The Alphabet Song

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ. Now I know my ABCs, next time won't you sing with me. This is Josh's favorite song. No matter what mood Josh is in at the time, if I sing the ABCs, Josh starts to smile by the time I get to G or H. If Josh is really unhappy, it may take a few more letters to calm him down, but the song is a miracle worker. Without fail, the song makes Josh smile every time. When I say every time, I really mean every time. Whether Josh is just fussy or truly upset for some reason, the Alphabet Song immediately calms him. I am thinking about recording me singing the song so Josh can hear it at any time. It will be the only music of mine that will ever get recorded. :)

Shh, It's Bedtime!!!!

We have Josh on a bedtime routine. Bath, story, last feeding, bed. It is a nice routine, and we all enjoy our last hour before bed together. When Josh lies on the changing table for the last time of the day to be changed in his pjs, he gets very excited. He kicks his legs and flails his arms, gives us a huge smile, and starts giggling. He just loves when his onesie goes over his head. It is like a fun game for him. We say, "1, 2, 3" as we lift the onesie over his head. It is so much fun to hear him giggle, although getting all hyper and excited is not what we aim for as we try to create a calm, bedtime environment.

Josh is a Good Sleeper

Keith and I have been very lucky so far that Josh is a good sleeper. We put him down to bed, and he sleeps right through the night. (Sometimes, he will wake up around 5 or 5:3am - at times earlier, but if you give him a pacifier, he will fall back asleep for awhile longer). Our morning weekday routime is for me to wake up at the awful hour of 5:45am, start to get ready for work and then wake Josh around 6:15 (often times, he wakes by himself) and give him his first feeding, and then we put him back to bed. He will usually sleep about 1 1/2 - 2 hours more and then the nanny or his grandmom will get him up and dressed for the day. In an earlier post, I mentioned how Josh would not nap during the day, only a 30 minute power nap. That has now changed. He is now on a good schedule and taking 2 -3 naps a day for at least one hour at a time. Thank you goes out to my nanny, Tania, and the Book On Becoming Babywise. I think the routine has helped his grandmom Roberta take care of him easier too.

It took me awhile to realize if Josh is a good sleeper, Mommy should become a good sleeper too. I used to have the baby monitor next to my bed turned on so that I could hear anything during the night. That created me in a light sleep all night long. When I say anything that I can hear, I mean any little sound coming from that room. There is no reason for me to hear in the middle of the night the dripping sound of the humidifier, Josh making a cute litle sound as he moves position, or a static sound from the monitor. I decided to keep his door open and my door open and shut off the monitor. (If he starts crying and needs my attention, I will hear him - monitor or not. Plus, it is right next to my bed, and I can take a peak whenever I want). Hello sleep for Mommy!!!

4 1/2 Months

SAVE THE DATE

The Bar Mitzvah of Joshua Brett - 2020

4 1/2 Months

On my desk, I have 2 of these pictures so I can look at Josh during the day. He is so cute. He used to look just like Keith, but now people say he looks like me as well. Josh is holding up his head pretty well now and tummy time is not that bad. He can hang out on his tummy for a good 10-15 minutes and not fuss.

One Week Down

I finished my first week of work. I only worked 3 days this week. (I didn't work on Monday, and I have Fridays off). That definitely made the transition easier. At times work felt like I had never left, but on the other hand, it also felt like I had been gone forever. The most difficult part is coming home. Once home, I have a whole other routine, and it makes for a long night. I am feeling very overwhelmed. I do love coming home though. It is so wonderful to see Joshua again when I get home. I know it will take some time, but then I will be in a good routine and it may not be so bad.