Kaylani was sleeping so well for awhile. 10+ hours every night. No crying. Went down easy. Woke up refreshed and happy. And all of that meant Mommy and Daddy got 8+ hours of sleep, didn't cry, fell asleep real easy, and woke up refreshed and happy. Well that's gone. And we want it back. Now.
Kaylani's almost 7 months old and she's been a great sleeper pretty much the whole time so I really shouldn't complain that this latest stretch started last Saturday in Baltimore. But the fact that she's been a great sleeper is what makes times like this so very bad. It's like we're new parents again when this happens. We haven't adjusted to 2 hour naps at night because we haven't had to. I'm sure we'll adjust in a due time, but I'd rather not. We're going to fix this. Now.
Our intervention hasn't started before tonight because it's been a crazy week with the whole Baltimore trip, a short but intense work week, and then a weekend birthday party for Yeh Yeh (which by the way, HAPPY BIRTHDAY YEH YEH!!) with Daddy's side of the family in town. All of that basically meant that when Kaylani cried at night, one of us went and picked her up to calm her down. And since she's learned to manipulate us by crying, she would wait for us to pick her up, then pass out immediately. It ends tonight.
I know I sound really mean right now, especially to those of you who don't believe in sleep training, but it has to happen. And because sleep training means that we let her cry it out for an entire night whether it's 20 minutes or 3 hours, I feel real mean doing it, but it's worked. Every time we've had to do this (which is twice), she's gone back to sleeping 10+ hours all by herself for at least a couple of weeks. So it has to be done. Tonight.
We may be rushing into this, but there's a reason it has to be tonight. Other than the fact that we're really dragging lately because of this lack of sleep, there's the fact that we have another trip coming up. In 3 weeks, we're headed to Cape Cod for 4 days for Tommy and Gretchen's wedding, which means we'll be sleeping away from home again. But more specifically, Cape Cod marks the first time Kaylani will go to sleep without us because Yin Yin is going to watch her while we're at the wedding. And if she's waking up every 2 hours without us, it's not going to be pretty for Yin Yin.
No matter how bad we're going to feel tonight as we sit in bed and listen to her cry while staring at her through the video monitor, hopefully we'll stay strong. We've made this decision together because it's going to work in the long run. It better work in the long run. Please let it work in the long run.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Meet the Family
Daddy's family has spent a bit of time with Kaylani since she was born, but it's been a little bit since we've all got together, especially for a big event like this weekend was. It was Yea Yea's birthday party at our house so that meant a few of our family friends from Jersey were going to come around to celebrate. Now while all of that seems good and well, it's been awhile since Kaylani has been exposed to "strangers," and she's definitely different now.
I think it's the 6 month mark that babies start to develop (or show) their separation anxiety from their parents, so it wasn't a real surprise to us to have Kaylani cry a bit around other people. But at the same time, it's kinda sad to see her cry when she sees Yin Yin and Yea Yea. After she took a nice 3 hour nap she was definitely friendlier, but there's gotta be a better way to help her adjust.
Maybe we'll have to start letting go our our little girl just a little bit. Maybe we need to have a baby swap with some of our friends so she gets used to being held by someone other than us. Maybe we need to let someone else take care of her for awhile to help her adjust. Or maybe we continue to spoil her and never let her go because she's our little girl. Tough call. For now, we'll sleep on it. But maybe tomorrow morning will be Yin Yin and Yea Yea's turn to take care of Kaylani. Gotta start somewhere!
I think it's the 6 month mark that babies start to develop (or show) their separation anxiety from their parents, so it wasn't a real surprise to us to have Kaylani cry a bit around other people. But at the same time, it's kinda sad to see her cry when she sees Yin Yin and Yea Yea. After she took a nice 3 hour nap she was definitely friendlier, but there's gotta be a better way to help her adjust.
Maybe we'll have to start letting go our our little girl just a little bit. Maybe we need to have a baby swap with some of our friends so she gets used to being held by someone other than us. Maybe we need to let someone else take care of her for awhile to help her adjust. Or maybe we continue to spoil her and never let her go because she's our little girl. Tough call. For now, we'll sleep on it. But maybe tomorrow morning will be Yin Yin and Yea Yea's turn to take care of Kaylani. Gotta start somewhere!
Friday, May 29, 2009
I've got you Beaba!
Kaylani shops at nicer places than we do. It sounds pretty impossible since we're the ones who technically control where she shops, but those were the words that came out of my mouth when Mommy told me she wanted to buy Kaylani a baby food blender from Williams Sonoma. To be fair, we've shopped at Williams Sonoma before, but we normally just buy a can of (overpriced) blueberry waffle mix and call it a day. But that's pretty much the extent of our Williams Sonoma shopping. That all changed when Mommy sent me this email:
Cool! Watch the video!And here's my reply:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/e203/index.cfm?pkey=xsrd0m1|16|||0|||||||baby%20food%20processor&cm_src=SCH
$150??? It better grow food too!That's right. We were now in the market for a $150 baby food blender. Gone were the days of shopping for regular $20 blenders, or normal blenders that weren't lined with gold (what else would make a blender cost so much?). But after watching the video and realizing just how much time and effort it could end up saving us, we went ahead and bought it (from Amazon.com of course). And after our first use of it tonight, I can honestly say that I'd sacrifice a finger for this product.
We haven't even used the Beaba Babycook machine in all its glory yet, but it's pretty amazing. Not only does it blend food into a nice smooth puree, but it also steam cooks any of the foods we want to make for Kaylani before blending it. It's a one stop baby meal maker! We started off slowly with the machine by using it to blend avocado, which is probably the easiest thing we could have ever done. Most people I know just mash avocados with a fork, but when in Rome, or when you have a Beaba Babycook machine, I say puree.
I kinda felt like Tim "the Toolman" Taylor because all of this was "more power" than what we really needed, but I have a feeling this thing is going to come in handy. But convenience doesn't come without a price. Good blenders have sharp blades, and for $150, it has a REALLY sharp blade. Unfortunately I found that out firsthand...literally. While cleaning the chamber, I ran my finger against the blade and cut myself pretty good. Mommy kinda freaked out, but I'm okay. Nothing that a really tight Band-aid wouldn't fix.
So we're 1 day into making our own baby food. First comes avocado, next comes the WORLD...of fruits and vegetables. Soon enough we'll be steaming and blending our way through grains, meats, frozen drinks, and all types of fun stuff. But for now, we'll take it slow. Especially when it comes to the cleaning part.
If you're in the market, I highly recommend picking one up if you can afford to shell out $150. But if you're looking for something cheaper, I offer you these free pictures of Kaylani over the last couple of days. Enjoy, but watch out. You never know when a sharp edge will sneak up on you. Oh, and happy official Fatherhood Friday. In case you're late to the party, you get a two-fer here at Daddy Diaries since yesterday's post was my actual FF post. For everyone else, don't forget to check out Dad-Blogs for more!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Can I help you?
So of course, I implemented things like Google Analytics tracking on my own site as well (doesn't everyone?) Before I start talking about geeky tech things like tracking, pixels, tracking pixels, and actual code, the real reason I'm even talking about this is because web analytics can give insight into some pretty funny things. For example, I can tell who came to my site from a search engine. While that doesn't SEEM too funny, the funny part is HOW they found my site. Without further ado, I present to you my top 5 favorite search terms that drove a visitor to my site. Click on each one to find out which of my posts they saw when they clicked through.
"because she love gas" - I'm not entirely sure what this person was searching for, and I'm not entirely sure I want to, but I'm glad they got to experience a little bit of dad blog humor.
"breastfeeding wrestling match" - Seriously? Who searches for things like this?
"daddy boner blogspot" - This one grosses me out just a little bit. And no, the content they ended up on here is not remotely gross.
"doody soap" - Hehe, they searched for "doody"
"pictures of hershey kiss to color" - I bet this person was looking for a nice blank picture of a hershey kiss that they could give to their kid to entertain them for awhile. What they got was much different from that.
So there you have it. There were plenty more terms that drove visitors here, but those are definitely my favorites. Whatever it is that got you here today, thanks for coming. I hope you had as much fun reading as I did writing. Oh, and since it's close enough to Fatherhood Friday, don't forget to check out Dad-Blogs for other great posts. I promise you'll get exactly what you're looking for. See you tomorrow!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Nice one, Dad
I'd have to say Kaylani adjusted to being home from vacation pretty well. She woke up once last night after about 5 hours, but went back to sleep on her own for the next 7. Then she took 2 two hour naps, and even a 30 minute nap in between them. And to top it all off, she ate all 3 meals without complaining too much, and went to sleep by herself after crying for about 30 minutes on and off. Everything was going so well...until Daddy got home.
Daddy had a Little League playoff game tonight so he missed out on pretty much everything. He did get spend a quick lunch with Kaylani, but her second nap happened to be in the 20 minutes Daddy got to spend at home before going to the game (we lost 8-6 by the way). And when he got home from baseball, Kaylani was already in bed for awhile, so the only glimpse he got of her was through the video monitor which should have been good enough. Apparently, it wasn't.
After Mommy and Daddy had a late dinner, Daddy was walking back towards the kitchen to drop off the plates. That's when IT happens. Now in the past, IT has referred to a Code Brown, so to get that out of the way, IT did not mean a Code Brown. Instead, the knife fell from Daddy's plate onto the floor. And it didn't just drop lightly to the floor. It dropped like a rock to the floor. Like a rock that makes a loud metallic clanging sound when it hits the floor. And you know what loud metallic clanging sounds do to sleeping babies? Yep, it wakes them up.
That was 90 minutes ago. Kaylani JUST went back to sleep now. And all it took was 2 trips in to her room to try and calm her down, and then a third trip which involved a diaper change (to make sure that the knife didn't scare the poop out of her), some swaying, and a whole lot of calming kisses. After a few minutes, Kaylani was back in her crib. And after a few more minutes, she thankfully gave in for the night, or at least for now. Hopefully it's for the night.
Now it's time for Mommy and Daddy to call it a night. It's not so much that we're tired, but being in bed means that there's less chance that Daddy can make any more sudden loud noises. And it also means that he won't have to worry about Mommy saying "Nice one, Dad" again. At least not until Kaylani cries. Speaking of which, I think I hear her crying right now. Nice one, Dad.
Daddy had a Little League playoff game tonight so he missed out on pretty much everything. He did get spend a quick lunch with Kaylani, but her second nap happened to be in the 20 minutes Daddy got to spend at home before going to the game (we lost 8-6 by the way). And when he got home from baseball, Kaylani was already in bed for awhile, so the only glimpse he got of her was through the video monitor which should have been good enough. Apparently, it wasn't.
After Mommy and Daddy had a late dinner, Daddy was walking back towards the kitchen to drop off the plates. That's when IT happens. Now in the past, IT has referred to a Code Brown, so to get that out of the way, IT did not mean a Code Brown. Instead, the knife fell from Daddy's plate onto the floor. And it didn't just drop lightly to the floor. It dropped like a rock to the floor. Like a rock that makes a loud metallic clanging sound when it hits the floor. And you know what loud metallic clanging sounds do to sleeping babies? Yep, it wakes them up.
That was 90 minutes ago. Kaylani JUST went back to sleep now. And all it took was 2 trips in to her room to try and calm her down, and then a third trip which involved a diaper change (to make sure that the knife didn't scare the poop out of her), some swaying, and a whole lot of calming kisses. After a few minutes, Kaylani was back in her crib. And after a few more minutes, she thankfully gave in for the night, or at least for now. Hopefully it's for the night.
Now it's time for Mommy and Daddy to call it a night. It's not so much that we're tired, but being in bed means that there's less chance that Daddy can make any more sudden loud noises. And it also means that he won't have to worry about Mommy saying "Nice one, Dad" again. At least not until Kaylani cries. Speaking of which, I think I hear her crying right now. Nice one, Dad.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
The Daddy Diaries - 200th Post!
I've been thinking about this moment for the last couple of days now, and with the way Kaylani has been sleeping, I've had a lot of time awake to think. Today's post is my 200th here, which I think is a significant accomplishment. And to mark such a significant accomplishment, the post itself should be significant, right? I think so, and that's why I'm stuck.
I sat at breakfast in the hotel lobby this morning looking around for the people or event that would be the perfect lead in to my 200th post. I saw a couple with their 3 young kids sit down for breakfast across from us. I stared at them for a little bit but nothing came to me. Then 2 families with 2 kids and a newborn came in. For sure they would spark something for me. But they didn't.
We made the drive home from Baltimore re-living our vacation after Kaylani fell asleep to see if that would give me any ideas. I even asked Mommy what I should write about because I just couldn't figure out a way to make it all work. I could recap the last 100 or 200 posts and everything that we've been through with Kaylani, but I already did that when I reached the 100 mark. Again, I kept thinking that it just had to be something big. Something meaningful. Something significant.
It wasn't until I sat here on Kaylani's futon while she nursed before bed that I realized I didn't need a "gimmick" topic to write about. I didn't need any external motivation or event to write about as it relates to 200 posts. I started this blog because I wanted to capture our experiences, our challenges, our time together as a family, and I had all of that right here in this room. These 200 posts have been a blast for me to write and I'm thankful that my mind is still good enough to keep going. It's possible that I'll stop one of these days, but for now, we're still going to march ahead. Kaylani still has lots of things to experience, and that means I'll always have something to write about.
For all of you that have been with us since the early days, thanks for sticking around. For anyone who's jumped in mid-stream, or even just once or twice, thanks for stopping by. I hope all of you will continue to read along as I share a glimpse into our life. And for Mommy and Kaylani, thanks for letting me write about you everyday. Actually, thanks for being with me everyday. I couldn't do it, or anything, without you both.
So one last time, thanks for reading along. To show my appreciation, and because I know some of you just come here for pictures (Madrina Maria), here are pictures from our weekend in Baltimore. As for us, we're going to finish getting ready for bed. But tomorrow, it's the beginning of our journey to 300 and beyond! Stay tuned.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Way ahead of my time
We're only 28 years apart, but Kaylani is growing up in a different time. A time that seems much further away than just 28 years. There's so much more available to her now than there was to me, but that's not a bad thing. As a matter of fact, it's a really good thing because it means there are a lot more things for me to introduce her to.
For starters, Kaylani has been to Puerto Rico already. Daddy first went to Puerto Rico when he was 18, and that was part of a cruise. He didn't really go to Puerto Rico until he was 26. Even earlier than that, Kaylani went to Disneyworld when she was only 7 weeks old. Daddy thought he went earlier because he was around 6 months old, but again, Kaylani's ahead of him. And now that we're in Baltimore, Kaylani's got to experience a few more firsts, likely before Daddy did too.
Today, we took Kaylani to her first indoor pool. Overall it was okay. Wasn't great for her. Just okay, but that's okay. She gave us some signs and splashes to let us know that she wasn't afraid of the water, so we'll keep plugging away. Maybe some of our friends will invite us over to their pools this summer (hint hint). Either way, we're just happy she didn't cry the majority of the time because we sure do love pools.
For lunch, Kaylani got to experience her first Hooters. That's right, Mommy, Daddy, and Kaylani went to Hooters. Personally I thought it would be really funny to get a picture of Mommy nursing Kaylani while at Hooters, but that was vetoed. Instead we had a beer, ate some wings and some tater chips, and were on our way. Of course there was no changing table (I'd be more surprised if there was) so Daddy also experienced changing a diaper at Hooters for the first time (there's a joke in there somewhere, but I'm going to leave it alone). For the record, Daddy was 21 before he stepped into his first Hooters (still talking about the restaurant).
And then for dinner, Kaylani made her first trip into a steakhouse. Daddy and Mommy hadn't been to a steakhouse since well before Kaylani was born (besides Outback), so having Fleming's be right next to the hotel turned out to be too tempting to pass on. It also marked Kaylani's very first time in a public highchair. We were a little afraid of how it might turn out, but she did great! Her being able to sit in a highchair opens up a whole new world for us. Well, a whole new world as long as we are there well before 6pm. Not sure we're quite ready to take on a world of crowded restaurants yet. She was well behaved, but not WELL behaved if you know what I'm saying.
So that pretty much wraps up today. We're hoping that Kaylani gives us another 11 hour sleeping performance like she did last night. It looks like she's adjusted to hotel life just fine. We just need to keep her adjusted for one more night before we head back home. Hopefully adjusting to hotel life didn't screw up what we had going at home. But that's something we'll worry about tomorrow night. For now, we're still on vacation.
Oh, and don't forget to check out my latest Sports IllustraDad post on "Lessons I Learned From Little League" over at Dad-Blogs!
For starters, Kaylani has been to Puerto Rico already. Daddy first went to Puerto Rico when he was 18, and that was part of a cruise. He didn't really go to Puerto Rico until he was 26. Even earlier than that, Kaylani went to Disneyworld when she was only 7 weeks old. Daddy thought he went earlier because he was around 6 months old, but again, Kaylani's ahead of him. And now that we're in Baltimore, Kaylani's got to experience a few more firsts, likely before Daddy did too.
Today, we took Kaylani to her first indoor pool. Overall it was okay. Wasn't great for her. Just okay, but that's okay. She gave us some signs and splashes to let us know that she wasn't afraid of the water, so we'll keep plugging away. Maybe some of our friends will invite us over to their pools this summer (hint hint). Either way, we're just happy she didn't cry the majority of the time because we sure do love pools.
For lunch, Kaylani got to experience her first Hooters. That's right, Mommy, Daddy, and Kaylani went to Hooters. Personally I thought it would be really funny to get a picture of Mommy nursing Kaylani while at Hooters, but that was vetoed. Instead we had a beer, ate some wings and some tater chips, and were on our way. Of course there was no changing table (I'd be more surprised if there was) so Daddy also experienced changing a diaper at Hooters for the first time (there's a joke in there somewhere, but I'm going to leave it alone). For the record, Daddy was 21 before he stepped into his first Hooters (still talking about the restaurant).
And then for dinner, Kaylani made her first trip into a steakhouse. Daddy and Mommy hadn't been to a steakhouse since well before Kaylani was born (besides Outback), so having Fleming's be right next to the hotel turned out to be too tempting to pass on. It also marked Kaylani's very first time in a public highchair. We were a little afraid of how it might turn out, but she did great! Her being able to sit in a highchair opens up a whole new world for us. Well, a whole new world as long as we are there well before 6pm. Not sure we're quite ready to take on a world of crowded restaurants yet. She was well behaved, but not WELL behaved if you know what I'm saying.
So that pretty much wraps up today. We're hoping that Kaylani gives us another 11 hour sleeping performance like she did last night. It looks like she's adjusted to hotel life just fine. We just need to keep her adjusted for one more night before we head back home. Hopefully adjusting to hotel life didn't screw up what we had going at home. But that's something we'll worry about tomorrow night. For now, we're still on vacation.
Oh, and don't forget to check out my latest Sports IllustraDad post on "Lessons I Learned From Little League" over at Dad-Blogs!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
"Live" from Baltimore - Part 2!
And now, I bring you part 2 of our "live" blog from Baltimore. If you haven't read part 1 yet, click here. Otherwise, get reading!
9:33am - Today's plan was to have breakfast, then go for a walk so Kaylani could take a nap outside. But now, room service screwed up Mommy's breakfast, and Kaylani is crying for a minute between every 5 bites of her cereal. This is what happens when you don't sleep kids. Long day, here we come!
9:58am - Mommy's breakfast finally came 95% right (close enough) so we're getting there. Kaylani's entertaining herself on the floor. Can't tell if she's laughing or crying sometimes. Tough call. Par for the course according to Mommy.
10:19am - Typing with one hand and carrying Kaylani with the other while pacing around the room. First of many stall tactics as Mommy showers and we try and get ready to leave for the day.
10:32am - Ummm...she's asleep on my shoulder. Tried to put her down twice (you smell like poop!) with no success. This would be okay if both of us weren't still in pajamas. Oh, and I have to pee again.
10:45am - Success! And by success, I mean Mommy has her now. Time to pee and shower...separately. I'm not that gross...anymore.
11:15am - Kaylani never went back to sleep with Mommy, but she is dressed, nursed, dry, and sunscreened up. We were almost out the door, but Kaylani decided to poop. Better now than later.
11:23am - And we're finally out the door! Time for her to pass out in her stroller so she can add on to the whopping 15 minutes of sleep so far.
12:05pm - So she's not asleep yet. Now we're shopping for some new clothes for Daddy because he got made fun of one too many times for wearing loose clothing to work meetings after losing 30lbs. Tough call on who needs what more: Kaylani and sleep or Daddy and clothes?
12:50pm - Walked out of the last store with 3 shirts, 3 pants, and a baby in a Bjorn. I'm stylish in so many ways right now. Oh, and she's sleeping. Better buy one more shirt to replace the soon to be drooled filled shirt I'm wearing right now.
1:15pm - Had a scare that she was about to wake up. Did the whole head back, eyes open movement but she went back down with a gentle push back towards my chest. Right now we're hoping she sleeps until 2
1:20pm - You know what they have a lot of at malls? Screaming kids. She's awake. Chalk up another 30 minute power nap for her. She's staying in the Bjorn tho. Maybe she'll fall back asleep when her neck gets tired from staring up at me.
1:41pm - Operation Nap Out has failed. Time to head back to the hotel for lunch, and maybe a trip to the pool if she'll let us.
2:05pm - Signs of sleepiness being shown just as we got to the hotel. Operation Sway in the Breeze commencing
2:20pm - Back is starting to give out, but she's finally sleeping. Debating if we can get her into a moving stroller while she stays sleeping. Sounds like a bad plan. Maybe in 15 more minutes.
2:33pm - Mommy's feeding birds with bread from her salad. Daddy's got his mouth open but she's not paying attention to me. Guess I'll just wait until Kaylani wakes up before I eat my salad...
2:47pm - She's up. 40 minutes, which was right when we walked inside to check out the pool. Oh well, good enough for now. Time for both of us to eat lunch!
3:10pm - Done eating lunch. Ummm...now what?
3:25pm - Back in the room for a regroup. Plan is to nurse, pack her dinner, then walk back to the Inner Harbor where she's going to nap before we go for dinner at grandparents/parents of kids o'clock. Ready...go!
4:37pm - Guess who's not sleeping? Oh well. We gave up on the walking through mobs of people in exchange for tapas and sangria on the 2nd floor patio at La Tasca. What? She's half tapas, I mean Latina.
5:12pm - Sangria showed up. Time to cheers and have a drink!
5:13pm - Mommy thought the sangria was a little strong and said she was only going to have 1. And then posed for a picture with Kaylani. And watched as Kaylani grabbed her 1 glass and dumped it on both of them. I think they're both wasted
5:41pm - Food is gone, Mommy is halfway through her glass of sangria, and Daddy is almost done with the rest of the pitcher. And there's a live band playing cover songs that are best characterized as "hits you may know from Guitar Hero or Rock Band." It's been a good night so far!
6:01pm - Night is winding down. Kinda hoping Kaylani doesn't fall asleep on the way to Cheesecake Factory and back home. She still has to eat dinner, bathe, and nurse before bedtime.
6:21pm - She's out. We just reached the lighthouse where we were planning on feeding her and she passed out. Sigh. Luckily there's a wedding going on here that will keep us entertained while she naps. Good possibility that this backfires on us later.
6:36pm - Just took a seat after Mommy told me to "stop spoiling her baby." Its hard not to when the alternative is locking her in a car.
6:38pm - Mommy to guy sneezing while walking by Kaylani: "Sir, have you heard of Zyrtec? Please sneeze away from the baby"
6:40pm - Duck boat cruising by on the harbor with a bunch of tourists blowing on their duck noise makers need to shut the duck up. Or I guess we could move
6:55pm - Awake at last! If I needed a timer that told me when it was between 30 or 40 minutes, Kaylani's naps would come in handy. Man that'd be a stupid thing to need. Anyways, its green bean time!
7:02pm - Apparently Kaylani eating is entertaining for people walking by. Or maybe its Mommy and Daddy with our mouths wide open going "Ahhhh....mmm!" to help her eat.
7:31pm - Bathtime! Gotta get all that sunscreen off. Soon, it'll be bedtime. What will tonight bring?
7:51pm - Bathtime went as smooth as it could. Daddy got to sit in a tub at a hotel (which isn't something he would normally do) so Kaylani could sit on top of him for her bath. Then after a quick rinse off shower, we were ready for bedtime. Right now Mommy is nursing Kaylani for hopefully the last time tonight. I know I said the same thing just about 24 hours ago, but this time, I really think it'll work. Her pack and play is now near our bed instead of out in the foyer, so it's a brand new night. Please let it be a quick one, or I guess a long one if we're talking about how Kaylani sleeps.
So that's it. I hope you had fun reading about a day in the life of our family on vacation. Next vacation is in a few months when we hit up Cape May for a week, and you can bet I'll have another "live" feed then. But until then, thanks for reading, and come back often. We'll be here!
9:33am - Today's plan was to have breakfast, then go for a walk so Kaylani could take a nap outside. But now, room service screwed up Mommy's breakfast, and Kaylani is crying for a minute between every 5 bites of her cereal. This is what happens when you don't sleep kids. Long day, here we come!
9:58am - Mommy's breakfast finally came 95% right (close enough) so we're getting there. Kaylani's entertaining herself on the floor. Can't tell if she's laughing or crying sometimes. Tough call. Par for the course according to Mommy.
10:19am - Typing with one hand and carrying Kaylani with the other while pacing around the room. First of many stall tactics as Mommy showers and we try and get ready to leave for the day.
10:32am - Ummm...she's asleep on my shoulder. Tried to put her down twice (you smell like poop!) with no success. This would be okay if both of us weren't still in pajamas. Oh, and I have to pee again.
10:45am - Success! And by success, I mean Mommy has her now. Time to pee and shower...separately. I'm not that gross...anymore.
11:15am - Kaylani never went back to sleep with Mommy, but she is dressed, nursed, dry, and sunscreened up. We were almost out the door, but Kaylani decided to poop. Better now than later.
11:23am - And we're finally out the door! Time for her to pass out in her stroller so she can add on to the whopping 15 minutes of sleep so far.
12:05pm - So she's not asleep yet. Now we're shopping for some new clothes for Daddy because he got made fun of one too many times for wearing loose clothing to work meetings after losing 30lbs. Tough call on who needs what more: Kaylani and sleep or Daddy and clothes?
12:50pm - Walked out of the last store with 3 shirts, 3 pants, and a baby in a Bjorn. I'm stylish in so many ways right now. Oh, and she's sleeping. Better buy one more shirt to replace the soon to be drooled filled shirt I'm wearing right now.
1:15pm - Had a scare that she was about to wake up. Did the whole head back, eyes open movement but she went back down with a gentle push back towards my chest. Right now we're hoping she sleeps until 2
1:20pm - You know what they have a lot of at malls? Screaming kids. She's awake. Chalk up another 30 minute power nap for her. She's staying in the Bjorn tho. Maybe she'll fall back asleep when her neck gets tired from staring up at me.
1:41pm - Operation Nap Out has failed. Time to head back to the hotel for lunch, and maybe a trip to the pool if she'll let us.
2:05pm - Signs of sleepiness being shown just as we got to the hotel. Operation Sway in the Breeze commencing
2:20pm - Back is starting to give out, but she's finally sleeping. Debating if we can get her into a moving stroller while she stays sleeping. Sounds like a bad plan. Maybe in 15 more minutes.
2:33pm - Mommy's feeding birds with bread from her salad. Daddy's got his mouth open but she's not paying attention to me. Guess I'll just wait until Kaylani wakes up before I eat my salad...
2:47pm - She's up. 40 minutes, which was right when we walked inside to check out the pool. Oh well, good enough for now. Time for both of us to eat lunch!
3:10pm - Done eating lunch. Ummm...now what?
3:25pm - Back in the room for a regroup. Plan is to nurse, pack her dinner, then walk back to the Inner Harbor where she's going to nap before we go for dinner at grandparents/parents of kids o'clock. Ready...go!
4:37pm - Guess who's not sleeping? Oh well. We gave up on the walking through mobs of people in exchange for tapas and sangria on the 2nd floor patio at La Tasca. What? She's half tapas, I mean Latina.
5:12pm - Sangria showed up. Time to cheers and have a drink!
5:13pm - Mommy thought the sangria was a little strong and said she was only going to have 1. And then posed for a picture with Kaylani. And watched as Kaylani grabbed her 1 glass and dumped it on both of them. I think they're both wasted
5:41pm - Food is gone, Mommy is halfway through her glass of sangria, and Daddy is almost done with the rest of the pitcher. And there's a live band playing cover songs that are best characterized as "hits you may know from Guitar Hero or Rock Band." It's been a good night so far!
6:01pm - Night is winding down. Kinda hoping Kaylani doesn't fall asleep on the way to Cheesecake Factory and back home. She still has to eat dinner, bathe, and nurse before bedtime.
6:21pm - She's out. We just reached the lighthouse where we were planning on feeding her and she passed out. Sigh. Luckily there's a wedding going on here that will keep us entertained while she naps. Good possibility that this backfires on us later.
6:36pm - Just took a seat after Mommy told me to "stop spoiling her baby." Its hard not to when the alternative is locking her in a car.
6:38pm - Mommy to guy sneezing while walking by Kaylani: "Sir, have you heard of Zyrtec? Please sneeze away from the baby"
6:40pm - Duck boat cruising by on the harbor with a bunch of tourists blowing on their duck noise makers need to shut the duck up. Or I guess we could move
6:55pm - Awake at last! If I needed a timer that told me when it was between 30 or 40 minutes, Kaylani's naps would come in handy. Man that'd be a stupid thing to need. Anyways, its green bean time!
7:02pm - Apparently Kaylani eating is entertaining for people walking by. Or maybe its Mommy and Daddy with our mouths wide open going "Ahhhh....mmm!" to help her eat.
7:31pm - Bathtime! Gotta get all that sunscreen off. Soon, it'll be bedtime. What will tonight bring?
7:51pm - Bathtime went as smooth as it could. Daddy got to sit in a tub at a hotel (which isn't something he would normally do) so Kaylani could sit on top of him for her bath. Then after a quick rinse off shower, we were ready for bedtime. Right now Mommy is nursing Kaylani for hopefully the last time tonight. I know I said the same thing just about 24 hours ago, but this time, I really think it'll work. Her pack and play is now near our bed instead of out in the foyer, so it's a brand new night. Please let it be a quick one, or I guess a long one if we're talking about how Kaylani sleeps.
So that's it. I hope you had fun reading about a day in the life of our family on vacation. Next vacation is in a few months when we hit up Cape May for a week, and you can bet I'll have another "live" feed then. But until then, thanks for reading, and come back often. We'll be here!
"Live" from Baltimore - Part 1!
Last time we went to PR I kept a running blog of the days events. Since it's been awhile and I'm on vacation again, I might as well do it again! So let's get things started. Follow along on another day in the life of our family, and enjoy the Daddy Diaries 2nd ever "live" blog, from Baltimore this time! Editor's note: Nighttime ended up being so long that I've split this into two parts, so this is part 1 of 2. Don't forget to click the link at the end to read the rest (unless you did that already...cheater).
Saturday, May 23:
8:48pm - After Kaylani cried enough to earn another round of nursing, she's finally asleep. All it took was 15 minutes of nursing and 10 minutes of rubbing her forehead and eyes before she would call it a night. Let's hope this lasts. Speaking of lasting, not sure how much longer we're gonna last.
8:56pm - Finally gave in and risked turning on the TV. Mommy threatened my life if I woke "her daughter" up, but I'm fairly confident the sheets and white noise maker will do their job. My choices on TV are O's/Nats (blah), Lakers/Nuggets (eh), and Mean Girls or What Women Want (yes!). Maybe we should go back to darkness before I lose more man points...
9:08pm - The water taxi in the harbor just sounded its horn again (happens every 30 minutes or so). Mommy's response: "Seriously? If you wake up my daughter, I'm going to kill you."
9:10pm - There are scratching noises coming from the foyer. Either there's a mouse over there, or Kaylani's moving. If it's a mouse, I'd watch out because if it wakes up our daughter, Mommy's going to kill it.
9:28pm - My first ever Facebook/blog integration comes courtesy of Doug who commented on Facebook just now: "Once mommy and baby are asleep, you can always sneak down to the bar and watch a game." Mommy's response to me: "That's why I positioned the crib by the door. You sneak out and wake up my daughter and I'll kill you. But if you do sneak out, get me a fruit tart."
9:43pm - Just checked on the little one. She looks peacefully asleep on her side. I have to pee but I'm afraid to use the bathroom since it's right next to her sleeping area. Guess I'll go to sleep instead.
10:40pm - Mommy and Kaylani are both asleep, and I'm wide awake (why did I take that 30 minute power nap earlier?). Maybe I should sneak out now. Nah, not worth it. I still have to pee...
11:09pm - And she's awake. Two hours and 20 minutes is almost like sleeping through the night. Mommy and I are debating how long to let her cry for. Considerations include a) she's really tired, b) she's in a new place, and c) our neighbors probably hate us. 3 minutes apparently is the limit since I'm headed over now.
11:35pm - After unsuccesfully getting her to sleep by rubbing her forehead and eyes, I got her to sleep for a few minutes in my arms, but only for 30 seconds in her bed. Second attempt went even worse and led to her tossing and turning in my arms, likely looking for Mommy. So now Mommy is nursing her. At least I got to pee since she's awake.
11:53pm - Nursing didn't work. Now we're in trouble. Sure wish we had a plan C in our back pocket.
Sunday, May 24:
12:05am - I take it back. 3rd attempt at nursing seems to have done the trick. Sometimes I wish I could nurse, but most times I'm glad I can't. But that's why Mommy's my hero. Seriously. Time to get some sleep. All of us. Ah crap, she's crying.
12:17am - I just made it back to bed after getting her to sleep in my arms for 5 minutes then in her crib for 2 minutes. And now she's crying again. Time to let her cry it out for a little bit. Sorry neighbors. If this doesn't work, home is only 2.5 hours away....
12:44am - She's still crying. We even drugged her with Tylenol in case it was teething pain, and changed her diaper in case it was wetness uncomfortability. Let's give it a few more minutes before we try plan Q.
1:18pm - Change of scenery maybe? Pack and play was moved into the main room, and now she has a doll to eat/sleep with. She's looking pretty awake. We're not.
1:47am - She's asleep! After 10 min in my arms, she's down. Goodnight
4:54am - The alarm clock just went off for no reason. Luckily I've had years to perfect the "smack the snooze button within the first sign of an alarm" move. Mommy threatened my life for making so much noise. Apparently she didn't hear the alarm and thought I was just playing.
7:22am - She's awake, but not crying for a change. Looks like she found that doll. Hard to say if she would have slept more without it, or will stay quiet with it.
8:10am - And now we're awake. She's flipped herself onto her belly and is stuck. Mommy's on the move. I love Mommy.
8:48am - Whole family is up, but I wouldn't say we're awake. Funny enough Kaylani looks the most tired. Poor baby. She's moving in slow motion right now. Hard to say why she ended up sleeping. Tylenol? Doll? Crib move? And actually, I really don't care.
And that concludes part 1 of our "live" blog from Baltimore. Click here to read part 2: daytime!
Saturday, May 23:
8:48pm - After Kaylani cried enough to earn another round of nursing, she's finally asleep. All it took was 15 minutes of nursing and 10 minutes of rubbing her forehead and eyes before she would call it a night. Let's hope this lasts. Speaking of lasting, not sure how much longer we're gonna last.
8:56pm - Finally gave in and risked turning on the TV. Mommy threatened my life if I woke "her daughter" up, but I'm fairly confident the sheets and white noise maker will do their job. My choices on TV are O's/Nats (blah), Lakers/Nuggets (eh), and Mean Girls or What Women Want (yes!). Maybe we should go back to darkness before I lose more man points...
9:08pm - The water taxi in the harbor just sounded its horn again (happens every 30 minutes or so). Mommy's response: "Seriously? If you wake up my daughter, I'm going to kill you."
9:10pm - There are scratching noises coming from the foyer. Either there's a mouse over there, or Kaylani's moving. If it's a mouse, I'd watch out because if it wakes up our daughter, Mommy's going to kill it.
9:28pm - My first ever Facebook/blog integration comes courtesy of Doug who commented on Facebook just now: "Once mommy and baby are asleep, you can always sneak down to the bar and watch a game." Mommy's response to me: "That's why I positioned the crib by the door. You sneak out and wake up my daughter and I'll kill you. But if you do sneak out, get me a fruit tart."
9:43pm - Just checked on the little one. She looks peacefully asleep on her side. I have to pee but I'm afraid to use the bathroom since it's right next to her sleeping area. Guess I'll go to sleep instead.
10:40pm - Mommy and Kaylani are both asleep, and I'm wide awake (why did I take that 30 minute power nap earlier?). Maybe I should sneak out now. Nah, not worth it. I still have to pee...
11:09pm - And she's awake. Two hours and 20 minutes is almost like sleeping through the night. Mommy and I are debating how long to let her cry for. Considerations include a) she's really tired, b) she's in a new place, and c) our neighbors probably hate us. 3 minutes apparently is the limit since I'm headed over now.
11:35pm - After unsuccesfully getting her to sleep by rubbing her forehead and eyes, I got her to sleep for a few minutes in my arms, but only for 30 seconds in her bed. Second attempt went even worse and led to her tossing and turning in my arms, likely looking for Mommy. So now Mommy is nursing her. At least I got to pee since she's awake.
11:53pm - Nursing didn't work. Now we're in trouble. Sure wish we had a plan C in our back pocket.
Sunday, May 24:
12:05am - I take it back. 3rd attempt at nursing seems to have done the trick. Sometimes I wish I could nurse, but most times I'm glad I can't. But that's why Mommy's my hero. Seriously. Time to get some sleep. All of us. Ah crap, she's crying.
12:17am - I just made it back to bed after getting her to sleep in my arms for 5 minutes then in her crib for 2 minutes. And now she's crying again. Time to let her cry it out for a little bit. Sorry neighbors. If this doesn't work, home is only 2.5 hours away....
12:44am - She's still crying. We even drugged her with Tylenol in case it was teething pain, and changed her diaper in case it was wetness uncomfortability. Let's give it a few more minutes before we try plan Q.
1:18pm - Change of scenery maybe? Pack and play was moved into the main room, and now she has a doll to eat/sleep with. She's looking pretty awake. We're not.
1:47am - She's asleep! After 10 min in my arms, she's down. Goodnight
4:54am - The alarm clock just went off for no reason. Luckily I've had years to perfect the "smack the snooze button within the first sign of an alarm" move. Mommy threatened my life for making so much noise. Apparently she didn't hear the alarm and thought I was just playing.
7:22am - She's awake, but not crying for a change. Looks like she found that doll. Hard to say if she would have slept more without it, or will stay quiet with it.
8:10am - And now we're awake. She's flipped herself onto her belly and is stuck. Mommy's on the move. I love Mommy.
8:48am - Whole family is up, but I wouldn't say we're awake. Funny enough Kaylani looks the most tired. Poor baby. She's moving in slow motion right now. Hard to say why she ended up sleeping. Tylenol? Doll? Crib move? And actually, I really don't care.
And that concludes part 1 of our "live" blog from Baltimore. Click here to read part 2: daytime!
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Down, but not out
Hi, we're in Delaware. Oh wait, that was us 10 hours ago. Now we're in Baltimore and getting ready to wrap up the day. It's just about 8pm and all is dark in our room. Kaylani is nursing for what we hope is her final time tonight, and then we'll see how the rest of the night goes. Luckily we were upgraded to a corner deluxe king room when we got here (thank you Bill Marriott!) so we have a little hallway/foyer that Kaylani will spend the night in (in her pack and play of course). We also have a white noise maker going, a bunch of sheets to block out some of the light, and we're really hoping that's enough. And frankly, it should be since she must be completely exhausted today.
She woke up around 6:30am. After getting her ready to go and putting the finishing touches on our luggage, we hit the road right around 8:30am. GPS had us arriving in Baltimore at 11am which was fine by us. The plan was to have Kaylani sleep for a solid 2 hours in the car and we'd be set for the rest of the day. And at 9am when she finally fell asleep, the plan looked like it was going to work...all the way until she woke up 40 minutes later. The odd part was that she was quiet for the next hour and a half. We stopped at a rest stop just 20 minutes outside Baltimore just to make sure we didn't have a car freak-out, but thankfully it never materialized.
After getting settled in our hotel room we walked out to the Inner Harbor around 12:30pm. Within 15 minutes Kaylani was out again which we again thought was perfect. And again, 40 minutes later, she was awake (timed inconveniently with our food showing up at lunch). And again, she lay silently in her stroller for a good 30 minutes before making a peep. That brought us up to 1:10 minutes of naps and 2 hours of quiet time. Odd ratio, but we'll take it.
We finished off the day with some time in a grassy knoll (which reaffirmed for us her hatred of grass), a walk around the rest of the Inner Harbor, a quick nursing/Starbucks break, and then back to the hotel. On the way back, Kaylani passed out in her Bjorn, which we thought was going to be good again. But this time, after only 30 minutes, she was back up.
Now it's 8:10pm and she's crying in her pack and play. She passed out after only nursing for 10 minutes so maybe she's hungry, or more likely, she's over tired. It's been a long day of her going down, but never quite passing out. And all of that means we're entering a night of a lot of unknowns, which is never a good thing. But what else would we expect from our first family vacation? Guess we'll just wait and see how tomorrow goes.
She woke up around 6:30am. After getting her ready to go and putting the finishing touches on our luggage, we hit the road right around 8:30am. GPS had us arriving in Baltimore at 11am which was fine by us. The plan was to have Kaylani sleep for a solid 2 hours in the car and we'd be set for the rest of the day. And at 9am when she finally fell asleep, the plan looked like it was going to work...all the way until she woke up 40 minutes later. The odd part was that she was quiet for the next hour and a half. We stopped at a rest stop just 20 minutes outside Baltimore just to make sure we didn't have a car freak-out, but thankfully it never materialized.
After getting settled in our hotel room we walked out to the Inner Harbor around 12:30pm. Within 15 minutes Kaylani was out again which we again thought was perfect. And again, 40 minutes later, she was awake (timed inconveniently with our food showing up at lunch). And again, she lay silently in her stroller for a good 30 minutes before making a peep. That brought us up to 1:10 minutes of naps and 2 hours of quiet time. Odd ratio, but we'll take it.
We finished off the day with some time in a grassy knoll (which reaffirmed for us her hatred of grass), a walk around the rest of the Inner Harbor, a quick nursing/Starbucks break, and then back to the hotel. On the way back, Kaylani passed out in her Bjorn, which we thought was going to be good again. But this time, after only 30 minutes, she was back up.
Now it's 8:10pm and she's crying in her pack and play. She passed out after only nursing for 10 minutes so maybe she's hungry, or more likely, she's over tired. It's been a long day of her going down, but never quite passing out. And all of that means we're entering a night of a lot of unknowns, which is never a good thing. But what else would we expect from our first family vacation? Guess we'll just wait and see how tomorrow goes.
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