A Catch-Up Post

Little updates:

1. I found and purchased a Bumbo off craigslist. J is getting to the age where I thought he might benefit from a Bumbo, so I have been stalking ebay and craigslist for what I wanted. Of course, being the picky, high-maintenance person I am, I had to look for one of the less common colors: orange or lime green. The prices were always too high for my taste, and so I almost fell out of my chair when I saw the ad on craigslist on Saturday morning. By that afternoon, it was mine - a lime green Bumbo with tray in perfect condition (for less than half the retail price!). She even threw in a little suction cup toy for extra fun. A quick Clorox wipe down and we were good to go. He loves it, and I can't believe how well he sits up in it. My strong boy!

2. I WON! I won a free month of Baby Boot Camp. Shortly after I started the class, I received an email from the instructor stating that if we went to a website called Lila Guide and wrote a review about the class, we'd be entered in a drawing to win a free month of BBC. Well, as the only person to write a review, I won! Ha Ha! Hey, I'll take what I can get!!

3. We tried the sling again. Now that he's got good head control, I tried the hip carry, and it worked out pretty well. Still not sure if he's positioned correctly, but he seems to dig it. I will probably go to next month's local Baby Wearer meet up to get a second opinion, but I can't wait to try it at the mall or Farmer's Market soon. (Note: the tall, skinny model with the flat stomach and puffy-eyed toddler is NOT ME. The pic is to illustrate the sling and the hip carry.)

4. The sleep update: We've regressed a bit, and sleep is still a total struggle. Our evening routine is solid, but many nights it's difficult to get him to fall asleep much less stay asleep. Naps are also challenging, and more so when we try to do anything in the morning or afternoon. Or pretty much anytime after 9 am. Awesome, no? I keep re-reading Secrets of the Baby Whisperer, thinking "Why isn't this working for us? I must be missing something, but what is it?" This afternoon I found a blog which actually eased my mind a bit. On the rare occasion that someone asks me a question about my kids or child-rearing, I'm happy to share what we do/say, but generally with the caveat of "but you have to really figure out what works for you and your family". Apparently I forgot my own advice. I can't try to program my baby to follow a plan and then get frustrated when it doesn't happen. I have to figure out what works for My Baby and My Schedule and My Family. So he doesn't go down at 7:30pm. So he struggles to self-soothe and wakes up every few hours. So he likes to nurse in the middle of the night. Well, that's what's working for us right now, so I just need to relax and go with it. I know he won't be like this forever. I need to relax and remember this. The blog that reminded me of this is Ask Moxie. I think it was just reading about so many mothers' experiences that reminded me so strongly of my own advice. They also made the point that we live in a time of 'expert worship', where any person who publishes a book is suddenly considered to be the end-all be-all of advice. How idiotic. That would be like me writing a book on interior design because I once watched Trading Spaces. So I'm tossing the sleep book and trying to be more chill about our day to day life. It will all come together. (but cross your fingers for me anyway)