The title of this post doesn't refer to adult parents needing reassurance that they will indeed one day get some sleep.... though don't get me wrong, sleep would be nice.... sleep in chunks longer than 90 minutes.
We're having one heck of a time with Cori's sleep again. It's been going on for a while, and I'm seeking any and all advice on how to ease the situation. Putting Cori to bed at night has become an awful exercise in separation anxiety. It happens every night without fail and it seems to be getting worse.
No matter who puts Cori to bed (we take turns) we do out normal routine we've been doing for over two years. But then when we kiss her good night, the great need for reassurance begins. Cori will say "You're going to put your PJs on, brush your teeth and wash your face, then check on me and then go to sleep?" And we say "Yes" and she says "Okay". But instantly she will ask again "You're going to put your PJs on, brush your teeth and wash your face, then check on me and then go to sleep?" . This happens a good half-dozen times. And if I venture down stairs instead of to my bedroom, the screaming instantly begins.
If you try to leave the room during her questioning, she just keeps asking. And then about 1 minute later, she starts sobbing and screaming for "Mama". We go back, and it starts all over again. If we don't check on her (we've only tried it once because of the result) she just works herself up into a frenzy. She will also ask for me to sleep with her (which I cannot since I get up to feed Benjamin and to nurse / pump).
Recently she has asked to sleep with her light on all night (she never needed this before - a night light was sufficient). And also recently she is waking up multiple times though the night crying that she wants me to sleep with her, or she wants more in her sippy cup, or that she is scared. We ask her if she is afraid of anything and continue to reassure her that there are no dinosaurs, no bad storms / thunder & lightening, etc.
I just don't know what is driving this, and worse, have no clue how to make it better for her. I think most of it is rooted in specific separation anxiety towards me, maybe because Ben is here now and I don't have all my attention focused on Cori. Tonight my mom (who's staying this week to help out) said she'd sleep with Cori. Sure enough, Cori still was sobbing for Mama and asking repeatedly about me "You're going to put your PJs on, brush your teeth and wash your face, then check on me and then go to sleep?" . So it isn't just that she is scared and wants someone to be with her. She is very close with my mom and apparently that wasn't good enough. She kept saying she wanted Mama to lay with her, etc.
Is this a normal 3 yr old behavior? Is this driven by bringing a baby into the mix and adjusting? Is there some sort of growth explosion happening that I'm not aware of? Is it all 3 of something else entirely?? And how do I fix this? It's been 5 weeks now (started before the baby was here) and it's just getting worse.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Photos and Visits
Has it already been 2 weeks since Benjamin was born?! Things are going well, and we've had lots of visits from near and far which has been so nice. We're really blessed to have such caring family and friends!!
"Uncle" Dan from Arizona was able to stop by.
An impromptu story for Cori.
Great grandma and her first great-grandson
Aunt Kelly!
Uncle Dave!
Kadence came to play
Miss Meghan stopped by too!
With all the heat this week, Cori and Daddy have done lots of swimming....
while Ben chilled inside with the A/C on!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Adjusting
We're adjusting to life as a family of 4. Ben continues to be a very laid back little dude; he is sleeping fine and eating well. He got 2 thumbs up from the pediatrician yesterday as he gained an ounce already from hospital discharge on Sunday. No jaundice either which has made a huge difference between Cori's first few days and his (and thus ours!)
I'm feeling better physically and almost 100% I'd say. Tonight we went for a walk around the neighborhood and I pushed myself too hard. But Dave and I both seem to be getting 6 hours total sleep throughout the night (just in 2 hr chunks if we're lucky) so we've not hit any walls yet.
Corinne seems to be stuck with the biggest adjustment. Between asserting her 3 yr old strong sense of independence 95% of the time, and not having mom & dad's attention 24 / 7, we've had some rough moments daily. She seems to break into tears at the drop of a hat and listening skills have apparently gone on vacation. And while she has always been a bit of a mama's girl, it's intensified to where she only wants mama in those tearful moments especially. It's frustrating for both of us and makes Dad understandably a little sad in that moment. We're trying to be patient and maintain her routine but that routine is in an adjustment phase itself, you know? Ironically our pediatrician had said that the first 6 weeks were the honeymoon period..... either Cori didn't get that memo or we're in for an even bumpier ride!!
I'm feeling better physically and almost 100% I'd say. Tonight we went for a walk around the neighborhood and I pushed myself too hard. But Dave and I both seem to be getting 6 hours total sleep throughout the night (just in 2 hr chunks if we're lucky) so we've not hit any walls yet.
Corinne seems to be stuck with the biggest adjustment. Between asserting her 3 yr old strong sense of independence 95% of the time, and not having mom & dad's attention 24 / 7, we've had some rough moments daily. She seems to break into tears at the drop of a hat and listening skills have apparently gone on vacation. And while she has always been a bit of a mama's girl, it's intensified to where she only wants mama in those tearful moments especially. It's frustrating for both of us and makes Dad understandably a little sad in that moment. We're trying to be patient and maintain her routine but that routine is in an adjustment phase itself, you know? Ironically our pediatrician had said that the first 6 weeks were the honeymoon period..... either Cori didn't get that memo or we're in for an even bumpier ride!!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Meet Ben
As the old saying goes.... people plan and God laughs.
Friday morning at 5:30 AM my water broke. So much for "the plan" of an induction next week! Honestly though, if my water didn't break I wouldn't have gone to the hospital. The contractions I felt were nothing at all like those with Corinne (sharp, take your breath away) and instead were dull cramping. Scary to think I may not have taken action...
Oddly enough, the length of the labors were identical to the minute, just an hour delayed. With Cori my water broke at 4:30 AM and she was born at 10:06 AM. My water broke at 5:30 AM with Ben and he was born at 11:06 AM. Freaky! They were both 20.5 inches and 1 lb apart.... Cori was 8 lb 14 oz and Ben was 7 lb 14 oz.
The labor itself was easy thanks to the epidural. I went lightening fast from 2 CM to 10 CM in about 3 hrs. I just kept feeling pressure down below and finally told the nurse I wanted the doctor to check me. She said "no, you were only 2 CM" but I insisted. Sure enough, I was 10 CM and ready to push! 5 pushes / 10 minutes later, Ben was out!
Ben seems to look different from Corinne - a little darker in complexion, and not quite as chubby. (maybe that pound makes a big difference). His eyes are a darker slate blue and his hair is darker and fuller.
He is also much, much calmer; he is one laid back little dude! He only cries (which sounds more like a kitten's mew) when he is hungry, and he quites down right away. He is sleeping great though up a little more frequently during the night, but that is to be expected until he gets his days and nights figured out.
Cori has been adjusting great, much better than we expected. I think she's been a little clingy but more so because I was gone for 2 nights and she had a busy social weekend. She is very gentle with Ben, and often wants to hold him and help feed him, etc. She just keeps saying "he's so cute!!" We've been really trying to keep her on her schedule of daycare and eating / sleeping. Hopefully it will make for an easier adjustment.
As for me, I'm doing much better than I was while pregnant. I can't explain it, but I just feel like me again. Mentally I've not freaked out yet, and I think I'm a little more laid back than I even expected (and MUCH more laid back than when Cori was born). Physically, I'm shrinking back to normal size and only sore when I needed some stitches. Cori keeps commenting "Mama, you got a new belly?! Why did you get a new belly?" While I'm not back in my pre-pregnancy clothes, it's amazing how much I've already shrunk. Emotionally I'm looking forward to the ride!
Friday morning at 5:30 AM my water broke. So much for "the plan" of an induction next week! Honestly though, if my water didn't break I wouldn't have gone to the hospital. The contractions I felt were nothing at all like those with Corinne (sharp, take your breath away) and instead were dull cramping. Scary to think I may not have taken action...
Oddly enough, the length of the labors were identical to the minute, just an hour delayed. With Cori my water broke at 4:30 AM and she was born at 10:06 AM. My water broke at 5:30 AM with Ben and he was born at 11:06 AM. Freaky! They were both 20.5 inches and 1 lb apart.... Cori was 8 lb 14 oz and Ben was 7 lb 14 oz.
The labor itself was easy thanks to the epidural. I went lightening fast from 2 CM to 10 CM in about 3 hrs. I just kept feeling pressure down below and finally told the nurse I wanted the doctor to check me. She said "no, you were only 2 CM" but I insisted. Sure enough, I was 10 CM and ready to push! 5 pushes / 10 minutes later, Ben was out!Ben seems to look different from Corinne - a little darker in complexion, and not quite as chubby. (maybe that pound makes a big difference). His eyes are a darker slate blue and his hair is darker and fuller.
He is also much, much calmer; he is one laid back little dude! He only cries (which sounds more like a kitten's mew) when he is hungry, and he quites down right away. He is sleeping great though up a little more frequently during the night, but that is to be expected until he gets his days and nights figured out.
For comparison, here is Cori after she was first born. 
Cori has been adjusting great, much better than we expected. I think she's been a little clingy but more so because I was gone for 2 nights and she had a busy social weekend. She is very gentle with Ben, and often wants to hold him and help feed him, etc. She just keeps saying "he's so cute!!" We've been really trying to keep her on her schedule of daycare and eating / sleeping. Hopefully it will make for an easier adjustment.
As for me, I'm doing much better than I was while pregnant. I can't explain it, but I just feel like me again. Mentally I've not freaked out yet, and I think I'm a little more laid back than I even expected (and MUCH more laid back than when Cori was born). Physically, I'm shrinking back to normal size and only sore when I needed some stitches. Cori keeps commenting "Mama, you got a new belly?! Why did you get a new belly?" While I'm not back in my pre-pregnancy clothes, it's amazing how much I've already shrunk. Emotionally I'm looking forward to the ride!
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
The Plan
On Tuesday I had an ultrasound to check fetal growth as part of my gestational diabetes. Baby Ben is measuring quite large now - 8lbs 3 ozs which places him in the 95th percentile. His belly is measuring the size of a 41 week baby!! Luckily his head isn't measuring as large, but the doctors do worry about the shoulders dislocating when he passes through the birth canal.
So far, my blood pressure has been really good and my sugars have been somewhat manageable. My meds keep going up each week which stinks. And my swelling has been increased to the point where my hands / fingers are numb more than 50% of the time. So I'm hanging in there as best as I can.
But the doctors thankfully agree that enough is enough and it may be time to bring baby out into the world. Next Thursday or Friday (I'll be 38 weeks) they will check Ben's lung maturity via amniocentesis and as long as that okay, they will induce me that evening. There's the possibility that I may go into labor on my own prior, but if not, it feels good to know we have a plan.
So far, my blood pressure has been really good and my sugars have been somewhat manageable. My meds keep going up each week which stinks. And my swelling has been increased to the point where my hands / fingers are numb more than 50% of the time. So I'm hanging in there as best as I can.
But the doctors thankfully agree that enough is enough and it may be time to bring baby out into the world. Next Thursday or Friday (I'll be 38 weeks) they will check Ben's lung maturity via amniocentesis and as long as that okay, they will induce me that evening. There's the possibility that I may go into labor on my own prior, but if not, it feels good to know we have a plan.
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