All right, I was just emailing my sister-in-law and have decided it's time for a parenting confession:
I am a sleep nazi.
No, not in the "Baby Wise" philosophy that subscribes to exact nap times and leaving baby in the crib (crying or not) for whole assigned nap time.
However, I have fully bought into the "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" research that connects poor sleep habits to behavior/attention and health problems later in life. As a consequence, Owen doesn't miss naps. In fact, I realized that since we established a nap routine around 3-4 months of age, Owen has NEVER MISSED A NAP. Occasionally, a nap takes place in the car or in the backpack carrier (where he sleeps remarkably well). Occasionally the naps are short. BUT, we have NEVER SKIPPED A NAP. What would happen?
In addition, we have never kept him up late for some sort of special event.
This comes to light because we got tickets to go see the Huskies play in Eugene over Labor Day Weekend. We've been totally excited to take Owen to his first Husky game. Then... we just found out the game isn't until 7 PM. The thought of keeping him up 3-4 hours past his normal bed time totally freaks me out. What am I so worried about? It's only one day.
See - sleep nazi! Repeat to self: It's only one day, it's only one day, it's only one day...
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Know anyone that wants to buy a truck? Scott posted his truck on Craigslist to see if anyone will show some interest. Not a lot of truck buyers these days, but we are in Central Oregon, so there's a chance. Scott spent Saturday afternoon getting the cleaned up for pictures, and Owen got to "help" pull in in and out of the garage. It's no secret that this boy loves anything with wheels - I wish I had the camera when he was steering on Scott's lap!
Our Days
I'm going to a work conference at the end of the week, so Owen and I played hooky today and enjoyed a rare Monday away from work and "school." Granted, everyone at work and daycare knew we weren't coming in, and I did a couple hours of work during Owen's naps, but it still felt like a special treat. I found myself paying closer attention and savoring my time with this growing kiddo. He's so fun!
Our typical days involve three "activity times" - early morning, midday, and after nap. The morning goes fast, and sometimes the afternoon seems to drag (especially if Owen doesn't nap well), but today we did a lot of laughing and had plenty of reasons to get out of the house. This is what Owen's days are like at 1 year old...
Up at 6:30ish 6:30-9:00: Get ready for the day, eat breakfast, quiet play time around the house Today Owen got up pretty early, so we took the dog for a long walk along the canal. Great to get outside and move (for mom!) and good low-key time for Owen in the stroller.
9:00-10:30: First Nap
10:30-1:00: Midday - Run errands or wreck havoc around the house while mom's trying to work, lunchtime, at home play or water play on the deck. Today we went to the grocery store (Owen loves riding in the cart), and Owen had a blast after lunch playing with legos, climbing - around boxes, up and down stairs, over and under his toys - and pushing his Tonka truck around and around and around.
1:00-2:30 or 3:00: Second nap. Hooray - he slept well today!
3:00-5:30: Afternoon - This can be our most challenging time if I don't have a plan. Toys at home get boring by the end of the day, so we HAVE to get out of the house or risk a lot of "no" as Owen starts gravitating to the off-limits areas (dog dish, cat litter box, and garbage cans). We've been visiting parks around Bend, going to the pool, or going to Shannon's for playgroup. Today we ran errands and then hit a new park. Right as we drove up, it started raining - thunderstorm - but I figured, "Why not? This kid has Seattle genes in his body somewhere." We spent an hour playing in the rain, laughing on the swings, toddling around the different surfaces, and trying to climb UP a wet slide. Silly and oh so fun. I love that having a kid lets me be a kid too.
Last week at playgroup, we did finger painting, and then let the kids toddle around the park. Shannon had the inflatable tunnel out, and I managed to get my camera at just the right time:
5:30 or 6:00: Dinner Then it's play at home (hopefully with Dad) until 6:30 when we do story, bath, bottle, bed. Owen's usually in bed around 7:00.
I think Owen sleeps well because he is in constant motion when he's awake. Between naps and meals, the play time isn't long, but he makes the most of it and can run himself ragged in 45 minutes.
Our typical days involve three "activity times" - early morning, midday, and after nap. The morning goes fast, and sometimes the afternoon seems to drag (especially if Owen doesn't nap well), but today we did a lot of laughing and had plenty of reasons to get out of the house. This is what Owen's days are like at 1 year old...
Up at 6:30ish 6:30-9:00: Get ready for the day, eat breakfast, quiet play time around the house Today Owen got up pretty early, so we took the dog for a long walk along the canal. Great to get outside and move (for mom!) and good low-key time for Owen in the stroller.
9:00-10:30: First Nap
10:30-1:00: Midday - Run errands or wreck havoc around the house while mom's trying to work, lunchtime, at home play or water play on the deck. Today we went to the grocery store (Owen loves riding in the cart), and Owen had a blast after lunch playing with legos, climbing - around boxes, up and down stairs, over and under his toys - and pushing his Tonka truck around and around and around.
1:00-2:30 or 3:00: Second nap. Hooray - he slept well today!
3:00-5:30: Afternoon - This can be our most challenging time if I don't have a plan. Toys at home get boring by the end of the day, so we HAVE to get out of the house or risk a lot of "no" as Owen starts gravitating to the off-limits areas (dog dish, cat litter box, and garbage cans). We've been visiting parks around Bend, going to the pool, or going to Shannon's for playgroup. Today we ran errands and then hit a new park. Right as we drove up, it started raining - thunderstorm - but I figured, "Why not? This kid has Seattle genes in his body somewhere." We spent an hour playing in the rain, laughing on the swings, toddling around the different surfaces, and trying to climb UP a wet slide. Silly and oh so fun. I love that having a kid lets me be a kid too.
Last week at playgroup, we did finger painting, and then let the kids toddle around the park. Shannon had the inflatable tunnel out, and I managed to get my camera at just the right time:
5:30 or 6:00: Dinner Then it's play at home (hopefully with Dad) until 6:30 when we do story, bath, bottle, bed. Owen's usually in bed around 7:00.I think Owen sleeps well because he is in constant motion when he's awake. Between naps and meals, the play time isn't long, but he makes the most of it and can run himself ragged in 45 minutes.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Catching Up - 4th of July
FOUR new posts today. I got a little behind recovering from that stomach flu and then enjoying a busy 4th of July weekend with family celebrating Owen's first birthday. Be sure to check out all the pictures is the posts below.
We had all the family here for 4th of July weekend. Ryan and Sara brought baby Calla who has grown so much since we saw her at Memorial Day. She's pulled out of her collicky period, but Sara is still doing some diet experiments to help her upset tummy. I guess reflux runs in our family. Sorry baby Calla! Sara and Calla did get the sling figured out over the weekend and we got to see some of Calla's beautiful personality - smiling, squealing, and kicking around - especially first thing in the morning.
On the 4th of July, we went to the Pet Parade downtown. You have never seen so many dogs all in one place - Owen was in his own personal heaven! I love the parade, anyone can be in it. Just bring your pet or stuffed animal. You can tell the kids (and some adults) love being the center of attention. The parade even had a frog named Sam, a handful of ponies, and two cows!
Through it all, I kept remembering how last year we were at the pet parade in the blazing heat - no idea that we would be welcoming Owen into the world the very next day. After the parade this year, we stopped briefly at the 4th of July festival and Owen got his first tattoo - patriotic to the core, that kid. =)
Other things: Jeff made a great batch of Paella on Thursday evening. Jeff and Ethel finally checked out Alpenglow - our favorite breakfast place. The boys all went golfing EARLY Saturday morning while Sara, Ethel, and I made enough cupcakes to feed an army.
What a weekend!
We had all the family here for 4th of July weekend. Ryan and Sara brought baby Calla who has grown so much since we saw her at Memorial Day. She's pulled out of her collicky period, but Sara is still doing some diet experiments to help her upset tummy. I guess reflux runs in our family. Sorry baby Calla! Sara and Calla did get the sling figured out over the weekend and we got to see some of Calla's beautiful personality - smiling, squealing, and kicking around - especially first thing in the morning.
On the 4th of July, we went to the Pet Parade downtown. You have never seen so many dogs all in one place - Owen was in his own personal heaven! I love the parade, anyone can be in it. Just bring your pet or stuffed animal. You can tell the kids (and some adults) love being the center of attention. The parade even had a frog named Sam, a handful of ponies, and two cows!
Through it all, I kept remembering how last year we were at the pet parade in the blazing heat - no idea that we would be welcoming Owen into the world the very next day. After the parade this year, we stopped briefly at the 4th of July festival and Owen got his first tattoo - patriotic to the core, that kid. =)
Other things: Jeff made a great batch of Paella on Thursday evening. Jeff and Ethel finally checked out Alpenglow - our favorite breakfast place. The boys all went golfing EARLY Saturday morning while Sara, Ethel, and I made enough cupcakes to feed an army.
What a weekend!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)