Sleeping, Creeping, and Preparing for Baby :: T Minus 7 Weeks (More or Less)

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It’s the final stretch as my family prepares for a new arrival. We’ve checked a few more things off the list and have some fun stories to tell from it all.

Scroll down for the full list, but first… our adventures with wakeful, sleeping toddlers!

Getting Two Little Boys to Sleep in the Same Room

Snuggled In…is not easy! My boys are 2 and 1 and have had their own room up until about a week ago. Last time I wrote about setting them up in a room together. After my eldest son acclimated for about a week to his new twin bed sporting rad Lightening McQueen and Mater sheets, it was finally time to take the leap and have his little brother join him and stay past story-time (which was previously our cue to take my little one to his corner room and private crib).

Night one, we survived. Piece of cake.

My 1Y.O. protested a bit when he realized that he was not going to go “ou! ou!” the “doe! doe!” (translation = out, out, the door, door) in the direction of his tiny little pointer finger and clasped fist. Two lullabies, a few hugs and kisses, and another tuck in later, he was settling in for his first night sharing sleeping quarters with his big brother, who patiently stayed in his own bed.

Benicio in the cribNight two, the kids were so exhausted from playing in our kiddie pool that they were both passed out and in bed by 6:30PM and 7:30PM, as opposed to at or just before 9:00PM. The fun began at 3:00AM when the tip-toeing, door-closing, and whispering of one would wake the other. The next hour and a half felt like an eternity.

Mommy falls asleep for a few minutes.
Tap on the forehead.
“Mommy, I’m cold.”
Mommy puts toddler to bed.
Mommy falls asleep for a few minutes.
Cries ring through the monitor.
Younger brother is standing in his crib.
Mommy pats him down and soothes with a short lullabye.

Repeat three or four times.

benicio bag man
This guy can now climb out of his crib with ease. THIS guy.

Night three was most exciting. At bedtime, my one-year-old learned that it was actually REALLY EASY for him to hurl his body over the crib wall, lower himself while still holding on the said crib, and let go while on his tippie toes, landing on his feet. FREEDOM! Then it was fun to RUN out into the hall, laughing, with big brother trailing behind, only to meet mommy in the hallway who had a preview on the baby monitor and was rushing in to corral her boys back to bed.

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

The kids thought it was hilarious, but mommy was not amused. The crib escape likely puts any parent off edge worrying about their child getting hurt from a fall, wandering around the house unsupervised in the middle of the night, unable to be contained during sleeping hours. When 6:00AM rolled around, our trained parent ears heard noises unlike our eldest’s morning shuffle. It was the one-year-old running up and down the hallway, ready to start OUR day.

Nights four, five, six… have continued to be an adjustment for all of us, but a routine and rhythm is emerging. I feel reassured that my boys really love each other and are happy to be sleeping buddies across the carpet in their own secure space. Bedtime is just as crazy as always, but it still holds its place as bonding time, story time, more story time, and a cue for oncoming sleep.

Did I Mention that I’m Pregnant?

33 weeks7 Weeks and Counting (Down)

I’ve been working on this list, a helpful tool that brings focus to a mom and dad of a one- and two-year-old awaiting the arrival of our third child.

Here’s the basic plan with a few items checked off and a few additions.

Step 1: Sort all clothes. Group by sizes. Store anything too small for boy 1 and boy 2 (ages 2.5 and 1, respectively).

Step 2: Introduce co-sleeping to my sons. Time to start sharing a room, boys. (They play mainly in one anyway!)

Step 2B: Get the kids to sleep in the same room, and actually sleep.

Step 2C: Potty train our firstborn (stay tuned, peepeepoopoo adventures in the next installment!).

Step 3: Prepare the soon-to-be vacant bedroom to be the nursery.

Step 4: Figure out how to safely fit three car seats in my vehicle.

Step 5: Clean and sanitize baby things – clothes, breast pump, crib, etc.

Step 6: Exercise and eat well.

Step 7: Pack a bag for the hospital.

Step 8: Delivery, etc. – Preregister at hospital, Enlist help from grandparents to watch the boys and feed the dog, Get the camera ready, Check the Full Moon calendar

Step 9: Figure out what other steps have not been included yet, hopefully before July 5th, or July 4th, or June 27th.

Preregister at the Hospital

If you are expecting a child, this is a necessary step. It can be done fairly quickly and saves you the hassle and wait-time of signing yourself up to be admitted when you are already in labor.

1. Check with your OB-GYN to confirm where you will be delivering.

2. Visit Registration with your ID and insurance information well before your due date. You will be asked to provide contact info, work info, insurance info, and sign forms as per hospital and healthcare guidelines. This time, my registration took about half an hour between wait-time and paperwork.

3. Once you cross your t’s and dot your i’s, consider checking with your hospital for any maternity-wing tours or classes offered for expecting moms. My husband and I did this for our first pregnancy and it helped us feel more comfortable knowing where to go and what to expect of the rooms and hospital policies. Let’s not forget to mention the great swaddling demonstrations and yummy cookies and punch!

Simple, right? Yes, it should be.

One thing to remember is that if you happen to visit the hospital with false labor or for any other reason, you will want to repeat the process of preregistration. It should take far less time the second time around.

“Momma, I peepeed!” … Where?

Next time:
Potty Training Adventures!!!

Are you preparing for the arrival of a baby? Do you have any helpful tips for new moms? Please share!

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