Sleep Who Needs It?

Sleep is a mysterious thing when it comes to kids. Prior to being a mom I wouldn't have given kids and their sleep habits a second thought.  With Gianna we were spoiled by her amazing sleep habits. She was sleeping 10 hrs a night by 3 weeks and eventually slept 12 to 13 hours a night. Sammy is a wonderful baby but he wakes up once or twice a night still. I know a lot of people would let him cry it out but I am just can't do it. He is also teething pretty badly and I think he wakes up in pain.  I am okay with him waking up because I know that soon he will sleep thru the night.

Gianna on the other hand is now 3 yrs old and is going through a super tough phase...She is no longer napping which is fine but the problem is that no matter what time she goes to bed she wakes up between 4:30 and 5:30 every morning.  If I get to her to nap (which is a huge accomplishment these days) she stays up until around 9ish and then is up at the crack of dawn. So we have abandoned naps all together and just do a stay in your room and read books rest time. The lack of sleep and early waking has put a huge strain on our relationship and made life pretty unpleasant. I am already getting up with Sammy 1 or 2x a night so when I have G at my bedside at 4:30am it is not fun.  This has been going on for 3 weeks and I am really wiped out. Not to mention the fact that I miss my sweet girl and I am sure she misses her nice mom.   I know I am crabby when I don't get enough sleep and so is she. Every day that hubby works and I am on my own I feel like I have accomplished such a huge feet by making it to bed time.

Bedtime has also become a big drama.  Each night she comes out of her room and asks me about 10 different questions.  After trying so many different strategies I think the one that is really working is the super nanny tactic of no conversation just putting her back to bed.  Tonight will be the first true test because she took a nap at preschool and will have renewed energy (ahhhhhh!!!). There have been plenty of nights though where she has pushed me over the edge and I have not been proud of the way I have handled things. I guess G is getting to see how human mom really is and that I make many bad decisions also. I make her apologize when she does something wrong and I do the same when I mess up.

So lately I have been getting her to sleep around 5:15pm...I know that sounds early but she is not napping and wakes up super early. I am praying that this will let up soon and even wonder if any of it has a spiritual element to it. Man can Satan mess with your family by ruining sleep. I keep saying this too shall pass I am just wondering if it could come soon.

Gigi the breadmaker

Each Monday Gigi and Frank go to see Nonno Sam at the deli and Gigi helps him make bread.  She always says she has to go to work.  

Nonno even pays her $2 per week:)

Sammy got to come and see his sister in action

Sammy got his first taste of one of Nonno Sams buns 

Great teether

August

Sammy tried out some oatmeal but was not a huge fan.  I tried is again a couple days later and thought it was all going down the hatch only to later find it all over his back.  I guess it had slipped right down his chubby cheeks, around his neck and down his back. I am going to wait a bit and then start off with some avocado instead. 

Sammy recently figured out that he can grab both of his feet 

Here are some random scrunchy face pics of Gigi 

 We went to the San Diego Children's Museum and had a great time. Sammy took all his naps on the go.

Gigi loved the jumpy tunnel

We attempted to get a picture together:)

First Haircut

Gigi got her first haircut last week.  It wasn't too much of an event because it was only about an inch off the bottom. 

 She liked sitting in the little train while Sarah trimmed her hair. 

When it was all done we left with it wet because Gigi was a bit tired and did not want anything else done to it. So there is not really anything to show and we forgot to take a final picture. I know what were we thinking!!!!  The end result is that it looks a bit healthier and it has a tiny bit of shape. 

4th of July Fun

Our Neighborhood has a big 4th of July Luau.  They start the day off with the kids doing a little parade.  Gigi rode with her friends Avery and Kelsey in their wagon.

They also had rides on an old fashion firetruck

Pony Rides

Hula Hoop Contests

Sammy tried to sleep but it was really hot - thankfully this all takes place on our street so he and I  strolled home a couple of times. 

Gigi got a beach ball from the hula hoop contest and our neighbor dave blew it up for her. A fun time was had by all! 

Sammy's Birth Story

Salvatore Edward Feliccia

04-15-11

12:40 A.M.

7 lbs 7oz

20"

Sammy's entry into this world was both what I wanted and prepared for and what I feared most.  On April 12th I told my boss I needed to stop working and start my maternity leave.  I was feeling very crampy, tired and uncomfortable. On April 13th I started to loose my mucus plug and was feeling off and on cramping. That night I was able to sleep which made me unsure of if I was moving towards labor or not. The morning of April 14th Gianna and I met my mom, sister and nephews at the library to do a craft. It took me quite a while to get there because I had moved from feeling crampy to actually having regular surges.  Because of my hypnobirthing classes I knew the best thing I could do was to  remain relaxed. After the library we went to the park and things once again began to intensify.  I finally left to go home and be with Frank while Gianna went to my mom's for a nap.


While at home I continued to have surges but was unsure if I was in labor or if this would go on for a couple of days.  Hubby kept on asking me if he should go to work or not. It was so stressful trying to figure out if this was it or not.  That night G went to bed around 8:00 and I got into the tub shortly after.  The tub was super relaxing and helped me stay calm through each of the surges.  I talked to my sister around 9:45 and she was heading off to bed and told me to call her if anything changed.  I then called my friend Chelsea and while we were talking I suddenly moved to a new level. I couldn't talk any longer and had to go so I could focus. Frank had been gone to his parents and came home about 10 minutes later.  I told him things were progressing and he suggested I get into bed and he would read me a hypnobirthing script. I got into bed and immediately jumped out because the pain was too intense.  The only place I could deal with the surges was sitting on the toilet.  I began to sweat and shake and at that point I told Hubby that I needed to get to the hospital.  He called his parents and his dad rushed over to our house to stay with G while she slept.


Hubby frantically drove me to the hospital and about 3 minutes before we got there my water broke. Did I mention we were driving our brand new van:) I could barely walk into the hospital and at one point fell to my knee's.  Water was dripping down my legs, I was pale, sweating and in a ton of pain.  We were taken to a delivery room where they checked me and to my shock we found out I was dilated 10 cm.  My first thought or actually the first thing I said was, "you mean I can't get an epidural?" I was completely panicked and could not believe I was going to deliver this baby without any pain medication.


Thankfully my Douala Jenna Anderson showed up shortly after and was able to reassure me that I could do this.  Then my OB showed up and the pushing began.  I pushed somewhere from 6-10 times and finally out came my Sammy.  I yelled through each of the pushes.  Sammy was put directly on my tummy and after his umbilical cord stopped pulsating Hubby got to cut it.  I got to hold my Sammy for 2 hours without anyone trying to take him away. It was such a sweet time of bonding with him.


My mom, sister, mother-in-law and sister-in-law all showed up minutes after he came out.  Initially I felt like everything had gone completely opposite of what I had planned on.  I really wanted to have a pain free birth and that was all I could think about.  But in hindsight I can see that everything went according to what I had prepared myself for. I was able to labor at home and was relaxed through all of my surges. I used my birth breathing and did not panic as my labor intensified.  I got to deliver my Sammy with out any medication, and he came out peaceful and alert.  I am thankful for my experience of birthing naturally and being surprised by the gender. 


Sammy is a sweetie and I can't wait to see his own unique personality develop.  Hubby was so very happy we had a boy especially since this is most likely our last. I am sure having more than 2 kids would be great but I cannot imagine going through pregnancy again. This has been the most stressful and trying season for our family and our marriage.  I am so thankful to not be pregnant any longer!


Now my task is to survive the first couple months of sleepless nights and having two kids.  Gigi loves Sammy but has been acting out because of all the change. I can see things slowly improving and I will be so happy when we get into a new routine. 

30 days...but who's counting

Today is April 3rd and my due date is May 3rd! I am so happy to be in the final days of this pregnancy.  I know I am the lamest blogger ever but hey the past couple of months have been rough.  There are some really cool things that have happened though.  About a month ago we took the plunge and got rid of the binkies. Gianna is 2.5 and we knew we needed to get rid of them before the baby arrived.  It was a tough couple of weeks but I am so happy we did it and this week are finally back in our routine. She is napping again, falling asleep quickly and never asks for binkies.  

Then 7 days ago we started potty training. It has gone better than I could have imagined. We have only had about 2 accidents.  I know staying dry at night will take time but I am just excited to be moving on from diapers.  I took the advice of a friend and when she would pee or poop we didn't make it a big deal. I just told her, "Thank you so much for going poop in the potty momma loves that I don't have to change your poopy diapers."

We also got a minivan in February. It is so nice to have a car that can fit both of our kids. 

 Here are some pictures that my sister took over the past couple of months. 

I have not taken pictures or written any notes down about Gigi since January.  This baby has been putting me through the ringer. 

 Gigi and cousin Zachary at the library with their masks

 31 weeks...my sister loves this picture but I think it is pretty silly

 35 weeks, trying to look as happy as possible

I am very excited to deliver this baby and look forward to having a gentle, natural, easy birth. We took 5 weeks of hypnobirthing classes which were amazing.  I thought it was going to be really weird but turns out it is simply training yourself to go into a state of deep relaxation.  If you want to see what I am talking about you can watch the following video on youtube. WARNING: it shows boobs and stuff. 

http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=oYgL0ZlHaUo 

Although this has been a tough 9 months, God has given me an amazing support system. My family has taken care of me in ways I could not have imagined. I will post again after our little baby arrives.  Can't wait to finally meet the little person who has been growing inside of me.