Partial Night Weaning

Let me start by saying I am not a fan of weaning babies from breast feeding. I think child led weaning is best. However, I haven't  had more than a few hours sleep since I was 28 weeks pregnant, and not more than 2 hours of sleep in a row since the Bean was about 5 months old. Mama is tired!

I am actually not weaning Bean or even completely night weaning, but I think I am going to go mental if I don't start getting more sleep. The plan is to partially night wean, in the hope that Bean will start sleeping longer, allowing the whole family to get a good nights rest. There was a period between four and five months where he went to sleep at 11 pm, slept until 3, nursed until 4, then slept until about 7 am. For whatever reason, around 5 months, he started waking every two hours. The last couple of months it has been every hour or hour and a half, which has led us to this point.

I am following a modified version of Dr. Jay Gordon's gentle night weaning. I have been seriously planning on making the change for about a month and have felt sick to my stomach every time I think about it. I have worked really hard to establish a bond of trust with my sweet baby that I want to last a lifetime. I have been worried about breaking that trust or causing him to feel abandoned by his mama. I want him to know that I am here for him anytime as long as I live. I can't imagine leaving him to cry alone in his crib, especially since he is used to sleeping with me. My hope is that he will realize mama is there to comfort him, just in a different way than he is used to. I have a feeling he is not going to be happy about it in the beginning!

I don't expect this to be a quick or easy process. I am going to document what happens for the next 10 - 14 days. Hopefully that post will find Family Karamesic well rested!

Our Son At 15 Months

Other than not sleeping more than two hours at a time, and often only one hour, this is such a fun age! On January 8, Bean took two steps. He stood up from his soccer ball chair and took two steps towards Tata. He likes to play "no hands," which is where he stands up, balances for several seconds then falls forwards or backwards purposely in between our hands. He has been bouncing from his bottom into an almost standing position. Walking up and down stairs while holding our hands is another favorite right now.

For quite a long time, I thought Bean made little noises when tired. Over the last few weeks I realized he is actually singing. I sing and hum a lullaby to him while getting him to sleep. He often "sings" along with me while he is nursing. His voice follows my rhythm and pitch. I hope I can get a recording.

Bean doesn't like to be worn in the carrier as often as he used to, which makes cooking a little more difficult than in the past. What used to take twice as long with a baby on my back has quadrupled with a baby hanging on my pants legs while we shuffle around the kitchen.

A large part of my day is spent with Bean in my arms, walking around while he points to everything in sight and says "this?" with the cutest little lisp. He wants to know what every object is. I think he is storing the information in that amazing brain and will start spitting out all those words soon.

Walking and talking seem to be just around the corner. We are looking forward to seeing what comes next. Oh, I almost forgot - he has six teeth, not including the evil molars that are making their way down. It feels like two molars on each side are coming through.

Goals for 2012

I don't make New Year's resolutions, but I do try to take stock of what is happening in my life and create goals that I want to accomplish for the year. Writing down a goal is the first step in making that goal a reality. Here is what I want to accomplish in 2012:

* Yoga 2x per week - at least once in a studio

*Saturday family fun day (occasionally Sunday fun day if Zjelo plays on Saturday) This means we go out as a family for a few hours, maybe for coffee or a hike, but no sitting on the couch and someone is going to spend less time playing video games!

*Sweet treat night 1x per week, Cut back on processed sugar. We will have one night a week (Friday) in which we can indulge. The night of the week is subject to change.

*Walk 3x per week minimum

*Attend Mass on a more regular basis (1x per month minimum)

*Read 1 book a month

*Go on at least 6 dates with my husband

*Find a way to have a clean house

*Continue to eat vegetarian, moving closer to a vegan diet

What are your goals for the coming year?