problem solved?

Some of you may know the trouble I've had with Finny and his schedule. Sometimes he will act so tired rubbing his eyes, crying, and lying his head down wherever he is, yet I would put him down for a nap and he would sleep for all of about 10 minutes. In all actuality he would sleep at the most 45 minutes and every day he would get a 10 to 20 minute nap. This added up to 4, sometimes 5 broken-up naps throughout the day. Not predictable and very stressful for all involved. Matthew felt like he could never put Finny to sleep. I was stressed because Finny was tired most of the day (even though he acted happy and smiled all the time) and then he would wake up so soon after falling asleep. I finally told my sister-in-law, Melissa about it last Saturday night while we were over at their house. Before we left, she had gotten a book for me called "Baby Wise" by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam, M.D. I read through the book in a little over a day. Every story was Finny and I...from him waking up soon after falling asleep to me lying him down and holding my breath hoping that he would stay asleep. Sunday afternoon I got home from church and decided to try out the technique. Feed Finny, play with him and then put him down nap. I had always fed him right before a nap. Turns out, just switching around this one step made a huge difference. He slept over 1-1/2 hours that first nap. I felt hopeful, but scared that it wouldn't stick. Each day since then, we have stuck to the schedule. He is on a 3-1/2 hour schedule for eating, playing and sleeping. It is so much more relaxed around here. I feel like he is getting the hang of it pretty quickly and most importantly, he's getting the sleep he needs. I'm still crossing my fingers, but I've noticed that since the schedule started, he will play a little longer by himself...giving me the time I need to do work around the house while he is still happy and playing. What a relief! Becky and Jason, get this book! At least try it out. They say that by the end of the second week, your newborn baby can have a predictable schedule to follow which means potentially falling asleep when you put them down...no crying, no rocking them to sleep for an hour, no walking through the house at all hours of night, no bad habits to break. Thanks, Melissa for the book!

Here is a picture of Finny in a bubble bath on Sunday. Yeah, I know there are a lot of bubbles. I usually don't even put them in, but I thought it would be a fun, new thing for him. Turns out, you don't need a whole cap full of the stuff for a baby! I turned the water on, put the bubble bath in and then went up stairs to get him ready for it. When we went down, you could hardly see his bath seat. It was totally covered with bubbles. I did get rid of some of the bubbles before putting him in, but you can still see there are a lot more!


Poor Finny can't figure out how to move with this toy OR get rid of it. At first, he's trying to play with it, but it keeps moving. Then, he wants to just be done with it and it doesn't leave him alone! Ha!