Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Labor Day - The Day we refrain from Labor

We had a wonderful time at the cabin. We went and picked huckleberries and the weather was perfect! The berry bushes were loaded and we got much more than last time in half the time. Rowan did a great job, she would sit by a bush and pick and eat.
The next day we went to Warm Lake. This day was cold and rainy. We decided to hit some hot springs. Of course everyone else had the same thought so each hot spring we stopped at had people in it already. ( I'm talking about spots on the side of the river, not a pay pool) So we luckily made it to this fabulous beach on the lake and it was rainy when we got there, but just stopped and the sun came out. It was remarkable. There weren't any people there! We unloaded the canoe and paddled around with the girls and had a picnic lunch. It even warmed up enough that the girls got in the water. Of course then they were cold every time the sun went behind the clouds and they got their clothes all wet. Just when we were leaving the hordes showed up. It couldn't have been more perfect!
Then we stopped in at a hot spring and enjoyed the scummy soak. It was a huge 'pool' and the girls all enjoyed splashing around and collecting rocks and there was enough room for them to do so. Rowan has become a little fish, even without the swimming lessons the other two got. (Why don't they let two year olds take swim lessons?It seems with my kids, they increased their fear of getting their face wet with age) She puts her whole face under, eyes wide open and doggy paddles through the water. It is amazing to me to see her.
We came back in time to actually work around here all day Monday. Call me crazy, but I just love getting things accomplished. I think I let it take precedence over fun a lot of the time. So this weekend satisfied Abram & me. We relaxed, played, and worked. We ate a lot of great food and spent time with family. Thanks Jeni, for inviting us to the cabin! Our girls loved playing with your girls. :)
So I decided the only way to get Lachlan to stop waking up so much was to go cold turkey on him and let him do the cry it out thing. I was so stressed about it! Last night when I went to bed I was in a cold sweat and felt near to tears with the prospect of a long night of sobbing baby. I then decided on the first night I'd get up about half way through (2 am) and feed him and then again about 6. But Crazy thing- he slept all the way til 1:45. And then again until 5:45. So he really didn't learn anything because the only times he woke up he still got fed. Crazy! The kid wakes up consistently every two hours on the dot for months, then suddenly he catches my vibe or something and decides to sleep til almost the exact timeframe I had laid out for him in my mind.
So the night went rather well, but I'm afraid it accomplished nothing other than we both got a little more sleep. Which really is the point, isn't it?
My friend, Melonie loaned me a book that I had tried a few times unsuccessfully to get from the library. It teaches that most kids are overtired and that is why they cry when it's bed time and fuss and act horribly. So I've been trying to put him down sooner and it has worked for him. He had gotten (me) into the habit of needing to lay by him and stroking him til he went to sleep. He has gone back to his old ways of laying down calmly and going to sleep on his own. Now if I could get it to work for the girls.... :) If only getting them to sleep more would truly resolve their behavior problems. We tried to put them down an hour earlier to test this theory. But they were just more of a problem. They didn't go to sleep. They fought and played and came down 10 times and we really weren't done dealing with them until the time after we would have normally put them to bed without a fuss. Ah well, life can't go perfectly all the time :)

3 comments:

Carley said...

A lady in town does water babies for babies 6 month and older. We put Eriksen in it at 9 months and he loved it. Check it out. http://www.lsiswim.com/. I think we are going to do it again this winter. Kids in his class would dive under the water!!

Jessica said...

at the beginning of the summer Ginger wasn't afraid at all. Until the older kids started making her scared by being scared themselves. I'm glad you have fun picking berries. Send some my way :)

Melonie said...

Keep trying with the sleeping thing! It does get easier. I've got my own progress to make with Isaac but he is getting better. First night he cried for over a half hour we me going in to calm him every 10 min. Now he only cries for 5 minutes and then he is sleeping peacefully for 6 hours. Keep me posted! Sounds like you had a fun weekend!