These last few weeks have been interesting as I try to find the right balance between writing about my newborn, writing about my toddler and writing about everything else. (To say nothing of how that plays out in real life…)
At the moment, Harlow seems to be the one giving me the most material. Although Mazzy, who refuses to be ignored, will turn three this Sunday so I'm sure she will make her presence known.
If you missed anything and you care (admittedly a small subset), here is a quick rundown of Harlow's life thus far:
• The meaning behind Harlow's name (no, she's not named after Nicole Richie's first kid)
• The Day Harlow was Born: Part One (in which Mike once again prioritizes coffee over taking his laboring wife to the hospital)
• The Day Harlow was Born: Part Two (in which I ask every person within arm's reach to massage my ass)
• The Eight Stages of Sibling Acceptance (Mazzy gives Harlow a kiss and then gives everyone else the finger)
and lastly…
• Newborns are a Piece of Cake (I kick Mazzy and Mike out of the house and spend my time watching Homeland while breastfeeding in elastic pants)
In addition to blogging on Mommy Shorts, I also blog at Babble. For the past few months, I have been writing for their Being Pregnant section but as of this week, I switched to Baby's First Year. For obvious reasons, I hope.
Check out my first post introducing my baby girl, including new pics from Harlow's first day on earth.
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Is the Bedtime Saga Over?
Last week I wrote a post called Breaking a Bad Bedtime Routine, where I explained how I have somehow let Queen Mazzy rule the house after 8pm.
Well, it's now been a full week of SLEEP TRAINING 2.0 and I believe, we have finally ended her reign.
Mazzy doesn't go to bed without making a fuss yet, but she does stop screaming for us to come into the room after one or two unanswered attempts. Considering what we were doing before (constant check-ins, water refills, book replenishings, etc.), I think that's a success. If we stick to it, I imagine it will only improve.
Also, due to your suggestions, we are working on phasing out her nap.
We took it away this week which definitely helps her go to bed quicker, but the past two days, she has passed out hardcore at 2pm. Once in the stroller and once on the couch— something I have never seen her do before…
So, it's a work in progress.
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Who Won the Sticky Chic Giveaway?
Last week, I held a giveaway for an ingenious custom-made static vinyl play tray by Sticky Chic Boutique.
The winner is… Sara! Her daughter Lia would like her play tray clothes to include jammies, her signature pink sneakers, and a leopard print jacket.
Congratulations! Please email me at ilana@mommyshorts.com to claim your prize.
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Repurposing Birthdays Presents
If you are still looking for holiday gifts, you might want to check out my Holiday Gift Guide, which includes the four items in the picture above.
But if you celebrate Hanukah like I do, I sincerely hope you've got your presents wrapped and ready. It starts Saturday!
Or, if your child's birthday is this weekend, like Mazzy's, this gives you the perfect opportunity to repurpose some of their gifts. How much crap does a three-year-old need anyway???
I say— do this shit when they are too young to know the difference.
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Speaking of Birthdays…
If you are still trying to figure out a belated birthday present for me (my birthday came and went totally unnoticed on November 24th), why don't you join my facebook page? Better yet, tell a friend to join my facebook page. Or tell two!
I've currently got a little over 9000 fans and reaching 10,000 would be, like the best gift ever.
Well, an all expenses paid trip to Anguilla with a free week of babysitting would be the best gift ever, but I'll settle for the facebook fan thing.
Have a great weekend!
— Mommy Shorts
Glad the sleep training stuff is working out well! I didn’t realize she was still taking 2 naps? Wow. Baby Harlow is such a sweetie. Loving your Instagram pics too! 🙂
No, she’s only taking one nap in the afternoon that we are trying to eliminate. I’m not crazy!
I am so impressed with how well your sleep training of Mazzy is working! Woo-hoo for you and Mike! And by the time Harlow needs the sleep training, you guys will be old pros. So awesome! 🙂
I vote yes on the gift repurposing. When my kids were that age, we only got them a couple of Hanukkah presents ourselves, because they got so many from relatives. Because who’s going to pick up that crap when it’s scattered on the floor?
omg 9000 fans? You’re like Justin Bieber!
When we were phasing out my son’s naps (for the same reason – he was claiming “not tired” at bedtime and not falling asleep until 9pm), I found that for a little while he was grabbing his own nap every other day, then a couple of times a week, etc. Now, he does pretty well without it but I find a short car-nap is perfect for getting him through the rest of the day and still getting down easy at night!
Umm, pry that afternoon nap from my cold, dead hands. We are lucky that ours (mostly) likes going to bed at the appointed time… that afternoon nap is the only way I can stay sane during the day. I mean, how else is a woman supposed to waste an hour on Facebook?? Glad your method is working!
My Chanukkah presents are not wrapped, but I finally hung the eight-foot “HAPPY CHANUKAH” (their spelling) paper banner my mother sent us. Two points!
Mark took the reins and guided sleep training for Lucas the second time when this started going down. The exact same thing. Although we just aren’t able to phase out the nap yet. I wish I could because I still hear him singing in his bed, and he wanders out to use the bathroom sometimes at like 10PM – but the face plant is inevitable if it happens. And better at 1 or 2PM than 4PM which is THE WORST.
not so sure the giving up nap thing will work. my son is 3.5 and still takes naps at school, not on the weekends (unless we really do some crazy stuff in the morning to wear him out). so i don’t think pushing that unless she really wants to stay awake in the afternoon will do any good. each child is different! i have a friend who’s girl didn’t want to take naps and subsequently they have to have dinner at 5 so she can be put down for the night at 630!
Glad the sleep training is going well! Giving up the nap?! WOW! Brave! Well, whatever helps her night time be smoother!!
It’s my first official Hanukkah, and I don’t have kids but I refuse to wrap hubby’s gifts. I’m going to hide them under the menorah he didn’t know we had and see if he notices…
Please rethink taking away that nap!!! Not just for your own sanity, but for Mazzy’s sake. When my first was 11 months old, I was having major bedtime issues that usually ended in tears(me) and vomit(him). The book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child (something like that) saved us both. To be honest, I didn’t even read it all until child #2, but the info on sleep cycles, ages of progression, and how much sleep a baby/child needs was excellent. The side effects of too little sleep are something I have seen firsthand, working in the public schools. I am realistically waiting for the other shoe to drop, but I currently have a 1,3, and 5 year old who are all great sleepers and more importantly, naptimes and bedtimes are non-issues.
As for regifting, I am all for it. I am literally wrapping up old toys from my boys to give my daughter for Christmas. Why buy more when we have plenty?
Glad the sleep situation is improving! Nothing says happy like a well rested Mommy. I mean kids. It is all about the kids right? ( I mean Mommy!) 😉 Anyway, yes impromptu naps can occur for quite awhile – but I personally found if they did occur, they were shorter in length. So if a nap happened then I would just delay bedtime by half-hour or so, which was a good enough balance to not lead to same drawnout process as before. And also became handy predictor of child health (as unless she had a rough night from nightmares or happened to go to bed extra late night before, her taking a nap now is a pretty good predictor of brewing illness or growth spurt …).
Regifting /repurposing = genius. Was wrapping presents last night – expensive shit for 9 year old, dollar store crap for 3 year old. As both are girls, we already have ” young kid” stockpile, and little ones don’t get cheap vs expensive, so long as they have an equal number to open then happiness shall prevail …