Happy 4th...a day late.

Thanks in part to a book that a friend at church told me about (her friend told her about it), I think we may have had a breakthrough with the little screamer. It's not that he doesn't scream any more, it's that I think we've figured out some tactics so that it doesn't last as long.

I was a Babywise mom with Carlee...not everything babywise, but I did let her "cry it out", was on a strict "parent directed" feeding schedule. Since I was going back to work and needed the same thing to happen every day, I felt like it was necessary. And we didn't have to cry it out for long. She pretty much figured it out within a couple of days. Don't get me wrong, there were nights even after she figured it out that she would have cried all night had I let her. All I had to do was pat her and she'd go back to sleep normally.

Not the case with Eli. Crying it out isn't an option for him right now. His own cries get him more overstimulated and he just doesn't have the ability to calm himself down. With the help of this book (The Happiest Baby on the Block), I've learned to swaddle him REALLY tight with his arms to his side (this keeps him from flailing his arms and waking himself up) and rock him really quick with shhshhshhshh sounds in his ear and he usually relaxes within a minute or two. Once I lay him down swaddled tightly, he usually doesn't wake up until time for his next bottle. In fact, last night he went from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. without waking!!

He still has fussy time from 7 -11 every night, but we can usually get him calmed down temporarily. Right now we have to hold him, but I figure that if holding him keeps him from going into hysterics, it's good for all of us! I know that once he gets things figured out and is more alert, he won't require us to hold him so much, so we're just going to go with it and do what works. I still keep him on a eating schedule. I'm a firm believer in schedules and knowing what to expect. So, we try to do the same thing every day.

As I write, he has been in his swing for a LONG time. Yay! I was feeling a bit like a failure, so it feels good to get it figured out just a little bit.

Now...for the house update...

The floors are completely done, the granite counter tops are in. All that's left is some trim stuff and the kitchen/master bath back splash. The back splash is my fault - when I saw the one I picked out with the counter top and floor I hated it. So, I sent it back and picked another...of course it isn't in stock, and with the holiday it's going to take a little time to get it. But, I figured I might as well make sure I like it.

It's hard to go down there now, because it's to the point that it looks like I could live there and I get anxious. Maybe by the end of next week!