Quiet

The big boys have camp again this week, so I'm savoring the quiet.

They're loving camp, and all the time they're spending in the pool (they have pool time every day at camp, and have swim class once a week, too) is really going a long way toward getting them both to the point of being able to really swim. Last week Gabe actually jumped in the pool without holding someone's hand - something he's never done before!

He was wearing a floatie when he jumped, but I was still tremendously proud of him. It was so hard for him to work up the courage to finally do it, and it broke my heart to see him standing there so terrified, yet wanting so desperately to do what everyone else was doing. I was so proud of him when he finally did it, I almost teared up. And once he was past that paralyzing fear, he realized how fun it is to jump in, and did it quite a bit when we were at Grammy and Grampy's last week.

We had a fabulous trip to CT last week. The boys loved swimming in the pool all afternoon Wednesday, and Thursday we took them bowling, which was great - until Gabe got frustrated about not doing well. He likes to win all the time, and does not handle it well when he doesn't win. I know a lot of kids his age are like that, and I'm not going to make too big a deal out of it, but he does need to learn to deal with disappointment a little bit better. We'll keep working on it.....

The bowling was fun, though. They both threw the ball down the alley more than they rolled it, but they also both managed to get a few strikes (with the guards up, of course, to prevent gutter balls). The ice cream we went for afterward was fun, too. Nothing like a drippy ice cream cone on a hot day. Mmmmm!

I was also able to get out Wednesday night and see my best friends from high school, which was great. We are rarely all able to get together, so it was fabulous to see everyone - just made me wish we could do it more often.

This week was the final week of the Youth Track meets, and as always, we're sad to see them end. The boys have had so much fun this year, and it's been so great to see them out there running their hearts out and loving every minute of it.

For Gabe's final race this week - the 200 - he and another boy were neck-and-neck down the final stretch, and Gabe was really, really working hard to try to win. From where I was standing, I couldn't really tell who crossed the finish line first, but it was very, very close. It's really pretty cool to see him actually racing like that!  I won't be surprised if he gets into running track or cross-country as he gets older - he really seems to enjoy it.

Dante has no interest in racing - he just runs and waves and smiles - it's awesome : )   And actually, Dante is ahead of Gabe when it comes to swimming - mostly, I think, due to his being less fearful of the water - and of everything - he's just a fearless little kid (except when faced with a dog - he's terrified of dogs). He gets nervous about some stuff, but overall he has much less anxiety about the water than Gabe does. I'm glad we're finally getting them the swimming lessons they need. It'll be great when they're both swimming on their own.

Carmine is doing well, too. He had his 6-month checkup last week, and was pronounced perfectly healthy and wonderful. He weighs 15 lbs 4 oz, and is 26 inches tall. I don't know what percentile those measurements put him in, but I didn't ask. I think he's on the small side for his age, but he's doing everything he's supposed to be doing - the doctor was surprised to see him sitting up so well already! - and he's happy and healthy, so that's all that matters.

He's chowing down on his veggies and fruits and rice cereal. So far he's eaten - and enjoyed - applesauce, pears, sweet potatoes, bananas, and prunes. And today I tried making some baby food myself, and found out just how easy it is. I'll still buy a few things here and there, but I don't see any reason I wouldn't make most of his food myself, especially since I can make up a big batch and freeze it and just use it as I need it.

He is sitting up really well, too. He still topples over after a while, but that's just because he can't balance well enough - he certainly has the strength!  The other night the boys were playing with their Trio blocks, and they had them set up on the coffee table, so I put Carmine up there and let him sit and play with his big brothers, and you should have seen how excited he was! He thought it was the coolest thing ever - the expression on his face was priceless. Gabe and Dante got a big kick out of it, too : )

And we may be turning a corner in regards to Carmine's sleep habits. He's been so difficult to get to sleep lately - we rock him and bounce him and walk around with him, and he fights going to sleep. Or we finally get him to sleep, then as soon as we put him down, he wakes up. He wasn't like this before - it kind of came out of nowhere, and it's been really frustrating, and last night I kind of reached the breaking point, but I think in the end that will prove to be a very good thing.

We were having an awful night - he kept waking up and crying, and a few times he nursed a little, but mostly he just wanted to use me as a pacifier, which I don't mind to a certain point, but then as soon as he was back asleep and I tried to move away, he'd wake up again. I was exhausted and burned out from having him literally attached to me all night, so around 4:30am I just got out of bed and went down to the living room. He was crying when I got out of bed, but not even a minute later, he was sound asleep, and he stayed asleep until nearly 8am.

It was definitely a Eureka! moment for me, as it suddenly occurred to me that maybe he doesn't want us to be doing all that rocking and bouncing, and to be spending all that time trying to get him to sleep. Maybe he wants to just BE LEFT ALONE!

I decided to test that theory for his afternoon nap, and put him down in the pack n play as soon as he seemed tired. He fussed and whined on and off for about 20 minutes - never really full-on crying - and after 20 minutes, he was sound asleep. 

Fast forward to bedtime. I nursed him, he fell asleep, and I put him down and he stayed asleep. Then he woke up about an hour later, crying. I tried to calm him down without picking him up, but he just got more and more upset. Picked him up and calmed him down, got a burp out of him, had him almost asleep, and then he started fussing and crying again, so I put him down and walked away.

The crying stopped almost instantly, and he's now sound asleep.

Hopefully tonight will go better than last night, but if it doesn't, I know I'm not going to be jumping through all sorts of hoops to try to get him back to sleep, since it's really seeming like that's the last thing in the world that he wants, and he'd rather I just leave him alone and let him go to sleep on his own. Who woulda thunk it?

Comments

[Wes]

Glad to hear the family life is proceeding smoothly :-)

[Shawn]

I think you should do the Wild Dog Sprint Tri on the 15th!!! It is really fun!

[Taryn]

I'm tired just reading about your nights & all you do Michelle! :) And I LOVE that you're making baby food!