So in the book it says that it should take about 4 days/nights and then your baby should be sleeping with minimal crying….okay…last night was not good and it was night 4. I think my husband got up at least 4 times to settle Myles. Since we started this sleep method things have been good, bad and ugly. I’m not knocking the method because I know that it works, but come on already!!! Myles please sleep longer! Tonight I think we will have a good night because he didn’t get good naps today. For some reason he just wouldn’t settle down to take either morning or afternoon naps…fingers and toes crossed….mama (and papa) needs dome good ol’ sleep!

I couldn’t take it anymore….I needed sleep….I needed sleep alone. So I decided to Ferberize Myles. This is the sleep method where you let your baby cry it out while you check in on him in gradual increments. For example, I would put Myles down in his crib at 8 pm- he would start to cry, I would go back into the room 5 mins later reassure him and then leave- he then cries even louder (which make me cry). I re-enter the room 10 minutes later and reassure him again- he cries again as I leave but not as long and not as strong. Soon he falls asleep. You’re suppose to repeat this method for 4 nights straight without any changes and no backing down. Last night was night two and it seemed worse than the first night. I don’t think the two thunderstorms helped much with having a peaceful slumber. Tonight we try again, and no backing down.

I remember doing this same thing with the twins and it does in fact work. It just takes guts to let them cry it out. It’s hard to hear them cry but I always remind myself that this is only for their benefit. If they get a good nights rest and the rest of the house gets a good nights rest everyone will be happier and healthier. At this age, (5.5 months) there really shouldn’t be any need to eat at night.

Tip: Buy the books Baby 411 and Toddler 411 they are the greatest guides for learning how to deal with all issues from sleeping and eating to medical emergencies and development. These books are worth every penny.

Well didn’t I call it….Myles is pretty much sitting up on his own now and he is eating rice cereal and loving it! It’s funny how all parents look forward to the next milestone with their babies but when it arrives it a new ball of wax we have to deal with. For example, as you all know, BF has been going well, but I would like to get my body back sooner than later! With that being said I was looking forward to having Myles get on his solids, so now that he is I have quickly recalled all of the mess and inconvenience there is to eating food. Now I have to pack food for him and really pay attention to the time, carry around more clothing and bibs….(yes I can complain wayyyy too mcuh!)

Anyway, now that he is eating his solids I think he is feeling more satisfied which makes him happier. I’m not sure if the solids have anything to do with it, but he seems to have fallen into a routine with his sleeping and eating. Myles now has a morning nap and an afternoon nap. So generally his schedule is this:

• wake at 6:30 a.m. and plays
• eat at 8:00 a.m (BF)
• nap 9:00 to 11:00ish a.m.
• lunch 11:30-12:00 p.m. (solids and BF)
• nap 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
• eat and play 3:00-5:00 p.m
• eat dinner 5:00 p.m.
• play or eat 6:00-7:30ish
• Sleep 8:00 pm-11:00 p.m.
• BF at 11:00 p.m.
• Sleep 11:00 p.m- 4:00 a.m.
• BF at 4:30-5:00 a.m.
• Sleep 5:00 a.m - 6:30  a.m.

I am grateful that he has a schedule; it is making life a little more predictable which helps with planning things. It is still very hard though to deal with the boys (who will be 3 at the end of the month). As a matter of fact, I have one of them home with me today because he said he was “sick”, instead of “resting” on the couch he has decided to sit next to me by the computer and talk talk talk talk….I know he wants my attention but lordy, give me 10 minutes to myself. That must sound terrible, but I’m human, I need a mental break every so often.

So, now that I feel guilty for being on the computer, I will sign off with this last comment. Children are wonderful, but dang-it, they are a handful!

Well things have really been busy at our house; the boys are keeping us on our toes to say the least and baby Myles is getting bigger and bigger as the days go by.

Myles is just finishing his third month and it has proven to be the best month so far. We have out grown the upset/sour stomach stage, as well as the incessant gas build ups. He sometimes sleeps for 3 hours but for the most part he is still waking every two hours for a little drink. I have gotten use to the idea that Myles and I will be a two person team for at least 3 more months. I love being with him, we have a different bond that I have with my other boys. I feel as though I am more in-tune with Myles’ needs than I was with the boys when they were his age. But then again, I was also taking care of two babies at the same time so maybe the reason. Where there are two, there very little one on one cuddle time, it’s always one baby, then the next, then both and then none! I’m babbling I know, I just reminiscing about the days I had with the boys….time has gone by so fast. The boys will be 3 years old in 2 months!!! Wow….next thing I know, they’ll be in kindergarten.

Anyway back to Myles and his successes. He loves to stand (or at least try to stand) on the table, or on my lap. Pretty much anywhere he can get a chance to do so. He squeals out loud when he is happy, and wails when he is upset. He smiles usually all day long, if you interact with him he will just smile and squeal all day long. He is still eating like a champ and gaining weight steadily; he is 13 lbs right now. The weather has been great these past few weeks so we both go for a walk in the afternoon; he sleeps while I walk!

Other than that, I have nothing more to report. I am trying to enjoy every moment of his first year since it goes so quickly. My advice for this posting is love and savour every moment you have with your little one, because in a blink on an eye your little one is no longer little.

So  two days shy of Myles’ 5 month birthday, he began to roll over! Boy does he like rolling all over the floor…I think he wants to get on the move so that he can play with his brothers. Once on his stomach he starts pushing against his little feet to grab what ever item is closest to him. There is no lack of curiosity with this little one.

Myles is also babbling a lot…he has full out conversations with himself as well as with his toes! He has found his toes and use them as an object to suck on! His brothers did the same thing when they were babies, I think all babies suck on toes once they are found- it’s like an extra thumb or finger!

Breatfeeding is going well, however I am wondering if I should start feeding him solids. I had planned on BF him exclusively until 6 months but he seems so very interested in table foods and generally anything that I am eating….it’s something to think about. I am still going to wait until he can sit up by himself which at his speed I’m sure it will happen this month.

The other major hurdle that I have to get under control is the sleeping. He still doesn’t sleep through the night and he still sleeps with me. I know that he should be sleeping for longer stretches and not wanting to nurse during the night, but he isn’t. I tried the CIO method, but I cannot stand hearing him cry for 20-30 minutes and still not fall asleep. Having him sleep beside me makes nursing so much easier, we both barely have to wake up. All that being said, I cannot go on like this, I am too sleep deprived to go on. This week I am going to try again to get him to sleep in his crib. God help me get through this!

This past week I decided to get some pictures taken on Myles. Our first time around with the twins we didn’t really have the time to take “professional” pictures of them when they were really young so this time around I thought I had better make the time! The session was a half an hour and it went really well I thought. Myles was quiet despite being fully awake and almost missing his mid morning nurse. We will get our photos back in two weeks….I always wonder why pictures take 2 weeks to develop when there are photo labs that produce the same size photos in less than an hour?!

It’s been awhile since I last posted; things have been quite tiresome with growth spurts and Myles not wanting to sleep “alone”. There was however light at the end of my dark dark tunnel! This week (7)Myles has finally started to consistently sleep in his crib alone for at least one block of sleep. The nights are still rough as feeding are still in clusters but at least I am getting use to the choppy sleep!

This morning Myles was awake doing his usual sleep wake cycle when I noticed that he was actually following my movements with his eyes. I started talking to him and there it was, a big smile! It melted my heart because I knew that it was because he could see me and recognize my voice. I played with him a little bit more and there it was again, a big gummy bear (no teeth) smile! These are the moments that make all the tough days and nights disappear.

Today Myles is 4 weeks old…well actually on the 28th he will be 1 month old…time has flown by so quickly. For the past 3 weeks I have been taking Myles to the doctor’s office for check ups and weigh ins and it almost seems like he is gaining one pound a week….crazy but great! Compared to his brothers Myles may just end up out weighing both of them! This week has been interesting in his development, he no longer wants to sleep alone, he must sleep with me/on me at all times. His guts are working themselves out so that means a lot of gas/cramps/upset stomach which in turn means no sleep for mommy.

Lesson #3: Ovol (if you didn’t already know) is a life saver for both you and baby. This little bottle of medicine helps sooth baby’s guts from all of the built up gas. Gripe water is another life saver; it is used for sour stomach or hiccups. This flavoured “syrup” (smells like black licorice) calms baby down in minutes. These two stomach remedies are a must in any home with newborns. You can buy them at any local pharmacy.

Today my husband and I are taking some time for ourselves…we have arranged “babysitters” in other words grandma and grandpa to come over and watch all 3 kids for a couple of hours while we go out on a date. I am looking forward to this evening like you wouldn’t be! Mommy is starting to go stir crazy being at home and being a feeding machine! Don’t get me wrong, I love my time with the kids and baby but mama needs a little space every now and then! We will be trying a Sushi restaurant…mmmmm…..sushi..my mouth is watering already! I’ll fill you all in on how the evening went. I hope my parents will be okay with all the kids….2-3 hours…they can handle it RIGHT??!!

So it has been three weeks so far and finally things are starting to look a little better. I am getting use to the choppy sleep, sore breasts and trying to entertain two 2.5 year olds. Let me begin by saying that if Paul (my husband) wasn’t picking up all of the slack with our family errands and chores I think I would have fallen apart. By doing everything else in the house, Paul has allowed me to concentrate on breastfeeding and looking after Myles and myself. I just wanted to say thanks and I love you to bits P!

Anyway enough of the mushy stuff…back to the realities of breastfeeding and infants. I wanted to journal my experience with breastfeeding and infant care for myself and for any new parent who may think that they are the only ones having difficulties. You are not alone! Breastfeeding is not easy, however it’s very rewarding especially when you see your baby growing from your breast milk alone. That being said, please know that I am not knocking formula feeding or bottle feeding….we formula fed our twins so I have the advantage of knowing what it is like to do both.

Now going back to week one, when my milk was not in yet and Myles was as hungry as a bear, I fed him whatever colostrum I had and supplemented with formula until day 3-4 when my milk did finally come in. In those 3-4 days I think Myles was on me 24/7 or atleast it felt like that. The cluster feeding does actually happen and in my case it happened more at night than in the day. During those 3-4 days I suffered nipple damage because I did not have a proper latch.  

Lesson #1: Learn what a proper latch looks like; get videos, see a lactation consultant before your baby is born or just talk to a girlfriend who has breastfed previously. Here is a proper latch in a nutshell: line up your nipple with baby’s nose and then wait for a big open mouth from baby, then push baby onto your areola. The majority of your areola should be inside baby’s mouth and baby should not be sucking on your nipple.

Because I wasn’t latching Myles on properly I caused my nipples to get quite damaged. This damage took 3 weeks to heal…so be warned (!) try not to cause to much trauma to your nipples! If you do have some damage, ask your family doctor for Dr. Jack Newman’s nipple ointment, it works wonders. If you cannot get your hands on this prescription, then keep your nipples covered in Lansinoh 100% lanolin cream which you can get at most pharmacies. By using these products you are preventing hard scabs from forming and it promotes healing. I also used Medella breast shells to keep my nipples from rubbing against my bra. This helpped with the healing process; you can get the shells from hospital drug stores, some pharmacies or online. 

That was week one in a nut shell with regards to breastfeeding….as for infant care, what did I learn? Oh yeah, infants are a lot of work! But you know what, this time around I am a lot more relaxed about things. I’m not wo worried about “spoiling” him with holding him too much or offering him milk when ever he wants it. I remember with the twins, we kept them on a schedule with feeding and we didn’t carry them around all the time. Actually now that I think about it, we did that for a reason, they were being fed formula so they only needed to eat every three hours as well, I didn’t carry them around all the time because I couldn’t! I only had two arms and they got tired quickly! Also when they were sleeping I was trying to sleep as well. Twins and multiples in genereal are another ball game when compared to a singleton. So infant care comparison isn’t really applicable here…anyway back to what I was talk about, being relaxed. I guess in general I am not so caught up in the “rules and regulations” of infant care that you read about in all the parenting books and magazines.

Lesson #2: Read as much as you can before your baby arrives, but always remember that all the great information you gather are just guidlines. Every baby is different and may not follow your books exact descriptions. Trust your instincts, 99% of the time your gut reaction/thought is right!

With that last lesson, I must go as it is time to feed Myles….he’s letting me know with some cooing from his crib! Talk with you all soon again!

Well after quite a long pregnancy baby Myles finally arrived on December 28 2007. His entrance into the world was very quick, about 4 hours of labour, and since then he has been nothing more than perfect! To our family and friends who came to visit us at home we say thank you for all the wonderful cards, gifts and food you brought us. The first week was quite hard especially with the boys needing some attension. I will keep you all posted with Myles achievments and milestones.