So I was looking at my calendar on the side (over there on the left hand side – see that litle calendar of September) and if I write today, then I’ve done every other day this week. That’s pretty good considering my track record lately.
Josiah is …..well, no he’s not really getting into a routine, at least not a predictable one. He is nursing every 3 hours now instead of every 2 hours, and if I (whispering so no one will crucify me for doing this) put him on his tummy, he will sleep a little in between feedings, and my poor aching back can get a little bit of a break.
Yes, I know all about SIDS, and how to “put your baby BACK to sleep”, but all of my monkeys have flailed around on their backs and woken up every 3 minutes, and Josiah hates to be swaddled because he likes his hands up by his face, and really…I don’t have time to argue about this, because the kid is going to wake up, and then I’m occupied, so…..seeing as it’s my blog…..we are moving on.
Jeremy had dental surgery today. We are terrible parents, and he has a bazillion cavities, and one of his teeth was rotten so bad, that it needed a rooth canal, and so they just yanked it out and put a spacer in it’s place. Then he had 2 teeth crowned, and a couple other fillings. I’d like to say that we are not terribly parents, but I really don’t know. Does he just have bad teeth. When they came out at a year old, they had little brown spots on them, and I wonder if it had something to do with all the meds he was on as an infant, or if he just has extremely soft teeth. I do know that he didn’t get the same care and attention as Geli and Xan, but I didn’t think we were THAT lax. Oh well, I can beat myself up over it or move on and let it go. We’ve been EXTREMELY dilligent with his teeth and brushing and flossing, and now that everything is fixed, we’l be able to tell in 6 months to a year if it’s us or his cruddy teeth. Is it bad that I’m hoping it’s the teeth?
The picture is him post surgery and laying very quietly. I think I’d like him to have surgery once a week if it means he’s going to be still and quiet for the whole day. Just kidding! sort of!
And, I’m tired! Yup, I was so tired last night, while I was waiting for 10:30pm to roll around so we could give Josiah a bath and then I could nurse him to sleep, that I almost cried thinking about having to get up with him in the middle of the night.Â
We made it until bed time, though, and the wonderful little man fell asleep at 11pm, and didn’t wake up unti 3:56am….and I didn’t cry when I got up to change his diaper. Yah for me! And a huge YAh for him. All of my kids have been pretty good in the sleep department, and it’s nice to have another one that looks like he won’t be doing the “up every hour or even every other hour” night feeds. I don’t like those! And no one in my family likes me when I have to do one of those. Heck, I don’t even like me when I have to do one of those. Mean and Nasty!
I have found one little item that I want, and I just need to save up the money to get it. It’s not too expensive, but I don’t have any discretionary fnds right now, and I don’t want to go back to doing lunch monitoring at the school right now.
Any way, enough about that, it’s this cool little device.
It counts time and helps to keep track of how long you fed and which side you last nursed on. It keeps track of the details so that you and your sleep deprived brain doesn’t have to. It even has a little flash light so you can see your baby in the dark – if you’re anal and just want to check that they are still breathing in their little bassinette right beside you….’cause it’s not like you didnt’ hear them grunting and moaning around a gas bubble about 20 seconds ago.
Anyway, it’s totally cool, and I can buy one on-line, or they have them at a shop in Vancouver. It’s totally affordable at about $40, and SO worth the hassle of not having to try and recall all that information.
So, I’m sitting here in my pyjamas, and cooking some rice noodles for J to eat, and Sia is sleeping, and I really have to go and try to do “something”…..I’m not sure what the something is…..there are just so many somethings that need to be done. Maybe I’ll just ignore it all and read. That’s “something” – isn’t it?
Edited to Add:
I’d love to start my own on-line store with all the cool baby items that I’ve found and endorse. Doesn’t that sound like fun? I’ve been thinking about it for a while, and will have to talk to Jon about it to see if it’s even worth pursuing the thought any further. It’s not like I wouldn’t be ble to get a smoking website – I even know an amazing web designer who I could probably convince to make me one for some “favors”. What do you think about the idea?
I’m pretty sure bad teeth just run in the family. If you remember Grandma had a full set of dentures and Grandpa’s got some too. I also just had a root canal on Tuesday and like a bazillion cavities that I have to get fixed soon. Hopefully my kids get Jeff’s strong teeth and not my crappy ones. Hope J feels better soon.
I have been reading your blog for quite some time and rarely do I comment. I am a firm believer in that one is entitled to say what they feel and think on their own blog; however, in this case I strongly disagree with you. The fact that you would put your 5 week old son on his stomach to sleep when he is at risk for SIDS just baffles me. I do not know your son or his development, but at his age I doubt he is able to lift or support his head well or at all. I could understand if he could roll over and put himself on his stomach but for everything that you have been through in order to get this blessing from God how you could jeopardize that little life for your own sanity and to get house work done is beyond me. I am quoting a previous entry of yours from August…
“…I haven’t hardly put him down, and only very reluctantly give him over to someone else.
And I don’t even care if you think that’s a problem………..or that I might be creating a problem…..I’ll deal with that later, if I need to. Unless you’ve held your not living child in your arms, and then had to walk away and leave him or her knowing that the one brief moment will be all you will ever have…….all you will ever know……..all you can ever hope to be able to remember……….then, you have no idea what I’ve gone through, and I will hold my child for as long as I want to.â€
And this how you deal with it later?
Can you imagine how you would feel if your son were to succumb to SIDS after EVERYTHING your family has been thought over the last 2-3 years? I believe that everything happens for a reason and God wanted Josiah here on this earth to fulfill a purpose and I don’t understand how you to even take that chance with this precious little life.
I have my own ideas about parenting and rarely do I impart my views on other parents. I believe that as long as a parent in not harming or neglecting his/her children they should be left to parent as they see fit. Please do NOT take this as criticism or as parenting advice but it is my view and as a reader as your blog, which is open for comments I felt the need to impart my thoughts and feelings.
oh my gosh…. I am baffled at the last comment and just have to respond.I put ALL my babies on their tummies and they were just fine! the have related some immunizations to SIDS and how many people still immunize…. they don’t have a REASON for SIDS…. they changed the way you were to put your baby down EVERY time I had a baby! in 8 years in changed 4 times….so Maddy I am sorry give me a break, keep your stinkin opinion to yourself. how dare you blast this mom who has been thru SO much, really I wonder how a human being can do that to another!!!I think you should have kept with your so called philosophy of not imparting your “views” with other parents… cuz you could not have been more out of line.
Hey Maddy,
You are certainly entitled to post your own views on this.
I will say that you would be absolutly be shocked by how strong Josiah’s neck is. He has been holding his head up by himself since he was one day old (shocked the crap out of all of us), and I wouldn’t put him on his stomach were he not able to lift and turn it when he was on his stomach, and on an extremely hard surface. Which he does all the time (lift and turn his head while on his stomach)
I also have chosen to attempt to not live in fear. While I’m not perfect at this, I would be awake all night checking to see if he was still breathing, regardless of whether he was on his back or not. I would also never ever put him down for fear that he might go to sleep and never wake up, and if I wanted to take it to the extreme, I might not really let him sleep either, but keep poking him to make sure that he was awake.
Having has a child who did die on me, I’ve come a bit to the realization that I cannot control the life and death cycle of my children. Whats to say that he won’t die from SIDS while lying on his back in his bassinette, or even while he’s sleeping next to me one night – even though the studies show that co-sleeping and breastfeed reduce the chances of SIDS….what’s to say? Nathaniel died – he simply died, and they could find no reason for it – at all. This unfortunately is the case in so many of the SIDS cases, and they link stillbirth and SIDS.
I could do EVERYTHING right, and Josiah could still die of SIDS or any other number of things, as could any of my other kids. I have chosen to let my son sleep for brief periods of time on his tummy on a hard flat surface, and he is capable of lifting and turning his head. It is a decision I have made, and I don’t apologize for it. I have thought it through, and I would be devestated if he died. Anyone would be….
I can’t physically carry him for 24 hours a day, and I can’t function with him only sleeping for 3 minute intervals at a time….no one could. I’m not kidding about the 3 minutes of sleep on his back either. He can’t function with 3 minutes of sleep here and there either. I won’t let him scream it out, and so we’re at a stand still.
I do thank you for speaking out. It’s important for people to stand up for what they believe, and I believe that you are genuinely concerned. Thank you for your concern.
Wow, Patti.
Look at you with all the controversy on your site,
Sweet.
Sure makes for good reading!
Hi Patti All my babies slept on their tummies.In fact the new rule about sleeping on their backs would concern me more because they could throw up and choke on it when they are on their backs . The Lord in His Word says all our days are numbered. (Not,to say we should do anything foolish ) but I know when Connie died,that was my ancor to accept what happened .God knew what her days were to be,hard as it was to accept the fact that she was gone,and still is some days. But God is so gracious and does lift the heavy ache. And what a comfort to know that one day we will be to-gether again . Josiah is so sweet and growing and changing so quickly . Love you Patti
It’s about probability. I hate to drag math into this, but having one or two (or even 10 or 12) people say that, “All my kids slept on their tummy and did not die” does not mean a hoot when you are comparing the international incidence rates of “probable causes of SIDS” (which most experts is primarily caused by sleeping on the tummy).
For example, if 1000 babies slept on their tummy and 10 of them died… That’s 990 people who can say, “All my kids slept on their tummy and had no problem.”
And it’s 10 people who will likely drive to your house and try to remove your child because they feel he’s absolutely going to die.
That being said, personally, I agree with Patti on this issue. It’s her baby, and I know Patti isn’t an idiot. I also think that sometimes one’s sanity is indeed more important then the small risk of something bad happening.
After all, which is worse:
1. .05% chance of SIDS during a tummy-nap for 20 minutes, during which Mommy is periodically checking in on the baby?
2. 100% guarantee that Mommy is going to go mental and be in a nasty mood the rest of the day because she can’t have 20 minutes to herself?
🙂
Go Patti Go!