Lissie & Swing vs. Mommy & Crib

I used to love Dr. Harvey Karp and his "5 S" (Swaddle, Suck, Side, Swing, and Shhh) philosophy to a happy baby.

Because of him, ever since she came home from the hospital, Lissie has been sleeping soundly because she's swaddled, with a pacifier, in her lamb swing while white noise plays in the background. In fact, now she averages 5-6 hours of sleep a night before feeding and going back to sleep for another few. This week, she has also given us 2 consecutive days of 8-9 continuous hours. Yay, Lissie...right?

Well, I've noticed that she's been looking a little cramped in her swing lately. She is still very much within the weight limit, but she seems really long - her head is almost touching the top, and it just doesn't look very comfortable.

So, given the fact that she's close to outgrowing her swing, has pretty solid sleep habits already, plus Justin's got a long weekend (so he can help with the process), I decided that Lissie was going to begin the transition to sleep in her crib.

Thus we have [imagine this spoken in a loud, manly emcee voice]: Round One of...

Lissie & Swing



vs. Mommy & Crib



The round started off in Mommy's favor. We did the typical bedtime routine of feeding, bath, diaper change, and swaddle. The only difference was that Lissie was placed in the crib. She was fast asleep by 9:15, so Mommy thought she won the battle for sure...until twenty minutes later when Lissie woke up fussy.

It was easy enough to calm her down and place her back in the crib. But another few minutes later, Lissie woke herself up unhappy. This happened a few more times, but eventually, around 11pm, she seemed to be down for good.

Until 11:45. And boy was she mad. Nothing at all calmed her down - no rocking, shushing, singing could get that girl to stop crying.

So Mommy caved. And Lissie won. At 12:04am, she was placed in her swing...and slept until 3:30am - which isn't so unusual for a night feeding.

Ah, but Mommy didn't want Lissie to win the all-out battle. Now that she was (slightly) rested, she was ready for part two. So, after the feeding, instead of putting Lissie in her swing, Mommy tried the crib again.

But this time, Lissie thought it was playtime and was having the time of her life wiggling around and giggling, much to Mommy's dismay.



(Yeah, we think she looks evil in this video, too.)

Once Lissie realized that Mommy wasn't messing around, the battle waged on as before: a few minutes of sleep, followed by having to be consoled by Mommy. This went on FOR TWO HOURS. Mommy was NOT going to cave this time! Eventually, though, just before 7am, Lissie was so inconsolable that Mommy took it as a cue to go ahead and get started with the morning.

Today's going to be rough.

Oh, Lissie. I love you, but you really need to trust Mommy on this. Do you really want to be 25 years old and still sleeping in a swing?

And, Dr. Karp, what the heck, man? What am I supposed to do now?

It's training time!

I love my daughter. Tons. I just don't exactly love what she's done to my body after nine months:



Fast forward two and a half months later. I've lost a decent amount of pregnancy weight, but my body still feels like its all wrong:



It's hard to believe that last year I ran two half marathons and helped coach the cross-country team, and in years prior I've completed two full marathons.

So, as you can probably tell, it's KILLING me to not be back in peak condition.

Hence, I've decided to take action.

I recently registered for the Women's Half Marathon in September. I'm not going for a personal record (I do realize that my body has recently gone through extensive surgery...and will go through more surgery this summer), but I feel that this will provide the needed motivation to get back in shape.

For me. For Lissie. For the wedding I'm in come early September. And for the cool goodie bag I'm gonna get at the end.

Who's in with me?

Justin's 30!

Back in September, Justin went all out for my 30th birthday since we knew it would be my last childless birthday. Once his birthday started peeping around the corner, Justin expressed a slight sense of sadness since he didn't get to fully enjoy his last childless birthday (only because we didn't know then that it would be his last!).

So I wanted to make it super special.

I initially wanted to do a weekend getaway at a bed & breakfast a few hours away, but since I could barely leave Lissie with my parents to go to a hockey game for a few hours, I knew my mind wouldn't relax enough to enjoy the trip.

So we did the next best thing. Date night at a new and fabulous Brazilian Steakhouse:



Followed by a stay at Opryland Hotel! We still got to enjoy a night without Lissie (thanks, Lolo and Lola), but it was close enough that my mind was at ease.



Of course, this all occurred before his actual birthday, so on his special day we celebrated as a family.

First, Lissie gave Daddy her gift:



Then we went on a lovely stroll at Centennial Park:



We ended the day taking funny pictures at Dragon Park:




And eating a delightful meal at The Dog:



No, we did not eat the baby...but we did take a few bites of her cheeks.

Of course, his birthday didn't end there. We also celebrated with the Lolos and Lola a few days later by eating a family meal at Maggiano's. Yum!

So, as you can see, Justin's birthday turned out to be pretty awesome, even with a baby in the mix!

Happy 30th, Justin - we love you!

Lissie's Birth Story - Rupert's Version

At the request of my mother, since everyone else got to say their version of Lissie's birth story (see here, here, and here), here's Rupert's version of the story...

I knew something was about to change - Noreen's been getting bigger and bigger and didn't take me on long walks anymore. They were also spending a lot time fixing up the spare bedroom.

Then one day Zoe left! I overheard later that Justin's dad has her now because she can be a bit of a feisty dog, and Noreen and Justin were worried about how she'd be with a Baby. I didn't know what a Baby was, but it must be something big because they didn't want Zoe around it.

A little while later, Noreen and Justin took me to Noreen's parents house for a few days. I like going there because they have a nice backyard where I can watch for birds and squirrels. One day her parents came home with a weird smelling blanket. I didn't think anything of it until Justin picked me up and had me sniff a tiny hat with the same weird smell.

Justin left me at home, saying he was going to pick up Noreen and this Baby thing...and that I needed to be on my best behavior. I was a little nervous and waited for them to return with much anticipation. A few hours later, I heard them come home.

I'm not really sure what I was expecting but it definitely wasn't what I saw. Justin carried in this funny-looking contraption that made sounds, while Noreen followed behind him. I inspected the contraption further to find a small creature inside that smelled just like the blanket and hat. I was very curious and kept sniffing this thing that they called Baby or also Lissie.


They lifted her out of the contraption and placed her in a weird-looking box that they built in the spare room. Luckily there were slats in the box so I could keep an eye on this Baby.



After a few days, I realized that Baby was here to stay. I also decided that I liked this creature and made it my job to protect it. I can tell when it is upset because it makes loud wailing noises so I quickly find Noreen and Justin to make sure they take care of Baby. If they don't come right away, I pace frantically until they come.

Baby is also fun to play with. She has a few toys that squeak, just like me. She is fun to sniff when she's on the ground or in her chair.

One of my favorite things about Baby's arrival, though, is that Noreen takes us both on long walks and jogs again!

I've noticed that Baby is starting to grow bigger and taller, and I'm slightly afraid that she might be bigger than me one day. She likes to grab things, and I'm worried that she might eventually yank my tail...or, worse, even try and ride me.

'Til then, though, I'm enjoying my new life as the Guardian of the Baby.

Dear Lissie - Two Months

Dear Lissie,

Two months. I've learned so much in such a short amount of time.

* I now know that you definitely need a bath in order to get a good night's rest...and that, for my own sanity, I shouldn't test that theory out anymore.

* I used to think that I was pretty good at multitasking, but you taught me how to fine-tune that skill.

* I've learned that you don't really like it when I pinch or bite your chubby cheeks even though it is awfully tempting (and I still do it anyway).

* I've also learned that even though I dress you in girly outfits and put bows in your hair, some people still think you are a boy.

* I've learned to always bring, not just diapers, but a change of clothes everywhere because you don't like being a naked baby when you have accidents, especially when we're running in the park.

* I know that I shouldn't automatically assume that something is wrong with you on days when you sleep a lot or fuss a lot or eat a lot and subsequently research possible symptoms of diseases when you are perfectly, wonderfully, and thankfully just being a healthy, growing baby.

* Most importantly, though, I've learned the meaning of unconditional love.

I look back at your first pictures from the hospital, and it's hard to believe that you're the same person. You've grown so much (you've finally outgrown your newborn baby clothes!)and have reached a few fun milestones: you're smiling and giggling up a storm (especially when you're in your bumbo or activity mat), sleeping longer at night (average 4-5 hours), and can entertain yourself longer (allowing Mommy to keep up with the cleaning and cooking!).

It hasn't always been rosy, though. I've had my share of breakdowns, but they usually seem to coincide with your growth spurts when you weren't interested in sleeping and were more interested in eating...all day and night. Luckily that only lasted a few days, and you're back to being your mostly pleasant self.

You're also spending more time with Lolo and Lola, which is great because they love hanging out with you...and Mommy and Daddy can enjoy a much needed date night (and Preds playoff game!) every now and then! I'm not sure if Lola appreciated the three-page Word document I created on how to take care of you, though...seeing as she raised me just fine. Lola also thinks its funny when I call her and complain when you're fussy because she says "what goes around comes around." Can you be extra fussy one day when they're babysitting? On second thought, never mind, be extra good - that way they'll keep babysitting :-)

I love you, Lissie. I love watching you grow...just don't do it so fast.

Love,

Mommy


Your first denim experience.


No wonder people think you're a fat boy.


Enjoying your bumbo.



Our little monkey.



Lovin' tummy time on your activity mat.

First Mother's Day

I vividly remember last year's Mother's Day. Justin and I were sitting in Mass when the priest gave a special blessing to all of the mothers. I recall whispering in Justin's ear, "Next year on Mother's Day, we're either going to have a baby or I'm going to be pregnant."

Fast forward one year.

Justin and I are joined at Mass by our daughter, Lissie. I received a special blessing, as well as a carnation from the Knights of Columbus. You bet I said my prayers of thanksgiving while I was there!

My first Mother's Day was wonderful. I woke up to a lovely arrangement of flowers, a beautiful pearl necklace, and a picture frame - one side had a picture of me and Lissie, the other side had a plaster mold of her footprints.



After Mass, Justin went to work while Lissie and I enjoyed a day that included browsing the booths at the Tennessee Craft Fair and a lovely stroll in the park. Justin joined us at Lolo and Lola's house for Mother's Day dinner.

Oh, and Lissie's final Mother's Day gift? Sleeping for 6 and a half hours - her longest stretch ever!

I am blessed to have joined the ranks of motherhood. I can't wait to continue the journey!