Tuesday, September 1, 2009

your baby...

Your mama is so fat, she sat on a rainbow, and Skittles popped out.

That's the only Your Mama joke I can ever remember.

What's your point, Patrice?

No, I don't think your mama is fat. I don't even know your mama.

I'm just thinking of starting my own line of Your Baby jokes based on my own experiences.

Joke #1
Your baby is so difficult, he can't even sleep through a nap.

And it's true, folks!!! He can't even Sleep. Through. A. Nap.

Jonah usually gets up between 7 and 9, is up for about an hour, eats, takes a short morning nap, and then we do dressing change. We usually finish up with dressing change around 1:30. A couple weeks ago he was in a great schedule. He would usually sleep from 2:30 to about 5:30, and we were getting him in bed around 9. Now, I'm lucky if he sleeps 45 minutes. Then he wakes up ill as a hornet, proceeds to fuss for the next one to two hours, and then goes back to sleep for maybe another hour (but wakes up every time I try to lay him down). It's pretty frustrating, because I know he's tired and needs to sleep, but he just wakes up and can't get himself back down. We're having the same problem at night.

Part of me wants him to sleep through the night, but sometimes that's when he does his best eating, so I'm thankful for those middle of the night feedings.

The nap thing, though... Driving. Me. Nuts.
****************************************************

And for those of you who are wondering (which I'm sure you all are), Matt is happy with his Fantasy Team. It took him a while to wind down last night, because he was so excited. It was actually rather endearing (although I know the cuteness of it all will wear off come September 10th.)

And he's in two Fantasy football leagues. AND he does Fantasy baseball, basketball, and NASCAR. That's right, Fantasy Racing (NASCAR has the longest season ever). So it's year-round at our house too. I feel your pain. Football definitely seems to be the most involved though. At least I find football much more tolerable than any of the other sports. Ain't nothin' like a big ol' defensive dude running in an interception for a touchdown. Makes my day every time.

Anyway, it was fun to read your comments. Glad to know I'm not alone. Although there are times it really does get on my nerves, I think Jonah and he will have a good time playing together. Fantasy may be the only kind of sports Jonah ever plays, so I'm really thankful for it, to tell you the truth. But who knows? Jonah already blows our minds every day. I wouldn't be surprised if he excels at sports. I don't think we plan on holding him back (as long as it's relatively safe). I want him to LIVE.

Okay, well, I'm off to bed. I have no idea what this post is about. I'm too tired to come up with cohesive thoughts.

Speaking of random thoughts, I wanted to make twice baked potatoes tonight, but after I had already baked the potatoes and made the veggie/herb filling, I went to get milk and sour cream out of the fridge (to make the potato puree), and we had neither. I happened to be talking to Matt's sister on the phone at the time, and she suggested using Ranch dressing instead. Maybe that's obvious to everybody else, but I wouldn't have thought of it and found the suggestion ingenious. And they were super-tasty if I do say so myself. That Aunt Kim... she's a smart one.

Okay, for real, I'm going to bed now.

And make sure to tell your mom I meant no offense.

40 comments:

Brittany said...

I bet Jonah is growing and thats the reason for his sleep disturbances. Hang in there... this too shall pass ;-)

Lisa said...

Sounds like Jonah just likes to make sure he is not missinig out on anything...

I after years finally started playing fantsy NASCAR..Can't beat em join em..after a few years I have gotten very good at beating hub's in the weekly pints (GO ME) Now I get restless when its a weekend off for the races...

amanda said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Courtney said...

You're baby's so fat when you wash him it feels like your making biscuts!

michelle said...

any chance he could try for a nap earlier? maybe the late nap is making it harder for him to go to bed for you...just a thought =)

amanda said...

I love that you said Jonah might excel at sports and you don't want to hold him back. I think that is a fantastic, health attitude. My 19 month old son is a hemophiliac (a "bleeder") and my husband and I feel the same as you and Matt. In his 19 months of life thus far we have been stunned by how tough he is turning out to be and how God has protected him. Our approach is to let our son have as normal a life as possible.
Praying for you and Matt and of course Jonah!

Jenny in CA said...

Being impossible to put down and waking up after such a short time are signs a baby is overtired. (Unfortunately, disposition also comes into play. My oldest at 3.5 is still a terrible sleeper and has always fought naps, and my 1.5 has goes down relatively easily no matter how long or little he was awake). If someone tells you that your child will let you know when they need to sleep, don't believe them! Crazy as it sounds, 6 month olds really should not be awake more than 3-4 hours at a time. Try putting him down much sooner (if possible, depending on when the dressing change finishes).

(Are you still reading?) Just wanted to add that I'm loving your fantasy sports posts and will force my hubby to read that post.... once he returns from his draft tonight, that is.

Baby Bird said...

praying for a better sleep/nap schedule to come QUICKLY! HUGS! Aimee

Laura A said...

I'm with Brittany - either growing or teeth. Or he's just wanting to be in on all the action! It's all just a big guess, when you get down to it.

I'll pray for Jonah to have peaceful, RESTFUL naps, and that he'll settle back into his routine soon.

Hope you've had a good week so far!

Love from TX!
Laura

........ said...

I am so sorry about nap time. This too shall pass...hopefully soon...with your sanity in tact...maybe. I wish I had some answers for you, but alas this is really just a useless I-feel-for-you-good-luck-with-that kinda comment. I'll be praying. Oh, and I'll pass on the apology to my Mama.

Anonymous said...

Teeth or a growth spurt..that always ruined my kids' nap times. Also, I know you'd have to modify it, but "Sleeping Through the Night" by J.Mindell is the BEST sleep book ever. (I've read several) It's a modified cry it out method, where you stay in the room etc... it worked well with both our kids. Teaching your baby to put themselves to sleep is the best way to improve night time and nap time. Of course as with everything you'll have to "Jonah-fy" it to meet his needs!

Anonymous said...

I remember when my son used to sleep like that! He would take 30 minute naps until he was about 6 or 8 months old. I don't even remember because I as so tired. He didn't sleep through the night till he was about 15 months old. And when I say through the night I mean 5 hours or more...not the full 10 or 12. He is a 10 hour a night sleeper now and takes one nap of about 2 hours. I didn't think he was ever going to get the hang of the whole sleeping thing. Now that he is two I really miss him waking up in the middle of the night and going in there to feed him and snuggle and feel him fall asleep on me. I got to let him fall asleep on me the other night. He woke up crying about 4 AM. I got him out of the bed and held him till he fell asleep. It took me an hour or so before I was willing to lay him back down again. I didn't want that moment to end. As your baby grows you never know if that will be the last time you rock them to sleep, or the last time you give them a bottle or whatever the case may be....they grow up so fast! I know it sounds crazy but you too will miss him waking up in the middle of the night.....I was just too tired at the time to realize how much I loved it!
Sweet dreams, oh and great attitude about not holding him back as long as it is safe for him. That is how I am raising my son. He has hemophilia also. I am going to check out Amanda who says her son also has hemophilia. It too is a rare disease...not alot of other parents to share with. I have to think that there is a reason she and I both are on your blog with this in common. So thank you Patrice and thank you God!

Hugs and prayers!

Britt said...

Oh Patrice your last post was HILARIOUS! Mine plays some fantasy stuff and LOTS and LOTS of PS3 sports!! And about the nap situation...sorry girl. :( I can kinda understand. Izaak didn't take naps until he was 5 months old. And then when we went back to the states for a visit, he stopped sleeping through the night. So it's like newborn stuff all over again except that when he was a newborn, he started sleeping through the night at 4 weeks and this has been going on for like 2 months now! I just try to remember what my mom always says, "This too shall pass." We will be able to keep our house clean, keep up with the piles of laundry and dishes and sleep all the way through the night again...eventually. :)

*Mirage* said...

I was thinking maybe overtired too? My firstborn would not sleep for anything! And the less she slept the worse she slept. I found that if I had her awake only 2-3 hours at a time that she would nap for 1-2 hours each time. When she was 1 year old she would be awake for about 4 hours at a time. If I had her up any longer than that she would be so cranky she wouldn't go to sleep again.
My son is now 1 year old and he wakes up at 7 or 8am, naps from 11am to 1pm and from 3pm to 5pm, and then goes to bed for the night at 7:30pm. He gets hideously cranky if I don't let him have 5 hours worth of naps per day. Thankfully he's not like my daughter and skipping a nap won't make him too cranky to sleep.

I have Jonah on my prayer list on my wall along with my mom. I hope he starts sleeping better for you!

Corby and Lauren said...

My little girl is about 2 weeks younger than Jonah, and we've been dealing with the same nap issue. 40 minute naps are not good for anyone (especially a tired momma)! I'm hoping this is just an age phase... I really miss her 2-3 hour naps! I hope sleeping patterns return to normal for y'all soon!

Anonymous said...

you will find you will have these changes in your childs sleep. We have gone through it with both our kids. 6months is always a challenge...like everyone else said...they have so much going on...they are growing, teething, trying to learn and adjust to sleeping on there on in there own room...our pediatrician gave us some great advice and it REALLY IS TRUE... he said for children "no sleep begets no sleep" he said with adults if we become overly tired we mostly sleep better but not with kids...its the opposite...if you can get him back on track somehow you will see it will gradually change for the better and back into your routine, one nap and night at a time...Your an awesome mom...you will get through this stage too...we found 6-9 months and around 2 when you change to the big kid bed is like a PULL.YOUR.HAIR.OUT. event!
wendee

Anonymous said...

in the previous post I ment their instead of there...sorry...tired....

Anonymous said...

You are HILARIOUS. You have so missed your calling!! I see a book in your future--keep writing!!

Jill said...

Ya know what else is a great substitute for twice baked potatoes or even mashed that you probably wouldn't have thought of? French onion chip dip!! It's REALLY good! Try it some time on purpose! :)

On a more random note, I had a random dream about you the other day..we were sitting at a kitchen table chit chatting, and I remember thinking "this is sooo cool! I'm actually sitting here with PATRICE! And she's talking to lil ole me!" I thought that was funny. Because I feel like I know you but you have no idea who I am! :)

Kristen said...

I just wanted to encourage you that, even though I have no real idea what you are going through, my kids have had crazy nap schedules... When my now 2-year-old was little she completely gave up naps (like when she was 4-8 months old). She would get up at 6 and not go to bed until 11. It.was.psycho. Then, all of a sudden, she started napping again...and napping really well.

So, although Jonah's dis-napping could be being caused by a whole host of things I know nothing about, it could just be kind of "normal." (You know, whatever normal with any kid is.)

We always play soothing music for our kids when they sleep. Not sure what you think about it...but it's worth a try, if you want.

And, after writing a book...I also thought I'd tell you my momma says it's alright. She wasn't really offended after all.

The Scott Household said...

I wouldn't have thought of ranch dressing ,either. It IS ingenious!
We're making twice-baked potatoes tonight with chicken, corn and cheese and a salad (not mixed in with the potatoes and WITH ranch dressing!).

While my husband doesn't do Fantasy Sports, he does do World Of Warcraft...nothing like Fantasy but it is computer-animated and it does take up some time...It keeps him happy and somewhat out of trouble, although when he and his friend call each other (while they're playing) and ask if they should do this or use this spell..it's too funny!

libby @ ninesandquines said...

ranch dressing is my answer to everything when i don't have mayonnaise or miracle whip in the house (try it with chicken salad or tuna....oh yum!)

and fantasy sports? i am SOOOO lucky my husband isn't into those!

Mimmy said...

Patrice - I've been gone for a while and had to do some catching up. This post is wonderful. You need to write when you are tired more often. I'm also sending you an e-mail with a question about his sleeping frustrations. Just don't think it's appropriate for here.

Thanks a bunch for sharing with us and

God Bless,
Mimmy aka Aunt Joyce

Love you all to Heaven and back

The Alger Family said...

"Ain't nothin' like a big ol' defensive dude running in an interception for a touchdown."

Hee, hee. You crack me up, Patrice!

Jenny said...

Patrice -

As a mom of two girls that both had reflux and were puke machines, maybe he needs his meds increased. I don't know how much he has grown since they were dosed but it would not hurt to make sure he is in the right amount for weight. Don't worry this too shall pass. Once my girls got older they hardly ever puke and all ways make it to the bathroom! Good luck! God Bless!

Ellen said...

I too love the way you write! I can still remember all those years ago when my kids would wake up when I put them down for a nap. All my kids were terrible nappers and sleepers. My first daughter only ever slept for 45 minutes tops and most of the time I let her sleep in my arms while I sat on the couch watching tv or trying to catch a few winks while sitting up myself! I'll be praying Jonah gets in a better sleep pattern and taht he sleeps more!

Julie said...

The most universal truth about babies--as soon as you think they are in some sort of routine, they change it up on you!

Have you tried elevating his head when he sleeps? That might help some with the reflux. Also, I know of another mom who's baby had very bad reflux and they added a prescription thickening gel to her formula which really helped her.

Tricia said...

Your post made me smile today. I will pray that Jonah begins napping. I know how imporatant that time can be for a momma's sanity.

I don't really expect you to get to this with all you have going on, but I was taggead and when thinking of blogs I found "brilliant" yours came to mind. I hesitated to put your name in, because of all you have going on, but then I thought that it might increase people stopping by your blog (you know, the 12 visitors I have) so I went ahead and nominated you. I figured it would be a small way to help you help Jonah. God bless.

Heather said...

I wonder if Jonah could be teething? Whenever Jule is getting a tooth, he's a terrible sleeper, but after it's through, he gets back to sleeping more normally. I hope you & Jonah both get some GOOD sleep soon!

Amber Schmidt said...

I just thank the LORD my hubby has never gotten into Fantasy Football! If its not UK then he doesn't care! LOL I nearly hurt myself laughing at the "your mama" joke. The only thing that would have made it better would have been a youtube movie of you saying it all ghetto like! LOL

Mindy said...

Great baby joke!! I had one of those kids too. I looked back at his baby book the other day and said "No wonder I was clinically sleep deprived! He didn't sleep through the night (even as a toddler) & at the most he took a 30 minute nap during the day!" Sad thing is, he still doesn't sleep much... He's usually the first one up at the crack of dawn (or before if it's winter)...

Wanda Wilkinson said...

Jonah is 100% baby..just when you think you know what to expect for a routine he changes.

Keep praying & smiling

I have some medical supplies (gloves, little towels, some aquafor...need to know how to get them to you.

love & prayers & hopes for some sleep

Claire said...

I hear you on the football thing! Hope Jonah boy starts napping well again soon!

Cxx

ann said...

My youngest has finally started a decent afternoon nap. He is 16 years old. Kids are weird.

Jenny said...

I heard that Chick-fil-A is giving away chicken sandwiches sometime soon (this weekend maybe?) if you wear some team apparel. Hmm... it might make the fantasy football a little easier to swallow!!

Sarah Sharp said...

Lol at the "Your baby" joke! I feel ya on the fantasy thing. I had to work late last Wednesday and after an extremely long, hard day (and I'm recovering from a cold and pregnant), I called to let my husband know I should be home 7:45ish. I hear our toddler in the background and he says "You're killing me!" as in get home NOW because he was busy drafting and trying to watch Will. BTW I had no idea there was fantasy NASCAR. I sure hope my husband never finds out about that one.

Anonymous said...

hi patrice! long time lurker here. do you know what an amazing mama you are and such an inspiration to so many readers out here in blog-land? thank you for being so real and open about your high points and low points. i hope you realize how much we all admire your strength.

i'm wondering if the reflux is some long-term 'favor' God has presented you with, so after months of you saying "EB and This? i can handle the EB, but now This??" so that when jonah outgrows the reflux (which i don't know much about, but it sounds like from other posters that he will- and most likely sooner than later!), then you're left with EB. and your new mantra will be "just EB? i can totally handle this!"

you are an absolutely incredible mama and jonah is the luckiest boy. don't worry about the napping- he'll figure it out. you're doing a wonderful job!

Lorraine said...

I'm with you ... football is actually an enjoyable sport for me!

Sorry, no brillant advice to offer as I am not a wife or mom yet ... but I can pray for sleep for Jonah and you!

Misty said...

I've been following your blog but this is the first time ever posting. I have a 2.5 year old who when he was little, slept perfectly. Although he gave up naps at 18 months old, it was okay. But now I have a 5 month old and she is kicking my butt!!! I feel your pain about not sleeping and not taking naps. She too, has to be held to sleep and when I try putting her down immediately wakes up. I considered her spoiled but maybe it's something different. I don't know. She doesn't nap well at all (we are talking 45 minutes MAX for naps) and night time it's 1 or 2 before getting her to sleep and waking up again at 4, 6 then maybe 8 or 9. As everyone else said, I keep saying this too shall pass and believe it or not we are going to miss it! :) I'm praying for your family. You are such a strong christian woman that I admire alot.

Jackie said...

Your mama is so fat when she gets in the ocean, the whales sing "We are F A M I L Y!

This joke courtesy of my 10 year old son, who like me, checks on Jonah daily.