Back in November, I was dreading the long winter stuck in a tiny house with two kids. I am very thankful to say....it is almost March! This week it is cold, but rumor has it this is probably the last really cold spell of the winter. Next week should be close to 0 C, and it will be just get better from then on out. I realized the other night that my perspective of what is cold may have gotten skewed the last few years of living in Canada... I was running around the Center we live at doing some errands, in a t-shirt and zip up sweatshirt because it was 'so warm'--except then I saw a thermometer and it was about -15 C, ( 0 F). Ok, not so warm after all...
All that to say, the winter has gone much faster than I anticipated. I can scarcely believe that Ezra is almost 5 months old! I really feel like he is not that old, and I know I treat him as such. In a couple weeks we will be starting solids, which seems crazy to me. He is also called the drool king around here, and like to chew on both hands...at the same time, if he can manage it. I see two little nubs of teeth so close to poking through his bottom gums! Isaiah got his first tooth at 5 1/2 month, and I think Ezra will be on that same track.
We also took Ezra to a microbiologist for a blood analysis to see if she could give some insight into his eczema and digestive issues. It was pretty fascinating all that she can see from a couple little drops of blood. Ezra totally wooed her, grinning and giggling at her the entire time we were there, even when she poked his finger and took the blood sample. I was cringing, but he certainly didn't seem to even notice! Anyway, she was very helpful, and I feel like we are on a good track for Ezra now.
Part of what she found was his sensitivities to dairy/lactose products, chocolate, and peanut products. As a nursing mommy, that means 'bye-bye' all things delicious. I am still not eating gluten for Ezra as well (ok, I sneak bites here and there, but it is pretty minimal), so saying good-bye to my beloved dairy was pretty sad. And let me tell you, the cravings for something cheesy and creamy have been even stronger than when I was pregnant! I have told Andrew that when this is all over, whenever that may be, I am making myself a HUGE grilled, gourmet cheese sandwich. And it is going to be AWESOME. :)
As for Isaiah, our big thing this month has been screaming. At night. In his crib. In a very angry, tantrum kind of way. We went through a couple tortuous night where he was up for 3-4 hours, crying/screaming, unless we were right next to his crib, in which case he was perfectly calm and happy. This has led to the introduction of Isaiah's "No Screaming Chart". We have been giving him some 'sleep rules', one of which is, "We do not scream in our crib." Every morning that he gets up and hasn't screamed in the night, he gets a sticker. It has helped sooo much! He seems to totally know what he is doing too, so if he ask him in the morning, "did you scream?" he will correctly say yes or no. He has 8 days worth of stickers out of about 11 nights, and the days he did "scream" it wasn't much, more like loud crying.
Fast forward to today...
This chart has revolutionized sleep as we know it. :) There is no more screaming in our house! He has stopped waking up in the night almost completely, and when he does it it usually to giggle or talk to himself for a few minutes. I have no idea what was going on for those long weeks, but we are so glad it is over!
Ezra is also finally improving in his night sleep again. Much fewer wakings all around, which leads to happier more rested parents and children. Wahoo! I did have to laugh though, because from what I remember, Isaiah was sleeping 8-10 hours a night, every night, by the time he was 3-4 months. Well, I found my logs from months 3-5..... boy, was I wrong! As I read through page after page of these detailed logs I was keeping out desperation, I still don't remember it myself, but it is recorded there on those pages, that Isaiah was up just as much, if not more, than Ezra has been these last several weeks. I guess there are some things the mind knows it is better to not remember....
Anyway, we are greatly looking forward to going outside without needed to be bundled up from head to toe all the time, and Ezra is going to be a great age this summer to be outside with us. I am so thankful for God's sustaining power that I have seen and felt through this winter, and for the fun that Isaiah, Ezra, and I have had in our teeny little house day after day.
And here's just a little bit of sunshine and smiles until next time.
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| Ezra looking pensive |
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| St. Patrick's day fun! |
