Sleep Bootcamp Progress Part 2...

So, Mateo has graduated to sleeping in his crib...the co-sleeper (which is really just a play&pack) has been repurposed for Love and Logic Timeouts. We've added a crib bumper so that when he looses control of his walking skills as he tires, he collapses to the mattress without incurring a goose-egg lump on his head. I have been really excited to get comments on the sleep boot camp approach--thanks to Sarah G, Kayleen, and Barb for sharing their thoughts. It's nice to get feedback from other mothers...it helps me feel a bit less crazy!

Mateo and I are off to Boise for Bookclub tomorrow and a visit to Tia Rachel, Tio John, and Primo Lukas and Nathan. Should be a good visit. Once we get back, we will be at the stage of sitting with him to help him go to sleep, but not staying in the room all night. Nice plus is that mom and dad will actually get to sleep in the same bed again. Uncle Josiah would be so proud!!

Ok, that's it for now...hugs from Oregon, Sarah

Sleep Bootcamp Progress...

Hi,

Just a quick report that Matt, the master sleep trainer, is making good progress at sleep bootcamp. We have moved the co-sleeper to Mateo's room and he is sleeping in it, with Matt sleeping next to him on a mattress on the floor. We are starting to develop a regular night time routine...that includes mom & Mateo time. Matt has been holding up like a trooper...and me, well, I have gloried in three consecutive nights of 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep. It's amazing how much more I like life with good sleep...it gives me hope of returning to a normal life at sometime.

Here's to small successes...and the large sweeping benefits. Keep the good thoughts coming our way...we can use it!!

Thanks, Sarah

More deck pictures

So we thought we'd post a couple more pictures of the deck...and the cute kid who loves the deck. You can see the view off the new deck and you can see where the new deck joins the current porch. That's a perfect line, with no edge. Papa did a good job coaching Matt--who implemented the recommendations perfectly. In fact, it looks so good, that I am toying with the idea of asking Matt to pull up the porch boards to replace them with the decking material. We'll see, I promised to cut him some slack for a bit.

Things are going ok here...Mateo is fighting upper respiratory infection #4, but mom and dad realize that hes going to live through it, so we are less fearful...instead just tired!! When he's sick, he prefers to be in bed with us, which means he's the only one getting any sleep.

Of course, there was a fair amount of moping earlier on in the week as Matt processed the fact that Peyton Manning is finally going to get a chance at the Superbowl win...after beating the Patriots. Of course, I was a long-time Adam Vinateri fan (former kicker and all time top scorer for the Patriots who now plays for the Colts). So, while I will route for the Bears to win to support my husband...I will have secret joy in my heart if Adam kicks the winning field goal to end the Superbowl. That will be devine justice to Bill Belichek for refusing to pay him what he's worth. Can you imagine that I would ever be able to talk about football??

Mateo's really focused on motor skills...he loves the shape sorter that Aunt Rachel gave him for his birthday. He can put all the shapes in by himself. And his favorite activity is projectiling himself over the back of the loveseat from the dining room level into the living room. He's got a pretty good method going and only gets himself high centered about 1 in 10 times.

Guess that's all for now. Hope things are good in your world. Have a good week. Hugs from Oregon, Sarah & boys

Photos tell a story...

So our life can be summed up by these pictures:

1) We have been spending lots of time in Mateo's room to make him like the room so he will consider sleeping in it. Thanks to Sarah's friend Amy McLaughlin who passed down the rocking horse from her son. Mateo loves it...and only needs a little bit of assistance to stay on it.

2) Mateo has found his mischevious side...thus the toilet paper that was still attached to the wall in the guest bathroom found its way into the kitchen...and the sun beamed down through the new windows in the kitchen to shine upon his face...

3) The deck is done...and looks most beautiful thanks to the hard work of my one and only (with some serious credit to my dad for the assistance with the framing of it)!! And then that cute kid of mine is modeling on the finished deck. We can't wait for you to all come see it in person...it makes a perfect place to hang out in the summer time.

Hugs...gotta run, Sarah

I wanna play with the big boys...

So Mateo has reached that fun age where he wants more than anything to be like the big boys...when we were home in North Idaho, we had a chance to get together with one of Sarah's friends Jenny (Pugh) Abell and her son Riley...who is just 17 months (about 4 months older but probably 3-5 pounds lighter than Mateo). They played so well together...and Jenny and Sarah were able to have flashbacks to toys from our childhood...anyone remember the Fisher Price Farm that amazingly still makes the animal noises? This one is made out of cardboard/pressboard...none of that fancy schmancy plastic that they make toys out of now...Mateo is lucky that Tia Rachel let us have the newer version of the farm for our house...he's big into the Fisher Price animal set now.

Crazy weather here today...we were supposed to go to the beach to see one of Sarah's work friends, who is Aunt Mimi to Mateo, but the snow has come...and because we live on a very steep hill, we decided it would be best to stay put. MamaNona reports that this must be the snow that is not falling in Connecticut. We assured her that God just wanted her to miss Connecticut a bit less.

Hugs from snowy Oregon, Sarah & boys