Baby School

Well, my parents visit is about over and so soon I will have to learn how to function with two babies on my own again. Not that Ken isn't a help, but to have constant adult company throughout the day has been such a blessing, and Kinsey has been loving the extra attention.

Soon, reality will have to come back to the Brooks house, where momma is home a lot, alone with the two babies, and juggling their various needs throughout the day. Where she is stuck talking to an almost two year old and looking on facebook for most of her contact with the adult world. A place where the laundry piles up and she will eventually have to do it because her mother won't be here to wash a load daily. Where after a sleepless night with baby Kalei, momma will still have to function without the hope of the grandparents coming to take over.
So, with all of these realities about to hit again, I am determined to start Kalei in her first big lesson, one that has been delayed with all the company we have had. She has been held and rocked to sleep almost since birth, and has already come to demand it at bed time. She also won't take a pacifier which makes her more of a challenge to put to bed than her big sister Kinsey was as a newborn.
My plan of action - take a week with the knowledge that I will not sleep well, and work on putting Kalei to bed before she is asleep each night. Teaching self-soothing, as much as possible at this point. We did this with Kinsey and it was a big help.

The steps include, changing Kalei's diaper, wrapping her up like a burrito, rocking her in the cradle position until her eyes start to close a bit, and then put her to bed before she is totally asleep. Let her lay in her bed until she inevitably gets fussy, and then pick her up, rock her a bit more and then try again to lay her down before she is fully asleep. Repeat until she is comfortable being in her bed and able to sooth herself fully to sleep.
Extra challenge Kalei poses is the no-paci thing, which made this training a lot easier when I did it with Kinsey. It was an instant cue that it was almost time to sleep and a comfort to Kinsey as well, and we do not have such an obvious cue for miss Kalei. Hence the diaper change, tight wrap burrito and cradle hold - those are the sleeping cues I will try to use for miss Kalei - anyone of the praying sort - pray for me and Kalei this coming week. Also pray for Ken that he will be able to sleep through most of this training at night. :-)
Allowing Kalei a hand to suck on may also be a cue we will resort to, although I am greatly apposed to thumb sucking on the grounds that when we eventually want to break her of the habit there is no way to actually remove her thumb....
Baby training starts at 0800 hrs Monday, November 30th.