Sleep Training: Night 1

G has always been a great sleeper. She started sleeping in her nursery at three weeks old, was sleeping six to eight hour stretches by four months and went down for her naps without much of a fight. I was pretty sure my baby was perfect.

I didn't really notice that her night wakings/feedings were increasing until about two months ago but I chalked it up to a growth spurt or some other temporary thing. It wasn't until a few weeks back that realized just how out of whack things had gotten. She'd go down around 8:00pm with no problem, maybe 10-15 minutes of squawking, tops, but then she would be up again somewhere around midnight, then 2:00am, and again around 5:00am, before she was finally up for the day around 7/8:00am. It was definitely a gradual regression because had I realized I was getting up three to four times a night consistently for two months I would have done something sooner! Here's the thing, when you're tired, your mind doesn't process the same and I am definitely TIRED these days!


I started researching different methods and reading what has worked for other moms. I reread a blog from my girlfriend in PA who went through the wringer with her little guy (she's hilarious, read about her experience HERE ). I kept coming back to the Ferber Method aka Cry it Out (CIO). I have to admit, like most loving moms, I was hesitant to try a method that seemed to encourage crying but I also trust my mommy friends who have used it with much success and sing its praises. A lot of the message boards warned about trying the method without reading the book and getting all the facts, which sounds like some solid advice so I ordered the book.

It was delivered yesterday and I dove in. One thing I appreciated immediately is the chart showing an infant's sleep cycle and when in it that cycle they typically wake up. The chart also shows you what chapters relate to your specific sleep issues! GENIUS. I suppose they knew that groggy mamas and daddies don't have the mental capacity to read through the chapter index like the rest of society. Our problem is not falling asleep initially but being able to return to sleep when she wakes up after a sleep cycle and also, a dependency on the boob for late night snacks. See chapters 4-6. Perfect! Here we go.

I began reading after I put her down for her evening nap (4:30ish) and immediately came across my first mistake. No naps after 4:00pm! I got her out of the crib and brought her down for some playtime. I fed her a BIG dinner since one of my concerns is that she's waking up hungry and not just out of habit. Then we did our nighttime routine, bath, story, nurse, crib. Dr. Ferber also suggests keeping your wee babe up a little later than normal to help them sack out hard. She was out like a light in 5 minutes. So far, so good. 

11:00pm: She fussed and cried for a bit but went back to sleep without me needing to go in and comfort her. Piece of cake. I even started to think she might just sleep through the night on her own. 

12:45am: It begins. She started really crying and was fully awake, so I went in to comfort her and begin the separation intervals (3, 5, & 10 minutes). She lasted until the 10 minute interval then drifted off. She is the perfect child, this is SO easy.

1:15am: What's that I hear? She's crying harder than before... screaming, if you will. No, baby go back to sleep! You are perfect, remember??? Start the intervals over. She falls back asleep by the 10 minute one, again. 

1:40am: And we're crying again. Is this going to work? She's starving to death! I need to hold her! I am the worst mother alive!! She's going to hate me. Why am I doing this to my sweet baby?? She's asleep by the 5 minute interval this time. Progress!

I had predetermined that I was going to feed her at 2:00am, unless, of course, she had already trained herself and was sleeping soundly.

2:05am: MOOOOMMMMMMYYYYYYY, I NEEEEEEEEEEEED YOOOOUUUU!!!! (Loose translation). I pick her up, nurse her for a shorter period of time than usual and put her back in the crib while still awake. 

2:25am: The child slumbers.

2:30am: The mother slumbers.

8:20am: I wake up and realize it's 8:20am (cue happy dance)

8:25am: I peek in to find baby girl starting to stir. She's happy to see me and we get up to start the day feeling relatively rested and dare I say, optimistic about tonight!

I put her down at 10:20am for her morning nap, it's 11:50am as I'm writing, and she's still out. 

The goal tonight is to increase the length of the intervals for checking on her and to delay nursing half an hour. I'll be writing again tomorrow with the results! 

Please say a prayer for my sanity, if you get a chance.

XOXO, 

Mrs. B

The Cherry Blossoms

Turns out that having a baby means there's pretty much no time (read energy) to do awesome craft projects for blogging, hence, the lack of posts this year.  So, to at least get an entry in the books this spring, here's a bunch of photos from our trip down to the Tidal Basin to see the famed cherry blossoms! It was a stunning spring day and even though the crowds were annoying, it was worth it to take lil G down for the photo ops. Enjoy!

Getting ready for the big outing!

The Jefferson Memorial

Really enjoying the sites.

My fam!

Rosslyn Skyline

Grandma and Papa!

Pretty Flowers

XOXO,

Mrs. B

"The Best Thing to Ever Happen to Carrots" Soufflé

A couple months back (yes, that's how long it's taken me to blog this) I was at a church dinner and happened upon an inconspicuous orange pudding/custard/souffle looking dish. I added a spoonful and continued down the buffet line. What happened next changed my life. Well, not really, but that got you interested, right?  I took a bite and was met with a sweet, slightly carrot-y, melt-in-your-mouth awesomeness. It was so good, I excused myself then and there and got another helping before anyone else discovered the unassuming orange ecstasy. The next thing I did was find out who made it and got the recipe.

Shout out to Mrs. J for sharing her family favorite with me so I could share it with you. See how that works? Sharing IS caring! Mrs. J simply called the dish "carrot souffle", that's nice but it doesn't quite convey how epic it tastes. I decided to re-name it something slightly less subtle: "The Best Thing to Ever Happen to Carrots" souffle. That should do it.

The Best Thing to Ever Happen to Carrots Souffle 

1 lb carrots
1 stick melted butter
¾ Cup sugar
3 eggs well beaten
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp flour 

Cook (boil until soft), drain, and mash (I use my food processor) carrots.

Go upstairs to change the baby, get a phone call, forget that you're boiling carrots, run downstairs to discover all the water has boiled out and you were thiiiiiiis close to burning them to death!!! DO NOT FOLLOW THIS STEP

Place in blender (or food processor). 

Pour melted butter on top and blend... I didn't melt my butter. 

Add eggs (room temperature), blend. 

Let the carrots cool enough so when you add the eggs they don't cook. 

Mix dry ingredients together and then add to carrot mix. Blend well and pour into glass casserole dish.

 
Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes. It may seem soft but if sides are dry and pull away from the dish, go ahead and remove from oven. It will continue to set up as it cools.

Technically, this is a side dish but I would not judge you in the slightest if I saw you with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of it... Or if you were having it for breakfast.

XOXO,

Mrs. B

Hambone Soup

The holidays are over, now we sit here and stare at winter's ugly mug, hoping we don't lose our minds, until the buds start popping up. The short days and cold temps can really be a downer after you un-deck the halls. So, when you come down from your sugar cookie high, and need the epicurean equivalent of a warm sweater, it's time to make yourself a comfy, cozy pot of hambone soup.

Spiral sliced hams are a great buy. I like to separate the meat, use some of it for sandwiches or omelettes and freeze the rest in baggies, leaving behind the good ol' hambone.

The hambone is packed with deliciousness just begging to be set free and all you have to do to help it out is throw it in some water and let it boil (low boil) away for a couple hours.

The night before I started my soup, I soaked some dried chickpeas in water. You could use canned peas but I really noticed a difference in the texture with the dried. They held up to the soup and even had a bit of firmness to them in the leftover soup.

To go with the soup, I also whipped up a batch of Kitchenaid's Basic White Bread. It's an uber easy recipe and the bread is excellent.

 

 

You SO need to make this bread!

While my bread was rising, I got together my soup ingredients. In the biz, we call these bad boys the "aromatics". And by biz, I mean the cooking shows I like to pretend I'm on. In a large Dutch oven, saute the garlic, oregano and thyme in olive oil and butter. Be careful not to burn them.

Add in the sliced/chopped carrots, onion and celery.

After you let the aromatics saute for about 10 minutes (or until the carrots start to soften), pour in the hambone stock, bone and all.

Let your soup simmer on medium low for about an hour. The ham should really be falling apart by now. Pull out the hambone pieces and pick off any meat that's still hanging on and toss it back into the soup. Add in the chickpeas and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.

I let everything simmer for on low for about another hour. While you wait, you can play with your adorable sous-chef.

Your bread should be fresh out of the oven and ready to sop up all that hammy goodness.

Exact measurements aren't really needed for this soup. A few carrots, a few stalks of celery, one onion, season to taste. Don't get hung up on being exact with the ingredients and if you want to throw in different beans or maybe butternut squash, go for it!

One last note before you dig in, make sure you take the time to spoon off the excess fat/oil that will be floating on top of the soup. If you don't it will be a greasy spoon... in a bad way

XOXO,

Mrs. B

Simple Christmas Fudge

Merry Christmas!!! I can't believe it's that time of year already. Christmas always seems to sneak up but this year it practically ambushed me. I guess being a new mom will do that to you. My days seem to blur together with slobbery kisses and dirty diapers but it's the best kind of blur there is! 

This year we're hosting Christmas for my parents and the in-laws so I did manage to get the tree up and the halls decked but time seriously got away from me after that.

So, if you find yourself with a sleepin' babe,



 and need a holiday treat that looks impressive but can be made during nap time, check this out!

 I love me some Pioneer Woman and the other day she gave a recipe for INSANELY simple fudge. I tried it out and was instantly impressed.

To make the basic fudge, all you need is:

• 12oz Chocolate Chips
• 1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk

That's IT.

You melt the chips in a double boiler.

until smooth

then add in the condensed milk.

Once it's incorporated, smooth it into a parchment paper lined dish and pop in the refrigerator for an hour or so.

I wanted to fancy it up a little so I experimented with some different flavor combos.

The first one I tried was mint. As the fudge was cooling, I sprinkled Andes mint chips over the top.

Then topped it with Christmas sprinkles.
 

I spiced it up the next batch with cinnamon and cayenne pepper

and topped it with hazelnuts.

Then the lil angel woke up and joined me. I got distracted and stopped making fudge.

 But then daddy came home and swooped her up. This is how they roll.

That gave me enough time to try one more flavor, orange! I zested a couple of oranges into the melting chocolate and added some almond extract

and topped it with more zest.

If the chocolate seizes up when you add the milk or the extract, you can add in a cap full of vegetable oil and keep stirring over medium heat until it smooths out.

And there you have it, simple, elegant and delicious!

I think the orange is my favorite but the cinnamon/cayenne is SO good too and Mr. B loves the mint. Now, please excuse me while I stuff my face with fudge wrap presents!

Merry Christmas!!!

XOXO,

Mrs. B