Emma is 8 months old!
We just enjoyed a great visit with Emma's aunt, uncle, cousins, and Oma (grandma). It's amazing how much she has changed since the last time they visited. Now she loves to play and laugh with them. She really bonded with her Oma, it was so sweet to see them together. And her aunt and cousin can really make her laugh. It's great to see Emma turning into a "real kid" instead of just a baby, if that makes sense. Also sad. Her babyhood is flying by.
Well as always, let's discuss Emma's sleep. We've had some exciting developments! I broke down and did Cry It Out sleep training with her. I had reached my breaking point. Emma was not getting quality sleep at night and neither was I. I had tried everything else. I knew I finally just had to let her cry. I'm doing a modified version, where I still go in and feed her twice a night. Other than her two feedings she sleeps the whole time, 'till 7:00 or 7:30am. Occasionally we'll hear her cry out or very rarely start crying, but I don't go in to get her when she does that. Here's how it went down:
NIGHT ONE - went in to her room and nursed her at 10:30pm, 12:30am, and 1:30am. After the 1:30am feeding she woke up exactly 10 minutes later. I did not go back in. She cried for 30 minutes. And then slept 'till 7:30am. I got five hours of uninterrupted sleep. That hasn't happened to me in over 3 months.
NIGHT TWO - went in to her room and nursed her at 10:30pm, and 1:30am. She woke up at 4:00am babbling, and then cried. I did not go in. She cried for 15 minutes. And then slept 'till 7:00am.
NIGHT THREE - went in and nursed her at 10:30pm, 11:30pm, 1:30am. She woke up at 3:30am. I did not go back in. She cried for much longer, about 45 minutes off and on. She then slept 'till 7:30am.
Since then she's been waking up for her two feedings and that's it. Randy and I used earplugs to get through the crying. It was hard, and there were a few times where I had one leg out of the bed ready to go in. But I knew I needed to stick with it. And you know what? Emma has been so much happier since then. She is perky and playful all day. She really needed her sleep. What a difference it has made.
Other Emma news:
- She's still not crawling! I'm growing a tad concerned as it seems like all the other babies her age that I know are crawling. Emma will get up on all fours and rock back and forth, but that's it. I just keep reminding myself she'll do it in her own time.
- She also still has no teeth! She's been drooling A LOT and chewing on everything, but nothing has popped through. Again, glad I don't have to deal with her biting me, but worried that none of her teeth have popped out. All in good time
- She babbles and talks all the time
- She lifts her arms up to me when she wants to be picked up
- I make sure to say "bye bye" to her when I leave for class on Saturdays. She and her Dad have a great day together, and she is so happy to see me when I come home
- She can lift herself up using the side of her toy box and reach in and grab a toy! Like a big girl!
Randy recently accepted a new position and will be starting his new job soon. He will have a few days off before he starts, and we are looking forward to having him home with us. I am plugging along with school. We will be purchasing a jogging stroller soon. Looking forward to getting outside again every day, and combining Emma's afternoon nap with some exercise for me.
