Josh couldn't make it bc of crazy car trouble (the valet broke his ignition). It would have been good for him to be there, bc she pretty much did a good summary of what all the main sleep books out there talk about (I've skimmed a number of them), and the various options and how we needed to craft a personal plan for ourselves that we could stick with and be consistent with. (We have obviously not been consisten about anything to this point, which is hard when you are tired and have busy lives.) She said you could go from full on cry it out, to not cry it out, and anything in between, and described the general ideas. I think one of the interesting things I hadn't seen in the books is how to properly introduce a lovey. I'd kind of assumed babies either picked up on one or not, but she said you can make anything a lovey by just having bunny (or whatever you pick) accompany baby through doing everything, e.g., "baby brushes her teeth, look now bunny is brushing her teeth". The other interesting thing is that the reason sierra stopped sleeping thru the nite Oct 31 could have been all those factors. Any changes and developmental milestones (every 4-6 months) disrupts sleep, and it just takes some time to readjust. Instead, we went about changing everything (her room, her sounds, etc.) and got deeper and deeper in the wrong direction. Sigh.
Anyway, so she was great at explaining pretty much everything I had seen in various books plus other good advice. Now we just need to do something about it. I tasked Josh with writing a sleep plan. heheheh. And he is sleeping on the futon as I type this. ;)
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Team America World Police
So there's this over the top comedy animated movie that came out a number of years ago that we saw with diana and kevin on DVD. There was this one scene that had me literally laughing to tears, which is totally unusual since I hardly find any movies that funny! In the scene, I don't remember the surrounding circumstances, but there's this character who throws up again and again and again. He stops and you think he's done, and then he goes on again and again and again. And then he stops. And then he goes on. And you just keep thinking it's going to stop, but it doesn't. I think it was by the South Park creators. Anyway, it sounds dumb and yes, it's 2nd grade humor, but it is hilarious. Josh thinks I'm crazy. Well, I am recounting this bc last night, that's what happened to SHE.
She slept horribly thursday night, cryign off and on for 2 hours, even with me holding her. Anyway, Friday, she was tired all morning, and had little appetite, and mudder figured she was just tired. All day she had little appetite, so we all figured she was just tired. so we just coaxed her into eating (which it turns out was a bad idea.) Her appetite picked up a little that evening. That night, after I nursed her, she was crawling off the bed, so I tickled her and she laughed, and then, she burped, and then I sensed a deeper burp, so I said "do you want to sit up?" and she said "hai yao" and I sat her up. Then she threw up. And threw up. And threw up. And threw up. (josh threw a towel down.) And threw up. (we moved to the bathroom.) And threw up. And threw up. Poor baby. But at least she seemed to not be uncomfortable. It was almost like spit up. She opened her mouth and it just fell out each time. Weird. Afterwards she was immediately back to her smiley, I don't want to go to bed self. Very weird. We're guessing it's something she ate.
She slept horribly thursday night, cryign off and on for 2 hours, even with me holding her. Anyway, Friday, she was tired all morning, and had little appetite, and mudder figured she was just tired. All day she had little appetite, so we all figured she was just tired. so we just coaxed her into eating (which it turns out was a bad idea.) Her appetite picked up a little that evening. That night, after I nursed her, she was crawling off the bed, so I tickled her and she laughed, and then, she burped, and then I sensed a deeper burp, so I said "do you want to sit up?" and she said "hai yao" and I sat her up. Then she threw up. And threw up. And threw up. And threw up. (josh threw a towel down.) And threw up. (we moved to the bathroom.) And threw up. And threw up. Poor baby. But at least she seemed to not be uncomfortable. It was almost like spit up. She opened her mouth and it just fell out each time. Weird. Afterwards she was immediately back to her smiley, I don't want to go to bed self. Very weird. We're guessing it's something she ate.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
It's official: we are Mommy and Daddy
No more mama and dada or baba. We are mommy and daddy now, and she calls us all the time. She hears the garage door open and says "Daddy", anticipating him. It's sweet.
Liling is "A-yi" (auntie in Chinese), but she is still having trouble with "gran" (which is extremely difficult to say, but my mom insists on this instead of "po-po" (grandma in chinese), which would have been super easy).
Last, last weekend, Josh was going through Sierra's flash cards (she'll pick up a deck and bring it to you and say "ca... ca... ca...") and they got to drum and he said "who plays the drum?" and she said "Robbie!" That sunday night, robbie came over for dinner, and she said "Robbie!" and pointed at him. They had to leave rather quickly (during her diaper change upstairs) and when she came down, they were gone, but she kept saying "Robbie?"
Liling is "A-yi" (auntie in Chinese), but she is still having trouble with "gran" (which is extremely difficult to say, but my mom insists on this instead of "po-po" (grandma in chinese), which would have been super easy).
Last, last weekend, Josh was going through Sierra's flash cards (she'll pick up a deck and bring it to you and say "ca... ca... ca...") and they got to drum and he said "who plays the drum?" and she said "Robbie!" That sunday night, robbie came over for dinner, and she said "Robbie!" and pointed at him. They had to leave rather quickly (during her diaper change upstairs) and when she came down, they were gone, but she kept saying "Robbie?"
Hello!
The other day, Josh said "hello!" and she echoed, "hello!" I think she learned it mostly from when we answer the phone, bc we then noticed that when the phone rings, she looks up and says "hello!" with sweet exuberance. (as opposed to the dull "hello?" we use to answer the phone) She's always been very aware of the phone. When she was younger (a few months ago), the phone rang and we didn't hear it. And she was just pointing at it and saying "diao le" (I think it was) again and again. Finally we realized the phone had just rung (it was too late to answer at this point.)
Setting the record straight: They are Yayo and Mama
Sierra has been able to say Naya and Lemma for a long time now, as I have documented on this blog. I just am not sure I got her accent right in my earliest post(s). So here it is: She calls Naya "Yayo" and Lemma "Mama". She does it all the time when she sees them blithely walking by or sitting there minding their own business. It's also funny bc although her words are very clear most of the time, she has a harder time with pronouncing their names. :) Perhaps it's bc they are among the first words she learned and her pronunciation wasn't as good back then, but it stuck. :)
We're trying to teach her to say "pa pa" everytime she sees Lemma. She does this a lot now, which is good. Be scared of Lemma.
We're trying to teach her to say "pa pa" everytime she sees Lemma. She does this a lot now, which is good. Be scared of Lemma.
Her no's started out very soft and sweet, and still are mostly. You just asked her a question and she would sweetly answer "no" or "hai yao" (yes). She also often simultaneouly gestures "no" with her hands by waving them (which I believe she picked up from gran). It's all very cute.
Now they are sometimes very emphatic and whiney, more like a mature toddler insisting on her way!
Now they are sometimes very emphatic and whiney, more like a mature toddler insisting on her way!
Mac N Cheese - all done!
I made Mac n cheese for her yesterday with just milk, mozarella, and macaroni. She didn't like it. We had to use spinach to get her to eat it, and then gave up.
Note that she says "all din" for "all done". It's cute.
Note that she says "all din" for "all done". It's cute.
Elman sleep summary
We are going to see a sleep specialist tomorrow.
From: Clover Huang
Sent: Wednesday, January 26, 2011 9:12 PM
To: 'HeidiE@JFCS.ORG'
Cc: Josh Elman
Subject: RE: help for 14 month old
Hi Heidi,
We are looking forward to meeting you tomorrow! I wrote up a summary below for you that may help facilitate our discussion. (I just wanted to make sure not to forget anything and there's a lot to cover!)
Thanks again!
Clover
Summary
Sierra is 14 months old, bright (speaks 70+ words), sensitive (wakes to lightest noise), high energy (our nanny says she’s the most tiring kid she’s cared for), and always slept fewer hours than other babies. She is generally happy and playful during the day.
Currently, she sleeps from about 8:30pm-7:30am, waking every 2-3 hours. Earlier in the night, we sometimes can pat her back to sleep. Later in the night we often need to hold her back to sleep and put her down gently. We’ve tried white noise, music, various night lights, and every combination. When she wakes, she jolts up to a sitting position and sits and cries. This is different from when she was younger when she’d stay lying and cry.
Mom nurses her to sleep around 8:30pm, 5am, and somewhere between 12-2pm (nap), depending on when she’s tired. She is currently transitioning from 2 to 1 nap per day. She usually naps about 1 hour. On good days she naps 2 hours. If she naps twice in a day, both are usually on the shorter side.
She sleeps on a mattress on the floor. She never slept in a crib because she screamed everytime we put her in it.
Family History:
Dad has found it hard to fall asleep as long as he can remember since he was little. He cannot go to sleep without watching TV, reading the iPhone, or some other distractive aid, otherwise his mind wanders and his nerves prevent him from falling asleep. Even before Sierra was born, he woke at least once a night and had trouble falling back asleep without a distractive aid.
Sierra’s History:
0-1 week: Sierra was born by C-section. On day 4, rather than going home, she entered the NICU for 3 days because of dehydration from insufficient breastmilk. In other words, she was starving from thirst/hunger, which we think contributed to her nervous and sensitive temperament.
0-3 months: Always had to be held while sleeping, other than at night. She slept with dad at night in one bed and mom came into nurse throughout night.
3-10 months: Napped in carseat stroller everyday in the beginning. Gradually, mom could nurse her to sleep for naps and at bedtime, and then sneak away. She moved to her own room around 8 months. Usually woke at night a couple times, and dad held her back to sleep. We got into a schedule where dad would soothe her if before 5am, mom nursed her if after 5am, and then she slept until 8ish. Slept from 9pm-8am on average.
Note: At 8 months, we tried cry it out one night. She was freaked out for 1 week - was afraid to nurse before bed, sobbing/choking through the nursings.
10-11 months: Continued nursing her to sleep. Slept straight from 9pm-5am! Nursed her at 5am and she’d sleep until 8am. This was our golden period.
11 months-Present: She suddenly started waking multiple times per night on Halloween night (10/31/2010). She always jolts up to a seated position and cries, which is different from before (she stayed lying down to cry). Possible reasons:
• Took her on a walk Halloween night and there were scary costumed neighbors who talked to her.
• Changed nanny in late October.
• Learned to walk.
• In mid-November, she had a bad cold for 1 week and woke up more and we held her and nursed her more at night.
• In late November, we changed her room to a warmer room and got her a new firmer mattress (she was on a very soft futon).
• Our nanny holds her after she wakes up from her nap, which keeps her sleeping up to 1 hour longer. (since she needs the sleep).
• Gradually switching from 2 naps to 1 nap, since she is less able to fall asleep for her morning nap.
We tried cry it out a couple times recently. She sobbed for awhile in bed and then walked to the baby gate to her room. Another time, she walked in circles clutching her ball, crying, and repeatedly asking to turn on music (which we ignored). Both times, when I walked in the room, she frantically asked me to hold her. Both times, rather than giving up and going to sleep, she got more and more frenzied.
Questions:
• How to get her to stop waking at night?
• We don’t know how to get out of nursing her to sleep.
• Would sleeping in the same room help? Our Chinese nanny and my mom did this and thinks it would help with separation anxiety. We don’t mind this, especially if it will work!
• Switching from 2 to 1 nap: sometimes she naps before lunch, sometimes after, so she eats at 12:30 and 2:30 on different days. Should we set more of a schedule?
• Should we hold her to prolong her naps? How do we make sure she gets enough sleep?
• Could it be medical? Could she have inherited Dad’s sleep nervousness?
________________________________________
From: Heidi Emberling
To: cloverh@yahoo.com
Sent: Fri, January 21, 2011 8:10:34 PM
Subject: RE: help for 14 month old
...and if you could send me a contact phone number, that would be great! Thanks!
Best,
Heidi
-----Original Message-----
From: cloverh@yahoo.com [mailto:cloverh@yahoo.com]
Sent: Fri 1/21/2011 6:35 PM
To: Heidi Emberling
Cc: josh_elman@yahoo.com
Subject: Re: help for 14 month old
Heidi, My husband says 4pm is a little easier for him, if possible. Thanks!
Clover
________________________________
From: "cloverh@yahoo.com"
To: Heidi Emberling
Cc: josh_elman@yahoo.com
Sent: Fri, January 21, 2011 6:34:29 PM
Subject: Re: help for 14 month old
Hi Heidi,
Thanks for your reply. How about next Thursday afternoon (1/27), 3:30pm or
later? My husband and I are both available then.
Thanks!
Clover
________________________________
From: Heidi Emberling
To: cloverh@yahoo.com
Sent: Fri, January 21, 2011 4:26:05 PM
Subject: RE: help for 14 month old
Hi Clover,
Thanks for writing. I'm sorry to hear about the sleep deprivation! I would be
happy to meet with you to discuss a sleep plan that meets your family goals with
regards to sleep. The way it works is that you would come to Parents Place (200
Channing Ave., cross street is Emerson) for a one-hour consultation, the cost is
$140, and I would find out more about your daughter's temperament/personality,
what you've tried, what's worked and what hasn't worked. Then, together, we
would come up with a specific sleep plan and some specific strategies to move
forward with from here.
I have some availability next week. Do you have any childcare? Let me know
best days/times. I do find that sleep plans work faster if both parents are
involved in the session, if possible.
I look forward to connecting and making sure everyone in the family is getting
good, healthy sleep!
Warmly,
Heidi
Heidi Emberling, MA
Parenting Educator, Early Childhood Specialist
650-576-7035
-----Original Message-----
From: cloverh@yahoo.com [mailto:cloverh@yahoo.com]
Sent: Fri 1/21/2011 12:38 PM
To: Heidi Emberling
Subject: help for 14 month old
Hi Heidi,
My 14 month old daughter has sleep issues (waking every hour all night since she
was about 1 year old) and we need help! You received a number of great
recommendations on Palo Alto Parents Club, and I was wondering if you do in-home
consultations and what your rates are, and what your availability is coming up.
Thanks so much!
Wearily yours,
Clover Elman
Mountain View, CA
From: Clover Huang
Sent: Wednesday, January 26, 2011 9:12 PM
To: 'HeidiE@JFCS.ORG'
Cc: Josh Elman
Subject: RE: help for 14 month old
Hi Heidi,
We are looking forward to meeting you tomorrow! I wrote up a summary below for you that may help facilitate our discussion. (I just wanted to make sure not to forget anything and there's a lot to cover!)
Thanks again!
Clover
Summary
Sierra is 14 months old, bright (speaks 70+ words), sensitive (wakes to lightest noise), high energy (our nanny says she’s the most tiring kid she’s cared for), and always slept fewer hours than other babies. She is generally happy and playful during the day.
Currently, she sleeps from about 8:30pm-7:30am, waking every 2-3 hours. Earlier in the night, we sometimes can pat her back to sleep. Later in the night we often need to hold her back to sleep and put her down gently. We’ve tried white noise, music, various night lights, and every combination. When she wakes, she jolts up to a sitting position and sits and cries. This is different from when she was younger when she’d stay lying and cry.
Mom nurses her to sleep around 8:30pm, 5am, and somewhere between 12-2pm (nap), depending on when she’s tired. She is currently transitioning from 2 to 1 nap per day. She usually naps about 1 hour. On good days she naps 2 hours. If she naps twice in a day, both are usually on the shorter side.
She sleeps on a mattress on the floor. She never slept in a crib because she screamed everytime we put her in it.
Family History:
Dad has found it hard to fall asleep as long as he can remember since he was little. He cannot go to sleep without watching TV, reading the iPhone, or some other distractive aid, otherwise his mind wanders and his nerves prevent him from falling asleep. Even before Sierra was born, he woke at least once a night and had trouble falling back asleep without a distractive aid.
Sierra’s History:
0-1 week: Sierra was born by C-section. On day 4, rather than going home, she entered the NICU for 3 days because of dehydration from insufficient breastmilk. In other words, she was starving from thirst/hunger, which we think contributed to her nervous and sensitive temperament.
0-3 months: Always had to be held while sleeping, other than at night. She slept with dad at night in one bed and mom came into nurse throughout night.
3-10 months: Napped in carseat stroller everyday in the beginning. Gradually, mom could nurse her to sleep for naps and at bedtime, and then sneak away. She moved to her own room around 8 months. Usually woke at night a couple times, and dad held her back to sleep. We got into a schedule where dad would soothe her if before 5am, mom nursed her if after 5am, and then she slept until 8ish. Slept from 9pm-8am on average.
Note: At 8 months, we tried cry it out one night. She was freaked out for 1 week - was afraid to nurse before bed, sobbing/choking through the nursings.
10-11 months: Continued nursing her to sleep. Slept straight from 9pm-5am! Nursed her at 5am and she’d sleep until 8am. This was our golden period.
11 months-Present: She suddenly started waking multiple times per night on Halloween night (10/31/2010). She always jolts up to a seated position and cries, which is different from before (she stayed lying down to cry). Possible reasons:
• Took her on a walk Halloween night and there were scary costumed neighbors who talked to her.
• Changed nanny in late October.
• Learned to walk.
• In mid-November, she had a bad cold for 1 week and woke up more and we held her and nursed her more at night.
• In late November, we changed her room to a warmer room and got her a new firmer mattress (she was on a very soft futon).
• Our nanny holds her after she wakes up from her nap, which keeps her sleeping up to 1 hour longer. (since she needs the sleep).
• Gradually switching from 2 naps to 1 nap, since she is less able to fall asleep for her morning nap.
We tried cry it out a couple times recently. She sobbed for awhile in bed and then walked to the baby gate to her room. Another time, she walked in circles clutching her ball, crying, and repeatedly asking to turn on music (which we ignored). Both times, when I walked in the room, she frantically asked me to hold her. Both times, rather than giving up and going to sleep, she got more and more frenzied.
Questions:
• How to get her to stop waking at night?
• We don’t know how to get out of nursing her to sleep.
• Would sleeping in the same room help? Our Chinese nanny and my mom did this and thinks it would help with separation anxiety. We don’t mind this, especially if it will work!
• Switching from 2 to 1 nap: sometimes she naps before lunch, sometimes after, so she eats at 12:30 and 2:30 on different days. Should we set more of a schedule?
• Should we hold her to prolong her naps? How do we make sure she gets enough sleep?
• Could it be medical? Could she have inherited Dad’s sleep nervousness?
________________________________________
From: Heidi Emberling
To: cloverh@yahoo.com
Sent: Fri, January 21, 2011 8:10:34 PM
Subject: RE: help for 14 month old
...and if you could send me a contact phone number, that would be great! Thanks!
Best,
Heidi
-----Original Message-----
From: cloverh@yahoo.com [mailto:cloverh@yahoo.com]
Sent: Fri 1/21/2011 6:35 PM
To: Heidi Emberling
Cc: josh_elman@yahoo.com
Subject: Re: help for 14 month old
Heidi, My husband says 4pm is a little easier for him, if possible. Thanks!
Clover
________________________________
From: "cloverh@yahoo.com"
To: Heidi Emberling
Cc: josh_elman@yahoo.com
Sent: Fri, January 21, 2011 6:34:29 PM
Subject: Re: help for 14 month old
Hi Heidi,
Thanks for your reply. How about next Thursday afternoon (1/27), 3:30pm or
later? My husband and I are both available then.
Thanks!
Clover
________________________________
From: Heidi Emberling
To: cloverh@yahoo.com
Sent: Fri, January 21, 2011 4:26:05 PM
Subject: RE: help for 14 month old
Hi Clover,
Thanks for writing. I'm sorry to hear about the sleep deprivation! I would be
happy to meet with you to discuss a sleep plan that meets your family goals with
regards to sleep. The way it works is that you would come to Parents Place (200
Channing Ave., cross street is Emerson) for a one-hour consultation, the cost is
$140, and I would find out more about your daughter's temperament/personality,
what you've tried, what's worked and what hasn't worked. Then, together, we
would come up with a specific sleep plan and some specific strategies to move
forward with from here.
I have some availability next week. Do you have any childcare? Let me know
best days/times. I do find that sleep plans work faster if both parents are
involved in the session, if possible.
I look forward to connecting and making sure everyone in the family is getting
good, healthy sleep!
Warmly,
Heidi
Heidi Emberling, MA
Parenting Educator, Early Childhood Specialist
650-576-7035
-----Original Message-----
From: cloverh@yahoo.com [mailto:cloverh@yahoo.com]
Sent: Fri 1/21/2011 12:38 PM
To: Heidi Emberling
Subject: help for 14 month old
Hi Heidi,
My 14 month old daughter has sleep issues (waking every hour all night since she
was about 1 year old) and we need help! You received a number of great
recommendations on Palo Alto Parents Club, and I was wondering if you do in-home
consultations and what your rates are, and what your availability is coming up.
Thanks so much!
Wearily yours,
Clover Elman
Mountain View, CA
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Ball girl
One of the first words Sierra learned to say (btw, whenever I talk about Sierra learning new words, I am referring to her saying them. She comprehends a lot more than she can say.) was ball. And she still says it all the time.
One of her favorites is the xmas balls in our neighborhood. There are these ginormous ornament balls that this one house has and they hung 3 of them in a tree on their front lawn. Everytime we approach that house, she sticks her arm out and points towards it and says "ball. ball. ball." I've pulled the stroller up to the house while I've fed her fruit. There's also some tree decorations with stars on top and she says "dar" when I point to them and ask what they are.
And then there are our neighbor boys who play catch outside on the driveway. She can see them out the window and loves it. Liling or I take her outside to watch them and she just says "ball ball ball" and wants to touch the ball. She could probably watch for hours.
And there is Josh watching football and she'll walk up to the TV and go "ball ball ball" Josh says he never showed her this. So somehow she could tell the football was also a ball even though it is shaped totally differently.
The other day she was out with Liling kicking an orange (ball) that had fallen from an orange tree. Liling was kicking it and she was kicking it. Tonight she was kicking her small ball down the hallway. I got her this nice green 5" rubber ball ($10 - overpriced, but hey convenient to get online) on amazon with wild animals on it. She looked like a little soccer player. She was really good! We really need to get more video of the girl.
So after my "girl of the arts" post, maybe she'll be a sporty girl after all. Or maybe she'll be like her dad and just like spectator sports.
One of her favorites is the xmas balls in our neighborhood. There are these ginormous ornament balls that this one house has and they hung 3 of them in a tree on their front lawn. Everytime we approach that house, she sticks her arm out and points towards it and says "ball. ball. ball." I've pulled the stroller up to the house while I've fed her fruit. There's also some tree decorations with stars on top and she says "dar" when I point to them and ask what they are.
And then there are our neighbor boys who play catch outside on the driveway. She can see them out the window and loves it. Liling or I take her outside to watch them and she just says "ball ball ball" and wants to touch the ball. She could probably watch for hours.
And there is Josh watching football and she'll walk up to the TV and go "ball ball ball" Josh says he never showed her this. So somehow she could tell the football was also a ball even though it is shaped totally differently.
The other day she was out with Liling kicking an orange (ball) that had fallen from an orange tree. Liling was kicking it and she was kicking it. Tonight she was kicking her small ball down the hallway. I got her this nice green 5" rubber ball ($10 - overpriced, but hey convenient to get online) on amazon with wild animals on it. She looked like a little soccer player. She was really good! We really need to get more video of the girl.
So after my "girl of the arts" post, maybe she'll be a sporty girl after all. Or maybe she'll be like her dad and just like spectator sports.
YJ dai = diaper
I just thought of something funny that I should have reported awhile ago. I was in the bathroom on the toilet, watching sierra, trying to keep her occupied. Of course as usual, she was trying to get into everything. I finally threw a bag of maxipads on the floor and she was like, "diaper!" and proceeded to empty the bag (she was and still is really into fill n spill, though more into the spill than fill). And so I just started doing that all the time. So if you see a trail of maxipads lying in the bathroom and thereabouts, you know what happened. :)
Monday, January 10, 2011
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Sleeping like a newborn
It's now been over 2 months since October 31, the first night when she stopped sleeping through the night (until 5-7am). Argh. We do not know what is going on. Supposedly babies need to learn how to "soothe" themselves to sleep, but SHE already does know how to do this. All the sleep books don't seem to address the problem of learning to sleep through the night and then suddenly stopping.
The thing she does is she jolts up to sitting upright each time she gets up. It's kind of jarring. And she just sits there and cries sitting up, which doesn't even allow her the opportunity to go back to sleep (unless you can sleep sitting up!) We've tried lying her back down, but she just pops right up again, and she'll repeat this again and again.
I've thought through many theories about what may have changed starting 10/31. There's the halloween night walk with the scary costumes, but you'd think she'd have gotten over this by now. There's the change of nanny around that time. There's the change of weather, though that was gradual. (it's not like it suddenly got cold 10/31).
We're letting her cry it out tonight, right now as I write this (coincidentally she just woke up 5 minutes ago). We've been debating doing this since there are all these schools of thought that CIO (crying it out) is not good. Babies who are responded to grow up to be more confident, independent, and happier (apparently in our case, at the expense of their parents' sleep!)
The only other time we really did cry it out was in August, and she was so freaked out the next night, that she was afraid to nurse, sobbing/choking in between sucks. We decided it may not be the best approach for her (there are literally hundreds if not thousands of books on helping your child sleep better, some CIO, some not, some hybrid), and then by September she was sleeping through the night.
This time (tonight), to avoid what happened last time, we put her to bed and decided we'd ignore her the first time she woke up.
The thing she does is she jolts up to sitting upright each time she gets up. It's kind of jarring. And she just sits there and cries sitting up, which doesn't even allow her the opportunity to go back to sleep (unless you can sleep sitting up!) We've tried lying her back down, but she just pops right up again, and she'll repeat this again and again.
I've thought through many theories about what may have changed starting 10/31. There's the halloween night walk with the scary costumes, but you'd think she'd have gotten over this by now. There's the change of nanny around that time. There's the change of weather, though that was gradual. (it's not like it suddenly got cold 10/31).
We're letting her cry it out tonight, right now as I write this (coincidentally she just woke up 5 minutes ago). We've been debating doing this since there are all these schools of thought that CIO (crying it out) is not good. Babies who are responded to grow up to be more confident, independent, and happier (apparently in our case, at the expense of their parents' sleep!)
The only other time we really did cry it out was in August, and she was so freaked out the next night, that she was afraid to nurse, sobbing/choking in between sucks. We decided it may not be the best approach for her (there are literally hundreds if not thousands of books on helping your child sleep better, some CIO, some not, some hybrid), and then by September she was sleeping through the night.
This time (tonight), to avoid what happened last time, we put her to bed and decided we'd ignore her the first time she woke up.
Girl of the arts
The other day gran commented that SHE is interested in the arts, which was a good point. She doesn't care for mechanical type toys like building blocks and stacking rings. She loves music, dancing, reading, and looking at pictures (books and cards). She really is girly!
Today she brought me her sunrise, sunset book and said "ge ge" indicating she wanted me to sing for her. Funny since it's the first time she verbalized this to me at least. Of course we always know she wants us to sing that book to her!
When she wakes up in the morning, the first thing she often says is "ge ge, ge ge..." pointing at the ipod dock, repeating this until you turn on her music. When you switch on her desk light and turn off the bright room light, indicating she needs to get ready for bed, she does the same. (Lately she also asks for "moo" again and again, which means "moon", or please turn on the moon and stars projecting turtle. This took me a few seconds to realize the first time she did this bc I had only just set up the turtle the night before! The first time she did this to Josh, Josh was like "what is she asking for?" I had to make him guess. :) )
Today she brought me her sunrise, sunset book and said "ge ge" indicating she wanted me to sing for her. Funny since it's the first time she verbalized this to me at least. Of course we always know she wants us to sing that book to her!
When she wakes up in the morning, the first thing she often says is "ge ge, ge ge..." pointing at the ipod dock, repeating this until you turn on her music. When you switch on her desk light and turn off the bright room light, indicating she needs to get ready for bed, she does the same. (Lately she also asks for "moo" again and again, which means "moon", or please turn on the moon and stars projecting turtle. This took me a few seconds to realize the first time she did this bc I had only just set up the turtle the night before! The first time she did this to Josh, Josh was like "what is she asking for?" I had to make him guess. :) )
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
Aquafor
Ok, I had to mention this one. 2 weeks ago, I occasionally put some aquafor on the corner of her lip since it is dry/red. I use a Qtip to apply it. I did not intend to teach her this word, but a few times later, she started saying "ah-ga-ga" when I did it and even asking for it at times! I wonder if it is soothing. I'm not sure if she knows if it means the lotion or the Q-tip.
Anyway... worth mentioning bc it is cute and it may also be her first 3 syllable word? I'll have to think about that one. Dui bu dui is kind of 3 syllables, but it's a question, not a word.
Anyway... worth mentioning bc it is cute and it may also be her first 3 syllable word? I'll have to think about that one. Dui bu dui is kind of 3 syllables, but it's a question, not a word.
40+ words at 13.5 months
Josh noticed the other day that at 13.5 months, babies know 3-5 words - mama, dada, and maybe a couple more. We thought that was funny since SHE knows a lot more than that.
Then last, last night, while I was showering, I counted all the words she knows and was at 40+ by the end of the shower!
It's also getting hard to keep track of them on this blog, so I think new words will no longer be recorded unless there is something noticeably cute or otherwise notable!
Then last, last night, while I was showering, I counted all the words she knows and was at 40+ by the end of the shower!
It's also getting hard to keep track of them on this blog, so I think new words will no longer be recorded unless there is something noticeably cute or otherwise notable!
Whispering baby
There are certain words Sierra likes to whisper, as if in wonder of something - "wooow..." and "hua hua" (flowers). I say look at the flowers and point at the flowers and she whispers back "hua hua" bc she thinks they are pretty. I showed her some sweet smelling narcissus blooms I got from the farmer's market and she enjoyed smelling them and saying "hua hua". Another word she likes to whisper is "pa pa" (scary). My dentist sent us a holiday card this year with an Indiana Jones theme (he always pick some humorous theme) and they were all posing with a fake skull dressed like explorers. She points at the skull and whispers "pa pa pa". I asked mudder and Liling separately if they taught her this and they both said no. Kind of crazy that she can already tell that a skull is supposed to be scary! She doesn't act scared at all, so it's actually kind of funny.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Sun, moon, and star
Sierra knows all these words and points outside for the moon and sun and sometimes at her wall sticker of a sun for the sun. Stars are on all the christmas decorations outside, which she loves.
The past month, Sierra has dragged us outside almost every night to look at xmas lights in the neighborhood. Her favorite is this house with huge ball ornaments hanging from the tree and several lit up christmas tree outlined lights. On top of each is a star and I always make sure to point them out. From down the street, she excitedly says "ball ball ball" as we approach this house. When I ask her where the ball (star) is, she points at the ball (star). Anyway, tonight, we tried out her turtle constellation projector. She was duly impressed and kept saying "star star star moon" and pointed at the moon. She could hardly nurse and definitely fought sleep hard despite yawning again and again. It's supposed to *help* her to sleep! Oh well, we'll see. She definitely liked it. When I turned it off, hoping to get her to fall asleep, and said "good night stars", she started to cry, so I turned it back on.
The past month, Sierra has dragged us outside almost every night to look at xmas lights in the neighborhood. Her favorite is this house with huge ball ornaments hanging from the tree and several lit up christmas tree outlined lights. On top of each is a star and I always make sure to point them out. From down the street, she excitedly says "ball ball ball" as we approach this house. When I ask her where the ball (star) is, she points at the ball (star). Anyway, tonight, we tried out her turtle constellation projector. She was duly impressed and kept saying "star star star moon" and pointed at the moon. She could hardly nurse and definitely fought sleep hard despite yawning again and again. It's supposed to *help* her to sleep! Oh well, we'll see. She definitely liked it. When I turned it off, hoping to get her to fall asleep, and said "good night stars", she started to cry, so I turned it back on.
Yayo pa pa
So Naya has started peeing again more frequently indicating displeasure with SHE we suspect. So much so that we decided to gate her off downstairs. Naya was meowing with displeasure yesterday on the stairs side while I held SHE on the other side. SHE said "Yayo... pa pa" and pat her heart. Josh thinks this may have been her first sentence. It either meant Naya is scared, or that she is afraid of Naya. Or it could have just been a string of words - pointing out Yayo first, and then indicating she was scared (bc of the way Naya was meowing loudly (annoyingly). Tomorrow Naya goes to the vet again to make sure it's nothing like UTI.
More words:
baby (uses it everytime she sees a picture of a baby. cutest example use: she looked at her birth announcement card and said "baby". live use: At the car dealer she saw a woman carrying a baby and said "baby")
whale - she made up for neglecting the beluga whale in her zooborns book by learning the word "whale" and using it all the time! tonight when she was lying in bed, she kept saying "whale" so I finally gave in and brought her the book. she flipped through it back and forth but gave the whale special attention, saying "whale" again and again. Also, she repeated "hippo" when I told her "hippo" on the hippo page a couple times.
I've been pointing out cars and wheels to her on the street. tonight I saw her say "wheel" for the first time. She pointed at the little car on her farm muscial toy and said "car" and then at its wheels and said "wheel".
Sierra definitely understands a lot more than she can say. She understands "sit"/"sit down" very well. She'll sit in response. I tell her to sit so we can look at (flash) cards, and she sits. I said "time to take a bath" and she enthusiastically started crawling up the stairs (she usually wants you to "bao bao" her up the stairs or hold her under her arms while she walks up). She headed straight to the bathroom. I had no choice but to start filling the tub and prepping. I told her to sit down on the bathroom rug for a little while and to be patient. She sat down and waited a bit, and got up. I told her to sit down again, and this repeated. It was cute. At least a month ago she already knew the chinese words for take a bath (xi zao) bc when mudder told her about xi zao just in conversation, she headed to the bathroom and pointed at her bathtub!
More words:
baby (uses it everytime she sees a picture of a baby. cutest example use: she looked at her birth announcement card and said "baby". live use: At the car dealer she saw a woman carrying a baby and said "baby")
whale - she made up for neglecting the beluga whale in her zooborns book by learning the word "whale" and using it all the time! tonight when she was lying in bed, she kept saying "whale" so I finally gave in and brought her the book. she flipped through it back and forth but gave the whale special attention, saying "whale" again and again. Also, she repeated "hippo" when I told her "hippo" on the hippo page a couple times.
I've been pointing out cars and wheels to her on the street. tonight I saw her say "wheel" for the first time. She pointed at the little car on her farm muscial toy and said "car" and then at its wheels and said "wheel".
Sierra definitely understands a lot more than she can say. She understands "sit"/"sit down" very well. She'll sit in response. I tell her to sit so we can look at (flash) cards, and she sits. I said "time to take a bath" and she enthusiastically started crawling up the stairs (she usually wants you to "bao bao" her up the stairs or hold her under her arms while she walks up). She headed straight to the bathroom. I had no choice but to start filling the tub and prepping. I told her to sit down on the bathroom rug for a little while and to be patient. She sat down and waited a bit, and got up. I told her to sit down again, and this repeated. It was cute. At least a month ago she already knew the chinese words for take a bath (xi zao) bc when mudder told her about xi zao just in conversation, she headed to the bathroom and pointed at her bathtub!
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