We're Getting Somewhere!!!

This has been a really tough week. With all of the sleeping issues we were having at night we just decided now was as good a time as any to go ahead and make the dreaded switch from crib to bed at night. It did not go very well. One of us had to sleep with Sophie in her bed anywhere from 2 hours to the whole night. Once she fell asleep, if we snuck out she would usually sleep the rest of the night by herself. But she would just freak out if we tried to leave before she fell asleep. On Friday I decided we needed to resort to tough love. I bought a gate to put in her doorway so that she could not leave her room (she had been opening the door and running out, screaming). I was dreading the tough love approach. Nothing breaks my heart more than listening to my child cry for me. I seriously can't handle it. The only way I could let Sophie cry as an infant when I put her in her crib at night was to immediately go take a shower. I couldn't hear her while I was in there and by the time I came out she was sleeping. So last night I left her, hysterical, in her room and sat outside listening. She was hysterical for another 5 minutes. Then she cried for another 10 minutes. Then her crying sounded more muted, so we checked the video monitor in our room and saw that she was now laying in her bed. She whimpered and called me intermittently for another 10 minutes. Then she FELL ASLEEP. And STAYED ASLEEP, IN HER BED ALL NIGHT LONG!!! Now, I'm not naive enough to believe that it will go this smoothly every night, but I think in a short time we'll get there.

(I was still up from 4-6am for no good reason except that this is what happens late in pregnancy, but at least I was awake in my own bed catching up on DVR'ed shows instead of squished into a twin-sized bed with a kicky toddler.)

I ended up taking Sophie to the doctor on Wednesday. She felt feverish and the only time she ever does is when she has an ear infection. Sure enough, ear infection. So we're now doing Amoxicillin twice a day, which is more like an Old Faithful eruption of pink stuff as I try to force it down her throat. She is really good at not taking medicine. She actually used to be really cool about it, but our trip to the ER back in October ruined everything medically related for her. So I have to strip her down, pull her hair back in a pony tail, lay her head back in my lap while sitting on the kitchen floor. Then I force her mouth open and tip her head back and squeeze the dropper of medicine down her throat. Meanwhile, she kicks and screams, clenches her teeth, and uses her mouth to spit (like a motor boat) anything out that makes its way into her mouth. We are not even half way through the 10 days of doing this.

In other news, I have decided on a camera and a stroller. Phew! I will be ordering them tomorrow. The only thing holding me back is the fact that very comparable items are being auctioned at a Chinese Auction tonight. We have entered this auction every year for the past 5 or 6 years and won at least one big ticket item for the past 3 years. So, you never know. Either way, tomorrow these things will be crossed off my list!

I am spending the rest of this week getting everything in order. We are talking major nesting- I am pulling curtains down and washing them kind of nesting. I am hoping that I have a while longer, but I have an appointment on Friday and I don't want to freak out about not having done EVERYTHING if they say "yea, this baby will be coming out in a few days." I am actually really excited about spending all morning cleaning and organizing while Sophie is at school tomorrow. I kind of can't wait, actually. I am almost giddy with anticipation. Wheeeeeee!!!!!!!!!

I'll leave you with a couple of pics of me from almost a week ago at 35 weeks. I think I have been growing noticeably every week. I'll take another pic tomorrow when I will be 36 weeks.