When Your Baby Just Won't Sleep...

Maybe I was spoiled with my first two kids.  Max and Ella were great sleepers from the day we brought each of them home from the hospital.

I actually remember thinking at one point, that Ella might be sleeping too much.  We would put her in her bassinet, and she would snooze for hours on end, day or night.

When Theo was born in early April, I was bold enough to think that he would be the same as his brother and sister... that we would bring him home and watch in awe, as he blissfully slumbered the days and nights away.

I couldn't have been more wrong...

I feel guilty referring to Theo as a "high maintenance" baby, because I know that it's pretty common for parents to complain about being sleep deprived in the early months, after bringing home a new baby, but if you're wondering what nights were like around here in the beginning, let me just say it wasn't pretty.

Theo would literally only sleep if I was holding him.  It was so bad, that I set up camp on our couch so that my husband could sleep, and M&E wouldn't be woken by his shrieking at 2:00 AM.  As if that wasn't enough, for while there, I even had to sleep sitting up, because it seemed to be the only way that he was comfortable.

All of this might have been bearable, if I didn't have a 2 year old and a three year old to take care of during the day as well.

I started to really miss sleeping... so I began desperately searching for solutions.

At first a tried swaddling Theo in swaddle blankets, but that was a big fat fail, because he's a pretty strong baby and he would break out in no time at all.  After that it was on to swaddle sacks... still no real improvement.

Now,  I know a lot of people are pro co-sleeping, but in all honesty, I'm basically just pro-sleeping in general, as in I'll do whatever it takes just to get in my precious beauty rest... so when I discovered the dockAtot, I was totally intrigued.

The dockAtot is a multi-functional spot made for sleeping, lounging, and playing, that you can take with you pretty much anywhere. DockAtot was designed in Sweden and is meant to provide a nurturing and cozy surrounding for your little one.

Everywhere I turned, parents were raving about this thing, and singing its praises as if it was the greatest thing that had ever happened to them

As I sat there in my sleep deprived state, large coffee in hand, reading people's reviews of the dockAtot, I began to want one desperately.  I truly believed that it would be the solution to all of my problems.

I am being 100% honest when I tell you that Theo's first night in the dockAtot was the longest he had slept, without waking, up to that point.  It was a bit of an adjustment in the beginning, since he was used to sleeping upright and in my arms, but thanks to the way that the dockAtot is designed, after a few nights, he got more used to it, and seemed to feel really snug and secure while sleeping in it.  We went with the deluxe size version, which is recommended for babies ages 0-8 months, and since it supposed to recreate a womb-like feeling, this seemed to be a great fit. There is also a Grand sized version, meant for ages 9-36 months. I should also mention that it comes with several options for covers in terms of  color and design, and they are all machine washable.

Theo is almost three months old now, and though he's still not 100% sleeping through the night every night, between the dockAtot and this amazing swaddle, he is only waking once or twice to nurse, and he immediately goes back to sleep, which for us, has been a huge improvement.

I love that with the dockAtot, I can sleep with Theo near me, but safely, and in his own little space.  We plan on transitioning him into his crib at night once he turns three months, but in the meantime, we have been putting the dockAtot in there during naps, and he has been doing great.  I think it will go really smoothly, since he is already so used to sleeping in the dockAtot as it is.

I also love that the dockAtot is so portable.  We recently went away for the weekend, and it was so nice not to have to lug a huge pack and play along with us to a hotel. It was so easy to bring the dockAtot along, and in addition to having a place to sleep, Theo also had a safe place to lounge, and I was able to throw a blanket over it and use it as a surface to change his diapers on while we were on the road.

We've also begun using the dockAtot for tummy time lately, and it has become a great place for him to play and explore things.

I've had quite a few people ask me at this point if I think the dockAtot is worth the price and I can honestly say yes, I think it is worth every penny.  I will likely purchase the Grand version when the time comes, because I truly believe that it is that good of a product!  The improvement in Theo's quality of sleep during naps and at night speaks for itself, and as someone who is exceptionally fond of sleep myself, any product that helps to provide me with that luxury, is worth any price!

Disclosure- I was provided a dockAtot to review for this post.  All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

xoxo,

Ella Rose's 2 Month Check Up

Our sweet little Ella Rose turned 2 months old on the 23rd. Seeing as Mike and I are clearly expert parents at this point (insert sarcasm), our pediatrician gave us permission to skip a one month check up unless we had any concerns. Since Ella is pure perfection, we opted to oblige... So today was her first check up since the one she had when she was just a few days old and peed all over the scale (twice).

Today she weighed in at a whopping 11 pounds 7 ounces and was 23 inches long. 50th percentile for both, growing like a weed.

Her first shots went pretty much as expected. Ella doesn't cry much, but when she does, it is a high pitched shriek that can be heard for miles.

I know this picture is sad, so please let it be known that there was lots of hugs and kisses and comforting... It just had to be documented. At least she's still cute even when she is furious!

In other news, we had quite an eventful weekend (for us).

Friday was full of the usual craziness that comes with spending your days with an infant and a toddler. While Max napped, I snapped a few (hundred) photos of Ella. Are chubby baby thighs not the cutest?

A few times lately I have found myself feeing guilty for taking and/or posting more photos of Ella than Max on my Facebook page for our family and friends to see, but I have to remind myself of just how many photos I took and posted of him at the same age, and then it seems only fair that Ella gets her time in the limelight as well. That being said, I am making a valid effort to capture every living moment of both of my babes equally. The struggle is real folks.

It was Mike and my 4 year wedding anniversary last Thursday, and in a great-minds-think-alike moment, we both purchased each other Fitbits as a gift (romantic I know, but there were roses and thoughtful cards as well).

Truth be told, I kind of had a feeling that was what I was getting, and thought it would be both fun and motivating if we each had one, since we love a little friendly competition.

It was pure brilliance while I spent all of Friday morning hundreds, if not thousands, of steps ahead... Only to have Mike blow me away in the afternoon while he was out touring the city of Pittsburgh by foot for work while I was stuck in the house nursing Ella and folding laundry while Max slept.

As soon as he woke up, I strapped Ella to me and decided it was time for a stroll.

In theory I saw myself catching up to Mike by doing a few down and backs on our road with the kids. In reality, Max stopped every two seconds to collect rocks, sticks, leaves, etc. Despite a valid effort and several laps around our kitchen table, Mike won that day, but the motivation is certainly there now.

On Saturday we went to a party at a friend's house. Max had such a blast playing with the other kids, and even took a break to entertain himself by removing ice cubes, one at a time, from the large bucket of adult beverages to fill his water bottle with. He entertained all of us when he dropped his drawers while running across the yard due to the weight of his sopping wet shorts from crouching in a puddle made by said ice cubes. Ahhhh, toddlers!

That's about it for now... Here's to another wild and crazy week of fun and lots of iced coffee. Wishing you a lovely week ahead.

-J