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Crib to Bed Advice?

I try not to measure my parenting by successes and failures.

No, that's way too final.

I like to look it in terms of progress - often two steps forward, one step back.

This transition from crib to bed has been unpredictable. One night, Walker will sleep through without coming to our room once. The next, he wakes up eight times and we don't get a single hour of uninterrupted sleep. And sometimes it's a mixed bag.

But I choose to celebrate progress. No matter how small or fleeting it may seem.

As you can see in the picture above, we have been cuddling in the toddler bed with Walker until he falls asleep and creeping out the door once he's in deep enough slumber to drop his paci out of his mouth (that's my measure anyway). 

We have started a new approach. Instead of crawling in the bed, we are sitting in a chair in his room until he falls asleep. He knows we're there, but he's not relying on the physical touch. Plus, it's way easier to slip out.

But even this situation cannot continue. He needs to be able to fall asleep in a room by himself, the way he did in his crib for the past five months. That is where some more deliberate work will begin to wean him a tad so he realizes that he doesn't need us there to fall asleep or to help him get back to sleep when he wakes during the night.

I'm not gonna lie - I dread the week (or more) it will probably take to get him to that point.

I am open to and BEGGING (yes, I am begging YOU) for any tips. My family and friends have already given me some amazing counsel and reassurance (you know who you are - THANK YOU) and I can use all of the support I can get as we go through what seems like a major transition for me (could be the preggo hormones...).

How did you make the move from crib to bed?

How did you teach your toddler to stay in their bed/room?

How long should this transition take?

Will I ever get a good night's sleep again;)?

 
Here we are snuggling on Christmas Eve. Don't you love my pretend sleeping face? I have to keep my eyes closed or he will start talking to me. Ha!

Delightful

Christmas was delightful.

Way too many presents.

But the presence of family and friends was the best part.

Even Baby #2 got in on the celebration by giving me a few tummy flutters on Christmas morning.

 
I hope that each of you had a magical Christmas with your loved ones.

And we all know a little snow makes things more magical & Christmassy:).

Merry MasChrist

Merry Mas(more)Christ from our family to yours.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

 ¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

 ¹⁴ "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 2:8-14

Crazy Weekend: Singing in Church and Family Photo

We had two big events the night after my son decided two crawl out of his crib for the first time. First, the kids were singing in church (so, so, so precious). Second, the Webb Christmas dinner at Claudia Sanders.

First, the preciousness...

Next, the nightmare family photo after dinner. Hmmmm...can anyone find my child? Yup, that's what a 12:20 a.m. bedtime, a bad nap and a sit down restaurant will do to a two year old.

To end on a positive note, Lee's Aunt (Georgia) told me that they have been doing the cake for Jesus at  Webb Family gatherings for almost 50 years. What an awesome tradition to continue for generations to come!

So...this post wraps up my series of crazy weekend posts. And let me tell you, I didn't even get to all of the happenings - like the pooh that covered the entire hall bath. But that's another post.

Life is CRAZY around the Webb household. In the makes you laugh, pull your hair out, wish you had a camera, you had to be there to believe it sort of way. And I am fairly convinced that if you are reading this blog it's because it makes you feel like your home is kinda normal compared to mine;).

Goodbye Crib

I knew it would happen. The day that Walker decided to climb out of his crib.

Saturday, December 18.

I heard the thud and the pitter patter of little feeties down the hall and my heart dropped for a million reasons.

On the practical side of things, we had a house full of family staying with us for the weekend and I wasn't sure how I could balance the transition while being a decent hostess. On the emotional side of things, I wasn't ready to say goodbye to the crib and all of the things it represents. I cried. I'll admit it.

I carried him back to his crib and told him to go to sleep.

He was out again in less than 30 seconds.

And again. And again. And again.

At that point, it was two hours past his bedtime and I was running out of options.

We tried putting him in our bed out of desperation and he wouldn't even sleep there, so we rallied the help of our houseguests and moved his toddler bed into his room. Lee crawled in the toddler bed with him until he fell asleep after midnight. Poor thing was so tired that we didn't hear a peep until 8:30 a.m.

I wish I could say that everything is perfect now and we have this whole crib-to-bed thing figured out. But I feel like we are starting back at 22 months old when we put our foot down by not letting him come into our bed halfway through the night anymore.

Please pray for me that 1) we have wisdom and grace as we try to adapt to the new sleeping situation and 2) that I am able to cope with all of the diffrent emotions that I am feeling as we go through sleeping and potty transitions and prepare for another baby to come into our family.

So long crib, until my next little baby finds rest in your arms.

Walker, first day home from the hospital.

Crazy Weekend: Happy Birthday Jesus

My friends Katie & Melissa organized and hosted a Happy Birthday Jesus party for the kiddos.

There was food, dancing, handmade cards and cake (well, little cupcakes actually).

And what is the party without eating a bowl of Tiff's special toddler cereal mix off the floor? Good thing Katie keeps her floors so clean:).

They were dancing so fast that I couldn't keep up!

Even the smallest partygoers were enjoying themselves.


Everybody sang in unison when the cake was lit. Even my little half-naked child who decided to lay across the table to secure prime position.

Just one lick...

I am blessed to have fellow mommy friends who are so encouraging and creative and use those gifts to help me be a better mommy. Thanks to Katie, Mel, Sherri, Tiffany & Aysha for such a fun morning with our little ones.

Crazy Weekend: Sledding with Horses

Our weekend was so wild and *action packed* that one post will not suffice. Hence, I give you Part I.

The festivities started off with a visit to the Ballards' house to sled with horses.

Not only was it Walker's first time on a sled, it was my first time to witness sledding the way they do it down south apparently - pulled by horses.

Melissa is a modern-day pioneer woman and Josh is her rodeo cowboy. We were so excited when they called to invite us to sled with Pedro. Here is Pedro.

 
Here are the boys (minus Caden, who arrived a bit later and hit the slopes as well and Tucker, who played inside with Walker once he had enough of the snow & ice:).

And here is the result...

You can't tell in the picture above, but Walker was cushioned perfectly behind Eli.

Where were the preggo mommies?

Out in the field cheering them on, of course.

Thank you to Josh, Melissa & Eli for introducing us to a new Christmas tradition. We had a blast!

Speaking of Christmas traditions, stay tuned to hear about the Happy Birthday Jesus party, hosted by my fabulous friends Katie & Melinda, on Friday.

And then, on to MAJOR transitions happening at the Webb household and a family picture that is worth 1,000 interesting words.

Stay tuned..:)

Christmas Traditions

I didn't celebrate Christmas as a child.

Nope.

Not until sixth grade, when I got my very first beeper, a pair of jean overalls and Timberland boots.

My family didn't believe in celebrating Christmas. Not because they had a problem with Christ, the contrary really. Without getting too deep into different religious perspectives (because, honestly, I was a child and it's somewhat over my head), I will say that they had a problem with all of the other stuff that comes along with Christmas.

Fast forward 17 years and my family celebrates Christmas much like yours probably. And our little family of three celebrates Christmas as well. We have the tree. And cards. And the stockings. And I must admit that Christmas is one of my very favorite times of the year.

However, I do worry that our children may get swept up in the other end of the spectrum - enjoying all of the presents and lights and food and forgetting why we celebrate Christmas in the first place.

I've had countless conversations with other mommas lately who have the same concerns. How can we enjoy the fun stories and traditions of Christmas without losing focus of the heart of Christmas - the birth of Jesus Christ?

As I have said, I am one big science experiment of a mom. Really, I am. Apart from the usual driving around and looking at nights and kissing under mistletoe, here are some things that my family is doing this year to try to put our focus where it should be. Please leave comments with additional ideas. After all, my best ideas come from my friends!

Gifts: Presents under the tree can get outta control, folks. Add on gifts from family and friends and it can look like a toy store has exploded all over your house come January. Last year, my friend (Malia) and her hubby (Josh) started a new tradition with their kiddos, Sophie and Wyatt. They gave each child three gifts to signify the three gifts that the Wise Men gave Baby Jesus. We will do that this year - and trust me, it has not been easy to stop at three!

The Christmas Story: We will continue a tradition that Lee and I started our first Christmas together by reading the story of Jesus' birth from the Book of Luke on Christmas morning. We have already started reading the story about Baby Jesus to Walker before he goes to bed every night. It's only a couple of pages long (in his Children's Bible) and is an easy way to start planting seeds.

Decorations: We are not big time Christmas light stringers around the Webb household. We are doing good to have a tree with ornaments. Which is funny b/c I love to decorate. But for some reason I can find it in me to drag it all out and put it all up only to turn around and put it up a month later. BUT I love visiting my friends houses and seeing their beautiful decorations. I am especially in love with my friend Sherri's outdoor nativity set. Although we don't have a nativity set outside, we do have a couple indoors.

• One is the Little People Nativity Set. I strongly recommend this for toddlers and any age for that matter. Walker LOVES to play with the characters and introduce them one-by-one. Angel, Jesus' mommy, Jesus' daddy, shepherd, wise men...even the tree gets an introduction. We are not going to put Baby Jesus out until Christmas morning. So the anticipation is building...

• We also have a nicer (well, it was nicer until Walker decapitated Joesph) nativity set that sits on our entry table. This was a gift early in our marriage and it really is sweet.

• My dream nativity set is the Willow set. But I might have to settle with collecting one piece of the set every year b/c it would be a budget buster:).

The Birthday Celebration: Starting this year, we will make a birthday card for Jesus every year. Lee's family has always had a birthday cake at the Webb family party to give the kiddos a chance to sing happy birthday to Jesus. My mom started the same tradition last year and I'm sure it will continue. And this year, my friends Melinda and Katie are hosting a Happy Birthday Jesus party.

Advent: We want a good advent calendar. Any suggestions??????

Others: One of the most important things that Christ modeled for us is the fact that we should put others before ourselves. Which sounds good in theory but sometimes it's inconvenient. It can make us uncomfortable. It's not always fun. But one of the things we want to do is to help our kiddos (and us too!) understand what it means to serve others. A couple of years ago, Lee's siblings made a decision that instead of giving gifts to each other we would donate to a cause. We will continue that tradition this year. And we are also looking for opportunities to give our time (not just money) to serve others during the Christmas season. Maybe you family could consider giving a goat or clean water this year? Or maybe a local food bank or shelter could use your time to feed folks from your community.

Worship: Every year, we attend a Christmas Eve service to take some time from our marathon holiday plans to thank God for being God. For being all knowing, all powerful, gracious, sufficient and loving - among many other things. But our prayer is that we would not store up our worship for that service - that we would thank God and spend time with him throughout the Christmas season. This can mean something as simple as praying for our friends and family as we buy their gifts.

How did the angels worship Christ on the night He was born?

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!" Luke 2:13, 14

Wooohoooo! Now that's worship!

Please share your ideas in the comment section on ways that your family is welcoming the birth of Christ this year:).

Gender and the Christmas Spirit

  Did y'all know that there are ultrasound providers in Kentucky that will guarantee gender determination as early as 15 weeks or your money back?

I had no clue.

For a starting price of $99, an ultrasound tech will take a gander at your bambino and give you the blue or pink news. Of course insurance won't pay a penny b/c these are not medical procedures. They are glorified photo sessions, more or less.

It is taking every bone of practicality in my body to keep from picking up the phone to schedule a visit tomorrow. It would be insane to drop a benjamin to find out the sex when we will find it out anyway in three [long] weeks.

So I will resist the crazy urge and visit the Advent Conspiracy Web site to remind myself of much more worthwhile ways to spend $100.

Watch THIS VIDEO if you really want to get in the Christmas spirit.

Walker and Sophie prove that boys and girls can both be a ton of fun. We are so excited either way!

B.B.I.T.

Don't be surprised if you find me referring to Walker as B.B.I.T. for the next several months.

Any guesses what that might stand for?