Kim's Birthday Comes Early

A little birdie told me today that I was getting the new ipad 2 for my birthday.  I've been wanting it for months and am so excited for it to arrive.  I sent these pictures to thank the person (my mom, duh) responsible for my excitement.

Sleep Training Night 12

My baby is back!  Olive slept through the night last night - from 7pm until 4:30am.  I'm hoping it is because she is feeling better.  I have to admit, it was nice getting more than 4 hours of sleep!

Sleep Training - Nights 8, 9, 10, & 11

Lets just say the sleep training isn't going as well as it was last week. Unfortunately Olive came down with a bad cold and hasn't been sleeping very well because of it.  Her little nose has so much yucky stuff in it that it is hard for her to breathe.  Needless to say, she has been waking up a few times throughout the night.  Since she is sick I want to do everything I can to make her feel better, so the middle of the night feedings are back in effect.  Lets cross our fingers that once she gets better she will be sleeping 10 hours straight again.

In happier news - Olive rolled over today and I've got the video to prove it.

dad goes mia

the cahn's do not have the widest family tree - i only have 1 uncle, 1 aunt, and 2 cousins.  so whenever there is a family function we make an effort to go, no matter what.  my cousin zach was getting married in boston last weekend, so it was time for the cahn's to reunite.

after much debate, kim and i decided that it would be too much strain on young olive to fly for 5 hours, endure the new england cold, and fly back for 6 hours in the span of 4 days.

so i ended up going alone, which was fine, but i missed my family.  one highlight - they had a photobooth at the reception.  here is our (and only) best shot.

Cute Outfit of the Week

While I was pregnant my friend Juliet gave me a ton of cute clothes from Janie & Jack for Olive.  I broke down today and put her in one of the outfits.  

It still is a little too big for her, but it is soooo cute I couldn't resist.  

Thanks Juliet - you are the best!  Olive is the most fashionable baby on the block because of you!

Happy Birthday Molly!

Last night we celebrated Molly's 31st birthday with a dinner party at her house.  The birthday girl looked gorgeous - as usual.

Unfortunately Olive didn't nap very well throughout the afternoon, so we couldn't stay for long.  Long enough to eat and watch Auntie Molly open her present!  Christine, Garrett, Sarah, Andrew, and I got her an hour session with Eddie Conner - a psychic in Los Angeles.  We all can't wait to hear what he tells her.  Apparently he is really good.

Glamour Shot - 23 Weeks

Olive Harper Cahn - 23 Weeks

Cereal is....

A few days ago I decided to give Olive cereal for the first time.  Our pediatrician told us we could start her on it a little before she was 6 months old.  I figured she is almost 5 1/2 months, so why not?  I really just wanted to see if she would be into it or not.

Let's just say it was interesting and fun!  Of course Olive got it everywhere, but by the end I think she actually liked it.

You wouldn't know it by this face, though.  My little baby is such a ham for the camera.

Sleep Training - Night 7

For the second night in a row, Olive slept through the night.  For the life of me I can't figure it out.  I don't think I've been exceptional good at the sleep training, but maybe it is working!?  One thing is for sure, her napping has gotten so much more consistent.  I try and put her down for a nap every 2 hours.  Believe it or not - she sleeps every time.  Sometimes it is for 30 minutes and sometimes it is for 2 hours!  I think that her naps have a lot to do with her sleeping so well at night.

Her last nap yesterday was later in the afternoon, so we shifted her bedtime routine to 8pm.  After a long massage and bath she chilled while mommy and daddy ate dinner.  Then I fed her and she was out until 5:30am this morning!

Sleep Training - Night 4, 5, & 6

To be honest, the sleep training isn't going exactly as I had planned.  I'm not sure why, but I thought it would be a lot easier!  Any time Olive stirs or fusses, I worry that she is hungry and end up feeding her.  The worst part is that I have a hard time letting her cry for any length of time.  In order for this sleep training to work I have to let her cry a little and not break down and feed her!

Night 4 - Olive took her last nap a little later than usual so we adjusted her bedtime routine accordingly.  After putting her to sleep I thought for sure that she would sleep all night.  She had taken consistent naps throughout the day and she seemed tired during bath time.  Nope.  She woke up a few times and I ended up feeding her around 3am.  She fell asleep pretty quickly after so I decided I needed to be stronger.  It felt like she could have fallen back to sleep if I had just let her fuss a little more.

Night 5 - I had gone out for a girls night with Molly and Christine, so Andrew did Olive's bedtime routine solo.  When I got home I quickly passed out and heard her stirring around 2:45am.  I got up 3 or 4 times to give her the pacifier and tell her that it was time for bed, etc.  Finally at 4am I fed her.  Unfortunately I was up the entire time watching her on the monitor!  I told myself I would try to not break down the next night.

Night 6 - Olive slept through the night!!!  We put her down at 7pm and she didnt wake up until 6am!  Dad was sleeping on the couch with the monitor so I could get a good nights rest.  Due to loud snores coming from the living room, I woke up around 1am and moved him back to the bedroom.  I'm not sure why Olive slept so well, since I haven't been the best about cutting out her middle of the night feeding.  I'm not complaining, I'm just hoping she will follow the same pattern in the days to come!

We'll see how the next few night go.....

Olive & Oliver

Today was our Gymboree class with Oliver.  How cute are they together?

Sleep Training - Night 3

So my attempts at cutting out the middle of the night feeding failed last night.  For some reason I felt like Olive didn't get enough milk before going to bed, so at 2:45am I fed her.  She woke up at 1am and 2am and when it was obvious the pacifier wasn't satisfying her  - I broke down. After I fed her she didn't wake up until 7am.  Tonight I'm going to try and stick to the sleeping plan.  We'll see how it goes.

On a more positive note - she has been so good about taking her naps these days.  She is napping every 2-2.5 hours and sleeping for at least an hour with no problems.  Granted its only been 4 days....

Glamour Shot - 22 Weeks

Olive Harper Cahn - 22 Weeks

Dad's Working Late?

This was the look I got from Olive when I told her daddy had to work late last night.  I don't think she was too happy about it.

Sleep Training - Night 2

Yesterday I tried to put Olive on a more consistent nap schedule.  She took her first nap at 8am and slept until 10am with me.  Then around noon I attempted a second nap.  She finally fell asleep in our bed around 1pm and slept until 2:45 (she woke up once but then fell back asleep). Somehow I was able to get another 30 minute cat nap in there around 5pm.  I figured her sleep training would go easier at night if she was rested.

Andrew was working late, so I was on my own with our bedtime routine.  I gave Olive a nice, long massage and then a bath.  She seemed pretty tired after that so I skipped the bedtime story (I had read her 2 stories in the afternoon already).  After her feeding she was wide awake but I put her down in her crib anyway.  After 30 minutes of watching her fight sleep, I put on the CD we listen to in the car.  By the time the last song was over she was passed out!

At midnight she woke up and I thought for sure it would be a long, rough night.  I rubbed her tummy and said. "Olive, mommy is right here.  Its time to go to sleep, sweetie.  Mommy and daddy will see you when you wake up.  Good night,  I love you."  Then a few minutes later I went back in and repeated the same line.  After a few minutes of tossing and turning she was out again with hardly any fussing.  Much to my surprise, she slept until 6:30am!  I couldn't believe we had eliminated the middle of the night feeding.  I'm crossing my fingers tonight will be even easier.  We'll see.....

Photo Session

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from our photo session in Newport a couple weeks ago.  There were a lot more that I liked, but daddy is very particular.

Olive Wants to Party All the Time

I'm not going to lie - the last couple of weeks have been brutal. Olive is no longer sleeping through the night. It started with her waking up every 2-3 hours. Then she was waking up at midnight, 3am, and 6am. Now it is 3am and 7am so at least I can get a little rest.  The problem is, Olive fights sleep. She refuses to take naps during the day which ultimately affects her sleep at night. I'm putting things on lockdown for the next week. My goal is to get her taking regular naps and sleeping through the night! I have a feeling she is teething, which may be the cause of all our problems. Although looking at that gorgeous face of hers, I forget about my sleep deprivation and just want to snuggle up next to her.

**Update - The sleep training we tried last night isn't easy.  I can't let my sweet little baby cry.  I just can't do it.  Although I went in a few times to give her the pacifier, that only gave me an extra hour or two.  Finally at 3:30am I broke down and fed her.  She slept until 7am after that.  They say that babies at 5 months or 14 pounds (Olive is 15 lbs 12 ounces) should be sleeping through the night.  The sleep training I'm trying is to eliminate those night time feedings.  Basically when the baby cries, you go in after 5 minutes and say the same line everytime.  "Mommy is right here.  It is time to sleep, sweetie.  Mommy and Daddy will see you in the morning", or something like that.  The key is to teach them to self soothe. Well.... I let Olive cry/fuss for about 30 seconds and then I went in.  5 minutes seems like FAR too long.

Rolling Over!

before rolling

mid roll

In our Mommy & Me class today, Olive rolled over.  One minute she was on her back, and the next she was on her tummy!  When we got home this afternoon she did it again.  I have to admit - I'm a very proud mommy.

Andrew doesn't think the pictures look like she is rolling over, so I will post a video to prove it!

Cute Outfit of the Week

Yesterday while we were in Target, I couldn't resist this adorable navy number.  And for $8 - I'm not sure anyone could.  Unfortunately, I should have bought a size up since it's almost too small for her!