My love/hate relationship with the Rock n Play

I first heard of the Rock n Plays when SB and BW were a few months old.  Many twin moms were singing their praises, and I thought about purchasing them, but also read a number of reports of flat heads and needing helmets, or a nightmare crib transition, and after dragging my feet for a while decided that we were past the stage of usefulness. 


When Nugget was baking, I decided to dive into the Rock n Play fan base, as I thought it would be something that I could easily carry to and from the different levels of our house so Nugget would have a safe place to be/sleep with two rambunctious toddlers around.* I thought it would also be a sleeping place for Nugget for the time being if we went to grandma's so we wouldn't have to invest in another pack n play.


I bought one used, since the useful life of a rock n play appears to be a few months, and they usually resell quickly and easily. I didn't use it for the daytime sleeping place that I intended - mainly because SB and BW can just reach into it if they balance on their tippy toes and are very unstable in the process, and I was worried they would fall onto it while trying to give Nugget kisses.  However, with Nugget getting a cold within her first month of life as well as having reflux, I tried it for night time sleep one night.  Which, as everyone raves about, works wonderfully.  Nugget sleeps SO well in that thing, and it really helps if she is congested (which, she is, again.  Poor kid is on her second cold in the first three months of her life).  However, I am paranoid about letting her sleep in it for overnight sleep; so I put it in our room, next to our bed (Nugget otherwise sleeps in the crib in her room across the hall).  I try to use it as infrequently as possible.  It's like a parenting drug.  I try to control my use of it, I know the consequences could be bad, but it feels SO good to get a nice long stretch of sleep.  (For both Nugget and I). 


So, I continue to use it as sparingly as I can.  I always put Nugget down for the night in her crib (which, so far, has been going swimmingly since her chiro adjustment).  But, in the middle of the night when I'm tired and she's congested and tired and restless, I can't help but succumb to the RnP.




*Note - it's not.  It requires two hands to fold and unfold, which I appreciate for safety reasons, but it just wasn't workable as easily folded/transported if I also had to keep Nugget safe from bouncy toddlers and fold it up and then pick them both up.

We're all adjusted over here

Nugget was a very easy baby for the first 4-6 weeks - at least for me.  She definitely preferred her mama over others, but it wasn't a big deal.  Then, around 6 weeks, she became more alert.  And she was generally happy...for about 10 minutes out of every 3 hours.  Our schedule went like this -


Nurse for 15-20 minutes
Coo and smile  for 5-15 minutes (unless we attempted tummy time)
Start to fuss, but comforted if held facing out for 10-15 minutes
Lose it and fight sleep like a banshee; refuse to be held by anyone else but mama. 10-30+ minutes
Fall asleep for 30 minutes to 2 hours
Repeat


There were also times when Nugget would scream as if in pain.  We are pretty certain she has silent reflux, but she was not having any issues with weight loss so I didn't want to start her on medication.  I'd tossed around the idea of taking her to the chiropractor, but couldn't make up my mind (figures).  Then some friends of ours said they took their son to the chiro after 6 months of colic, found out his hip was out of alignment, and saw a night-and-day change. So I scheduled the appointment.


The chiro found some mild hip misalignment, and basically made adjustments all the way up Nugget's back, especially the areas that contribute to reflux as well as making some adjustments to her neck since she has a tendency to favor one side. She also showed me how to do inversions with Nugget to help her spine realign on its own, which I'm not going to describe in any fashion because I don't want to be responsible in any way for someone attempting them on their own, but Nugget seems to really like the inversions.


That evening, both the hubs and step-daughter were able to hold her without her throwing a fit.  The next day at daycare, the staff said she had a REALLY good day.  They are still struggling with her fighting sleep (which she does, if you miss her "window" you are in for a battle) but they saw a definite improvement.  We go back to the chiropractor in a few days to evaluate and readjust as necessary, but I'd say we are definitely seeing an improvement. Yay!

Back to work

So, I'm back to work.  It was harder to return to work than when I returned after SB and BW were born - I think it's because I knew the 12-week leap (See Wonder Weeks) was coming and I was able to take it in stride instead of being overwhelmed by the fussiness.


I was also glad to be getting back to work because there was a ton of stuff going on and I felt like I was falling further and further behind. 


When SB and BW started daycare as infants, DH had a hefty commute and usually left for work around the time I was getting them up for the day.  Now, DH has a very reasonable commute and daycare is on the way, so we tag team the morning routine and daycare drop off. I'm lucky that he is so "all-in" with the taking care of our kids - the only thing he struggles with is pony tails for SB and BW (they still have really fine hair that hasn't outgrown the toddler mullet but hangs into their eyes so it's not easy to put it up and out of their faces), so he usually gets them ready for the day and I quick put their hair up before we head out the door.


It's so quiet at work.  I enjoy the noise break. But SB and BW are still adjusting a bit to being back in daycare full time.  BW told me "I don't want to go to daycare today." Sigh.  Hang in there girl, it's almost the weekend.

You're killin' me, Smalls.

Nugget is 8 weeks, and is giving me a run for my money. All confident statements that I had an "easy baby" are thrown out the window.

SB and BW started going to bed right around 7 pm once we instituted a bedtime routine around 6 weeks.  When they hit 8 weeks, they started sleeping an 8-hour stretch.  That promptly stopped around 4 months and they didn't sleep through the night until 9 or 10 months, but I was really clinging to the 6 and 8 week mark as a time that Nugget would hopefully settle into a more manageable sleep pattern.

In response, she gives me a big, gummy, silent laugh.

Nugget has a definite witching hour.  It starts around 5 or 6 pm, and continues anywhere from 9 to midnight. I've tried to put her to bed anywhere from 6:30 to 7:30, and she persists in staying up until 9 or 10 pm.  I could try for 6 pm, but that's also when, you know, we're trying to feed two toddlers or have some semblance of a family dinner.  Which, 50% of the time, occurs with Nugget attached to my boob nursing.  I start to get touched out at about 8 pm, and it's driving me a tiny bit crazy to not get any baby-free time until, you know, I need to go to sleep to have any chance of functioning the next day. DH always offers to help but I usually turn him down as there is a lot of nursing that happens in between her 5-minute cat naps before her eyes pop wide awake.

I'm trying to track all her sleep time to really try and ensure that she is getting adequate sleep.  It's a little tricky, especially on days that SB and BW are home, too. Since I only have a few weeks of leave left, I'm really hoping we get it figured out soon.

Enjoying summer 2.0

As I write this, I am watching two ponytails bob around the back yard picking clover (we need to spray for weeds and fertilize our lawn, clearly).  It's a rare moment when Nugget is napping so the girls are engaging in "unstructured free play," which gives me a free moment to pull out the laptop on the deck.  I read an article on facebook yesterday about how they are finding that unstructured outdoor play is key for children to get to use their imagination and assist in developing their brain, etc etc.  I think this is one of the great benefits to having twins for your first pregnancy - they have an instant playmate.  They are starting to engage in more pretend play and I enjoy observing from a distance.

This is definitely a benefit to being home on maternity leave and having SB and BW home as well.  I don't feel guilty or like I'm giving up some of our precious non-work time that I get with them to let them run around and explore on their own.  While I still know that being a stay at home mom isn't the best choice for me or my family, I would love to work part time if that was an option.  I suppose it would be with some lifestyle changes, but the availability of part-time jobs in my field where we are located is almost nil.  So, I'll savor what is likely my last maternity leave, which is already passing by much to fast.

Happy six weeks, Nugget

Nugget is six weeks old.  This means my maternity leave is half over.  Sigh.  After the twins were born, I was okay with returning to work at the end of my maternity leave.  I believed I was a better mom as a working mom.  I think it will be harder to return this time.  I've settled into being a mom, and I'm really enjoying the extra time with SB and BW.  I still ultimately believe that I am a better mom as a working mom, and SB and BW are in a great place socially and intellectually because of the wonderful daycare that they attend, but I wouldn't mind being able to take summers off and spend extra time with them. 

Nugget's reflux started ramping up, and she was starting to be very fussy in the evenings, very gassy, and had some projectile vomiting episodes, although not a ton.  At her one month appointment, upon discussing this with the pediatrician, the pediatrician said that the most common culprit for gassiness and reflux was dairy, and recommended eliminating it for two weeks to see if these improved.

I love milk. I love cheese. 

This was going to be difficult.

I drug my feet for a few days, as Nugget's symptoms didn't seem to be as severe as what I read a milk protein allergy would entail, but Nugget's evening fussiness, reflux and spitting up seemed to be ramping up, so I finally committed to cutting out dairy.  Within a few days, Nugget's baby acne, which had covered most of her face, completely cleared up literally overnight.  She was settling easier at night.  On Father's day, I decided to experiment with goat cheese, as I found a source on the internet that said goat milk protein was easier to digest that cow's milk.  Big mistake.  Nugget was agitated from about 6 pm to midnight the next night.  So, I'll continue to avoid the deliciousness of our cheese door (sigh) and work through the remainder of the two weeks, but I expect I will be committing to dairy free.

Reflections on three under three - a few weeks in

Since a few weeks have passed since my last post, I thought I'd do an update.  We've switched SB and BW to daycare just two days a week for the remainder of my maternity leave.  Things are still going fairly well, although we've decided we need to focus a bit more on getting SB and BW more one-on-one attention if possible.  SB in particular seems to be struggling a bit to gain attention from the hubs and I, even if it is negative attention.  Although I know defiance and independence is par for the course with her age, I think her defiance is connected more with wanting more attention.  She is still, all in all, a great kid, so I try to remind myself to be patient and work through these difficulties.  True one-on-one attention is difficult, especially for me, because Nugget is still so new, but hopefully an individual overnight with grandma will give both SB and BW some special time with me and the hubs.

I am still enjoying the ease of one baby versus two babies.  I feel like I am truly learning Nugget in a way I wasn't able to do with SB and BW when they were new.  I love being able to pop her in the Moby and still be mobile and get out with SB and BW.  She still is a relatively easy baby and is napping in her crib as I type this - a milestone that was really difficult to accomplish with SB and BW.  I think things will get more difficult as she gets past the newborn stage and is more alert and needs more stimulation

I am also really enjoying not having the stress of work hanging over my head all the time.  I feel like I can participate more in my household in the evenings, help clean up, not worry about SB and BW going to bed so I can get some work done.  I am less stressed and feel like I am able to more fully participate in my family.  I'm not looking forward to returning to work and shouldering that workload again.