bedshare. I did not do these things because I decided I wanted to follow the attachment parenting philosophy; we practice these strategies because it seemed to work with our family and felt right to us. But I also practice other strategies which makes me more of an eclectic parent. In the end it is all about what works.
I enjoyed wearing Baby Bear and it really helped a lot early on to wear her in my Moby wrap and now in the Ergo carrier. I still wear her from time to time. There are a lot of benefits to wearing your baby and it is great for their development. It is really convenient when Baby Bear wants to be held and carried around, it keep my hand free and it so much more comfortable for my arms especially since Baby Bear is getting heavier. But on the other hand, I do use a stroller and let her play on her own and walk on her own which may be associated with other types of parenting styles.
I did not really plan to practice extended breastfeeding. I only knew that I set a goal to breastfeed for 1 year and I was fortunate to be successful at it and I am still doing so. It just happened. I am not sure when I plan to fully wean Baby Bear but so far it works for us. Right now I am only pumping once a day at work and nursing her in the morning, nights, and weekends. It feels right and I will continue until she decides to self-wean or I decide to wean her. Unlike what is encouraged by attachment parenting, I did try to put Baby Bear on a feeding schedule and it just never seemed to work, so we always worked off of her cues. I wish she would have been on more of a schedule when she was younger. Now as she is older she is somewhat on a general schedule and that has worked really well for us. We have a little bit of structure to our day, which is something we all need as a family.
We definitely did not want to co-sleep for as long as we have been. It just happened and it is how Baby Bear sleeps best at night. With all the struggles that we had with sleep, we do it because it is the best way for us all to get some sleep. I will admit that before having Baby Bear I was really adamant that I did not want to bedshare at all. I guess things change when you are operating on so little sleep. Now it just seems to work and I am not interested in sleep training; we tried it and it worked temporarily. We are not interested in trying it again, it was not for us and our parenting philosophy. I would love not to bedshare, but for now it is what works.
One thing I did want to do that is often associated with attachment parenting was cloth diaper (although I do use cloth swim diapers!). Cloth diapering just did not fit into our lifestyles (and Papa Bear was not totally convinced to do it). I find that being a working mother I have to make some choices about how I really want to spend my free time. I can barely keep up with our regular laundry as it is and I knew we would not be able to keep up with cloth diapering if that was the case. I have learned to let that go.
So far, I feel fairly good about the parenting choices we have made so far (of course, we have only been doing this parenting thing for a year and we have a lifetime more of parenting to do). I am a researcher and that tendency to do research extends into many parts of my life; parenting be one of them. Sometimes, I know it is a wonderful thing because I can feel confident that I am fully informed in the decisions I make. On the other hand, it can drive me crazy and lead me to so much indecision and causes me to over think certain situations. I am working on that one. I just hope as we continue to strive to be the best parents we can be for Baby Bear that Papa Bear and I make the best decisions we can for our family. What we need to remember is that there is no right or wrong (as long as Baby Bear is safe, healthy, and happy); it is all about what is right for you and your family!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Graduating to new shoes
Back in March when Baby Bear was just beginning to become more and more mobile, I bought her some really good shoes. The pedipeds worked really well for her feet and she really seemed to like them. I would try to put other shoes on her but she would complain and grab her pedipeds and so I would put those on her. She loved putting on her shoes because that meant we were going out and she could walk around. Well, sadly those adorable pedipeds are becoming a little small for her growing feet (her toes are just at the edge) and it is time for some new shoes. So I ordered the same white pair of pedipeds in a larger size, since Baby Bear liked them and they worked really well and went with everything.
I also ordered a pair of See Kai Run sandals to see how Baby Bear would do with a rubber sole.
The See Kai Run sandals just came in the mail this weekend and I tried it on her and she loves her new shoes. They have a rubber sole which is really nice when Baby Bear is walking around outside and they are still really flexible like her pedipeds. I think we may have graduated to a new walking shoe. Oh my baby is growing up.
Baby Bear's feet are still small, she wears a size 3, which is equivalent of 6-9 month shoes and fortunately that is the smallest size that See Kai Run carries. Now Baby Bear will be styling with her new sandals for the summer.
I also ordered a pair of See Kai Run sandals to see how Baby Bear would do with a rubber sole.
The See Kai Run sandals just came in the mail this weekend and I tried it on her and she loves her new shoes. They have a rubber sole which is really nice when Baby Bear is walking around outside and they are still really flexible like her pedipeds. I think we may have graduated to a new walking shoe. Oh my baby is growing up.
Baby Bear's feet are still small, she wears a size 3, which is equivalent of 6-9 month shoes and fortunately that is the smallest size that See Kai Run carries. Now Baby Bear will be styling with her new sandals for the summer.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
First Sign Language word
I had been trying to learn a few signs to teach Baby Bear. I started with the signs for "eat," "more," and "all done" to teach her. I haven't been very great at being consistent, but I would use those signs during meal times. In spoken words, Baby Bear has about 6 words in her vocabulary: mama, dada, hi, papa (Grandpa), chassss (Chase Monster cat), and nana (banana). Baby Bear also will babble many sounds to us while playing or while she is sitting down with a book. It really is so cute, she will sit down and read out loud to herself.
Today Papa Bear and I were talking about language development and when she would start "really" talking. I recall from my developmental psychology classes and books that 18-24 months is the language explosion and children begin to speak in one-word sentences. He was excited to hear what she has to say. I was telling him that children will learn to communicate with sign language a little earlier. He wasn't too convinced of that and told me that I had been signing to her for months and she hasn't done it yet. I told him that she can sign "more" and he was doubtful that it was a deliberate sign for communication. We later went out for dinner and Baby Bear was eating a french fry, she signed "more" to indicate she wanted more and she did it consistently throughout the dinner. Papa Bear then retracted his comments from earlier today.
I am so glad that Baby Bear proved her daddy wrong and that she showed him that she could sign and communicate in a non-verbal way. Gotta love my baby girl, she is just so smart!!
Today Papa Bear and I were talking about language development and when she would start "really" talking. I recall from my developmental psychology classes and books that 18-24 months is the language explosion and children begin to speak in one-word sentences. He was excited to hear what she has to say. I was telling him that children will learn to communicate with sign language a little earlier. He wasn't too convinced of that and told me that I had been signing to her for months and she hasn't done it yet. I told him that she can sign "more" and he was doubtful that it was a deliberate sign for communication. We later went out for dinner and Baby Bear was eating a french fry, she signed "more" to indicate she wanted more and she did it consistently throughout the dinner. Papa Bear then retracted his comments from earlier today.
I am so glad that Baby Bear proved her daddy wrong and that she showed him that she could sign and communicate in a non-verbal way. Gotta love my baby girl, she is just so smart!!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Party details
I am a big planner and I love planning parties. I started planning Baby Bear's birthday party about 6 months ago. The first birthday is a big deal in my family, especially with Baby Bear being the first grandchild for my parents and Papa Bear's parents. So I knew that we would have to go big. On top of it all, I have a large extended family and so it was going to be big no matter what.
I had never planned a kids party and I was excited. I decided on a jungle theme for my little girl's party. It just sounded like a fun theme, plus Baby Bear really likes animals and one of her favorite books is "Goodnight Gorilla." I also thought it would be a good theme for an outdoor party in the park. I started off with animal prints and brown and lime green. I also wanted to add some bright colors to go along with the jungle theme, so added orange and dark pink (to make it a little girly) to the mix. I love how all the colors went together with the animal print.
My favorite part was my cupcake table. I decided not to do a cake and to just serve cupcakes. With 100 people, that mean a lot of cupcakes. I baked 9 dozen cupcakes and designed cupcake toppers to match our theme and colors. My very dear friend, Aileen from A Master Creation frosted all the cupcakes the day of the party and baked Baby Bear's smash cake that went perfectly with our theme. To top the table off, she made some of her famous sugar cookies that we put around to fill the open spaces. I was so happy she made some cookies.
It was a lot of cupcakes and my biggest fear was that no one would eat cupcakes and that we would have to bring home tons of cupcakes. I made it home with only 8 cupcakes. Not bad! Everyone seemed to enjoy the cupcakes.
To make the park gazebo a little more festive, I added some decorations. Instead of balloons to decorate, I used these animal print lanterns around the gazebo. They were perfect!
I put together Baby Bear's monthly photos with animal print backgrounds and put them around the gazebo. This was fun to make and see how she has grown and change in the last year. My aunt even asked if she could take home one of the photos. That was really sweet.
I designed a banner to match her invitations. I never got it to hang just right and the wind didn't really help. Oh well.
I also made a name banner to add to the decor.
I had so much fun making a designing the decorations. Papa Bear thought I was a little crazy. For the last few months, each night once I had put Baby Bear down to bed I worked on different projects. It was all worth it to see it all come together. I am a detail oriented person (if you work with me, you know that that is very true), so I am all about the details. I realize not a lot of people will notice, but I do. I wanted a great birthday party for my Baby Bear.
Photos by Leslie
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
My little mermaid
Baby Bear and I have been going to mommy and me swim classes for the past four weeks and Baby Bear loves to swim and being in the pool. She loves to kick and splash.
She even likes going under water.
We are having such a blast. She is learning so much. I am glad that she really enjoys it.
On top of it all, once a week we get to take swimming class with our friend in a semi-private class and so it is so fun to take the class with another friend. Baby Bear loves swimming with our friends!
Baby Bear goes to swim classes twice a week, one day with grandma bear and one day with me and our friend. I am also taking swimming lessons. I am a very poor swimmer and I want to learn to swim and not be so fearful. I am so glad that Baby Bear loves swimming and that she did not inherit my fears. I hope that I can improve and be more confident in my swimming skills so that we can enjoy swimming together as she gets older.
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