Parenting: The best club I never signed up for

Now that I'm a parent, I have started noticing all kinds of new things like:
1.  How much I love reading articles/blogs about the antics of children (case and point:  http://jasongood.net/365/2011/11/day-319-self-help-advice-from-a-2-year-old/ - thank you Elizabeth! and http://thestir.cafemom.com/baby/116998/lesson_12_working_moms_vs)
2.  How I won't even HESITATE to wipe cream all over Tyler's butt or pick a giant booger from his nose
3.  The joy of eating 2/3rds of my dinners cold
4.  The spacial arrangement of restaurants, stores, everywhere.  Will I hit every table with my car seat and can I squeeze the stroller through there?
5.  Turns out I can live on nearly no sleep and go 2 days between showers
6.  We are now those people that rush home at 6:30pm no matter where we are, bc god forbid our son go to bed late.  Neither of us want to pay the price of baby sleep deprivation
7.  I no longer like sunrises.  At all.  Ever.

Tyler's baptism is this weekend (Make sure child gets into heaven - check) and Chris isn't too fond of his little outfit.  Actually, I'm not so sure Ty's too fond of it either...

I love how his body goes head then shoulders, the kid has no neck to speak of.  Or, maybe those cheeks are masking the neck beneath.

See, everyone likes puffy sleeves.

When adults cry it out

Last night we tried the cry it out method of sleep training.  Yes, who knew you have to train most babies to sleep.  Apparently, the only gauge of your success in parenting an infant is how well they sleep at night.  It isn't that your baby is so happy during the day he has to wiggle because the happiness just bubbles over (which he does), or that he is developmentally on track (which he is) or even if he eats well (which he does ONLY if it doesn't come from a bottle).

In desperation that was riddled with sleeplessness and guilt, we attempted cry it out.  To be fair, we have (half assed) tried this method before but we only lasted 10 minutes before each of us buckled and we picked him up.  So I'm calling this our first attempt.  Ya, it worked.  He did manage to get himself to sleep, after 27 minutes of hellacious crying.  And then, while he slept, there were 20 minutes of sobbing in his sleep, that's how worked up he was.  I only sobbed for 15 minutes, that's how worked up I was. 

Here's the thing:
-  I am aware that this method works for some/most babies.
-  I know many a loving parent that use this method.
-  I know our son can't really soothe himself very well.
-  I know that teaching him to self soothe is a good thing.
-  I know if I don't teach him to self soothe, then he will rely on me to soothe him.
-  I also understand that leaving him there to cry doesn't mean I don't love him.

But here is something else I know:  I don't get to comfort him during the day.  I will NOT lay down beside his bed and listen to him scream at night.  I WILL rock him to sleep EVERY time he wakes.  I will NOT consider myself a failure because I cannot lay him down, walk away and he manages to sleep through the night.  I will do what works for MY family.  I'm carrying enough guilt about daycare, I don't need the guilt of 40 minutes of cyring a night heaped on top.  :)

There you have it.  That's the plan, for now...

Tornados, root canals and dieting - oh my!

My apologies to the 3 faithful people that read this blog, life has kind of gotten away from me lately so I'm only averaging one post a month these days.

The only thing the 3 things in the title have in common is that I've experienced all three and my dislike for all three are as strong as ever.  It must be because of those 4 hours I spent huddled in the boys bathroom in 2nd grade that has made me so terrified of tornados.  I'll cry at the sound of the tornado siren.  This dispells my theory that the things I do can't possibly screw Tyler up too bad.  I'm in trouble.  As for my hatred towards root canals and dieting, I think those are self explanatory.

Have any of you watched Downton Abbey?  If not, I highly recommend it.  There is something about posh British people that make me so happy.  Thank you to Kelli for her continued solid recommendations, as long as you don't count So you think you can dance.  Sorry Kel!  :)

I'm getting ready to head to Tyler's first easter egg hunt.  Technically, he'll be sitting on a blanket with me watching other kids hunt easter eggs, but potato potatoe.  Chris and I recently missed (we really tried!) our church's picnic and easter egg hunt.  I cried when we drove up an hour late to find everyone packing up.  I have this strange desire to make sure that Tyler experiences everything possible and that he experiences it with his parents.  I really want to create traditions and experiences that he'll look back on with love.  Of course, I realize that he's 4 1/2 months old and won't remember any of it...but that doesn't stop me from trying.

Speaking of the sweetest baby alive, he just started rolling over.  He's gone front to back and back to front recently although he seems to have mastered back to front a bit faster.  It's so funny what you'll celebrate your child doing as a parent.  Eachtime he does it we laugh and cheer.  I love that little squishy fella more than anything in the world.

Here's proof that he's GOT to be the cutest thing ever!

He's working hard at his Dad's office.  So hard he lost his shirt...
Sidenote:  Just looking at this picture makes me want to squeeze his fat little body!