ACOG Changes Its Name

In a sort of at-least-they-are-finally-being-honest-and-upfront-about-what-they-really-are way, I'm glad to see ACOG has changed its name from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Now there is no question as to what their purpose is and I don't sound like quite so much of a conspiracy-theorist when I suggest that they are more of a political group than an educational one.

My Sister Ate My Homework

I've been working a TON this weekend.....that's what I get for having a job in retail, right? Its been a little hard on the kids not having Mom home as much. So, today Chad brought the kids to visit me on my lunch break. Before I left for work I reminded Gavin that he needed to finish his math worksheets which was his homework for the weekend. When they came to visit, Gavin had a very sad look on his face. "Alayna cut up my homework" he said. Chad then explained that he was very proud of how Gavin did his math with no whining or complaining. He set it on the kitchen table and within minutes Alayna got her scissors and cut the papers to bits! Poor Gavin! He worked *so hard* on that math and has nothing to show for it! I promised Gavin that I would write a note to his teacher explaining that he finished his homework and it looked great, but then his sister got into it.....I had to kind of laugh when I thought of the age-old excuse "my dog ate my homework".....except we don't have a dog.....just a cutting-happy 3-yr-old who seems to find the scissors at the most inopportune moments!

More Great Mama Blogs & Updates

You may have noticed that I've added a couple of new favorite blogs on my sidebar list. Modern Alternative Mama and Keeper of the Home are both written by Christian women who I've grown to respect in the short time I've been reading their blogs. I've been very interested in staying as healthy as possible throughout this cold and flu season (more so than normal this year, with H1N1 flying around and affecting *many* families I know and love) and they have provided an abundance of information regarding natural methods to staying healthy. I also love that they are both natural birthing/homebirthing, breastfeeding, cloth diapering, organic eating, crunchy moms who happen to love the Lord! Their pages are full of wisdom and information....I highly recommend them!

Its been almost three weeks since Alayna stopped nursing. She still asks many times every day and I always give her the same answer: "I love you so much. I'll give you hugs and cuddles and kisses. You are such a big girl and you don't need nursies any more." I wonder how long it will take until she stops asking. Sometimes it breaks my heart, but I know its for the best. Of course, Cade is fighting some sort of flu bug or something and has been nursing almost nonstop so my boobies haven't really felt much difference! (Also makes it hard for A to see C nursing so much too.....).

Bedtime battles are getting MUCH better! We're trying very hard to have a consistent bedtime routine and I'm happy to say the older kids (Gavin and Alayna are ususally both in bed by around 8 or 8:30 now (yay!).....so much better than the 10 to 11 pm deal we were having for so long! Cade is still a work in progress as far as sleep goes....of course, he's dealing with sickness at the moment and I know that always disrupts sleep.....some day it will all be better, I know!

One last thing, I'm reading another great book! This is another of the great Dr. William Sears books (written along with his wife Martha) called The Successful Child. I've written in the past how much I love Dr. Sears and I also really respect his advice. I've always subscribed to the attachment parenting philosophy, but its so easy to get frustrated, beaten down, doubting myself and wondering if I'm ruining my children by not being more firm, more consumed with punishments and "teaching my kids a lesson". I'm learning that my relationship with my children *does* matter in the long run and its not just about immediate results....my investment in them will reap dividends later on as they turn into well adjusted adults. If you want to be encouraged in the direction of attachment parenting and get some great practical ideas for the day-to-day issues that come up as mothers, I highly recommend this book!

Bedtime Frustrations

I'm reading Elizabeth Pantley's The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers and realizing that I have three kids that have some very bad sleep habits and are quite sleep deprived. The following is a quote from the book with my own commentary in parenthesis:

Your child may not seem tired, because overtired children don't always act tired--at least not in the ways parents expect....Do any of these apply to your child? tends to be whiny, fussy or clingy (YES!); sucks thumb, finger or pacifier at times other than bedtime (both Gavin and Alayna suck on their shirt sleeves); is hyperactive especially at times when you think he should be tired (Cade and Gavin - yes!); is overly stubborn (Oh my, YES for Alayna!); has regular temper tantrums or easily becomes upset or angry (YUP!); has difficulty falling asleep when put to bed (that is the biggest understatement thus far); falls asleep frequently when in the car, bus or train (happens often); falls asleep in front of the television (happens occasionally); sometimes falls asleep on the sofa or floor before bedtime (I have pictures to prove this is true); takes a long time to become awake and alert in the morning (YES!); does not appear to be well rested and full of energy (YES!); doesn't seem as happy as she should be (Oh my, YES!).

So, we've got some work to do. I feel guilty that I haven't been consistent enough with bedtime, which is supposed to be 8:30, but varies depending on if I'm home or working and how cooperative they are at obeying the directions to go to sleep. I'm realizing I need to have a very consistent bedtime routine and I attempted to create one tonight. My plan was to put them all in the bathtub around 7 pm. I thought between 7:30 and 8 could be "get into jammies" time and wind down, dim the lights. Then around 8:00 we'd have a last chance to go potty, brush teeth and read a story with the final lights out at 8:30. It didn't go as planned. Bathtime took much longer than expected. After getting Alayna into jammies and turning my attention to Cade, Alayna took all her clothes off and put on her bathing suit. Of course, when I realized this I reacted in a total Christ-like manner (right!), yanked off her bathing suit and forcefully reclothed her. As they were climbing into bed (right before the story) Alayna scratched Gavin's foot with a sharp toenail. So, off to the bathroom we went to find a bandaid and clip toenails. Finally, we got back into bed and I started reading the story again. Gavin and Alayna were doing great paying attention to the story. Cade, on the other hand, was rambunxious and kept head-butting Alayna. Seems silly to get angry at a 17-month-old for such behavior, but I was furious! I scooped Cade up and it took every ounce of willpower to not hurt him. I took him to his daddy in the living room and stomped back to the kids bedroom. Cade, upset that I transplanted him so abruptly, wailed. Somehow, I got through the rest of the story and the kids promised to stay in bed (something that rarely happens....usually they come out of their beds several times and I resort to yelling and threats.....not a good night for anyone). Miraculously, by 9:30 two of the three were in bed and staying there. Cade was still wailing in daddy's arms. I went back into the living room and nursed him, which calmed him considerably, but even now, at nearly 10 pm, he's wide awake. Its going to take more reading from Ms. Pantley to figure out how to get Cade going to bed at a reasonable hour.

I know I'm not alone dealing with the bedtime battles and lack of sleep and I know it will all get better at some point. I'm just hoping (with a little help) it will be sooner rather than later. With too little sleep I am not the calm, happy mama I want to be for my kids.

Officially Weaned!

So, tonight I nursed Alayna for the very last time. I decided that I wanted to make it special so we went back in the bedroom (free from being terrorized by Cade) and I let her nurse for as long as she wanted. Normally I cut her off after a couple of minutes, but since this was the last time, I thought I'd let her go as long as she wanted. She nursed on both sides and I think noticed that I hadn't cut her off....she unlatched and asked, "why is this special nursies mama?" and I explained that this was the very last time she would nurse. She nursed another few minutes and then was done. Tomorrow will be the first official non-nursing day, so we'll see how that goes. Alayna nursed for 3 years, 5 months......way longer than I ever expected or imagined. It'll be nice to be only nursing one now and I look forward to a new chapter in Alayna's life.