I awoke at some wee hour of the morning being edged out of our king-sized bed. Emil was snuggled into my side, using my arm as a pillow. Esme was stretched out horizontally, her feet towards me and her head towards Jacob. Cleo, our dog, was stretched out at the foot of the bed, her pink elephant stuffed animal tucked under her paw (I kid you not).
Welcome to the family bed. Tight as it might get, I wouldn't have it any other way. Well, sometimes it would be nice to have just me and Jacob in there again. But I do enjoy our family bed.
To be fair, Esme doesn't always sleep with us, but she's been doing it on our travels and it's been hard to say no to her since we returned home. Especially since she knows Cleo and Emil are in bed with us. It seems kind of mean to force her to sleep alone in her bed.
There are plenty of debates about cosleeping, particularly with an infant Emil's age. Some people believe that it increases the risk of SIDS, while others claim that the data shows just the opposite. According to this site, most cases of SIDS are reported from crib deaths, and deaths of infants in adult beds occur mainly when the child is sleeping alone in an adult bed rather than with the mother.
As for me, I combine my gut with my research. There seems to be no definitive research on the topic, so I refer to my gut, which says that Emil is safest and happiest in his mother's arms at night. He sleeps in his bassinet or crib during the day, and he begins the night in his bassinet. But when I wake up to feed him in the middle of the night, if I try to put him back into his bassinet he grunts his complaint until I relent and pick him up again. Not only does he enjoy it, but I enjoy it, too. I can fall back asleep while he's nursing.
So for now we will stick to the family bed. It's not the best for romantic evenings, but it's not forever.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
I'm back! With travel tips to boot.
Sorry for the delay, but I'm finally back. We've been traveling a lot in January, first to Tennessee and Kentucky and then to Palm Springs. Fresh from the road, I've got some travel tips for you.
- Always bring extra diapers.
We were delayed by 9 hours(!!!) trying to leave Palm Springs. It's normally a 1-hour flight, so I had packed enough diapers to get us through 3-4 hours. Silly me. Luckily, they got into our checked suitcase and found more diapers for us.
- When packing toys, think compact.
I'm an expert at packing for the kids. You need artwork of some sort (coloring book, crayons) and books to read. The Maurice Sendak Nutshell Library is perfect because it's a collection of 4 tiny books, giving lots of reading without taking up lots of space.
Hand or finger puppets are great because they serve the same purpose as stuffed animals without taking up the space. You can have a puppet show on the plane, keeping kids under 5 happy for long stretches of time.
And layer puzzles are great, again because they take up so little space while giving toddlers the chance to practice their fine motor skills.
I also always try to pack something new and exciting. On this last flight, it was a sticker book. But don't forget that old favorite toy that provides comfort.
- Go for the suite spot.
Hotel suites, that is. Kids can nap in the bedroom while mom and dad hang out in the living room area, watching movies, playing games, reading books, etc. We're fans of the Embassy Suites, because they have a manager's reception in the evening (free drinks!), an indoor pool, a cool atrium common space that the kids love to run around, and complementary cook-to-order breakfasts.
- Roll your carseat through the airport.
If you travel 2-3 times a year, it is worth investing in a convertible carseat/stroller. You don't have to check anything at the gate. You just roll the child's stroller right up to the gate, and convert it into a carseat for the plane (or check it, if you have a lap child). At around $200, it's the best investment I ever made. The only problem is that Esme loves her travel carseat so much that she throws a temper tantrum when she has to get out of it to go through security.
- Always bring extra diapers.
We were delayed by 9 hours(!!!) trying to leave Palm Springs. It's normally a 1-hour flight, so I had packed enough diapers to get us through 3-4 hours. Silly me. Luckily, they got into our checked suitcase and found more diapers for us.
- When packing toys, think compact.
I'm an expert at packing for the kids. You need artwork of some sort (coloring book, crayons) and books to read. The Maurice Sendak Nutshell Library is perfect because it's a collection of 4 tiny books, giving lots of reading without taking up lots of space.
Hand or finger puppets are great because they serve the same purpose as stuffed animals without taking up the space. You can have a puppet show on the plane, keeping kids under 5 happy for long stretches of time.
And layer puzzles are great, again because they take up so little space while giving toddlers the chance to practice their fine motor skills.
I also always try to pack something new and exciting. On this last flight, it was a sticker book. But don't forget that old favorite toy that provides comfort.
- Go for the suite spot.
Hotel suites, that is. Kids can nap in the bedroom while mom and dad hang out in the living room area, watching movies, playing games, reading books, etc. We're fans of the Embassy Suites, because they have a manager's reception in the evening (free drinks!), an indoor pool, a cool atrium common space that the kids love to run around, and complementary cook-to-order breakfasts.
- Roll your carseat through the airport.
If you travel 2-3 times a year, it is worth investing in a convertible carseat/stroller. You don't have to check anything at the gate. You just roll the child's stroller right up to the gate, and convert it into a carseat for the plane (or check it, if you have a lap child). At around $200, it's the best investment I ever made. The only problem is that Esme loves her travel carseat so much that she throws a temper tantrum when she has to get out of it to go through security.
Thursday, January 4, 2007
Who has Time to Blog?
This is an apologetic post, a post about not posting, if you will.
Everyone is sick. Esme, Emil, Jacob, me. Hell, I think I even heard the dog coughing last night. We're interviewing nannies, a stressful process under the best of circumstances. Esme's daycare provider is on vacation. And I have three deadlines Monday, and two more looming soon after that. And did I mention that we leave for 'vacation' next week (if you can call visiting family and researching travel pieces with two very young children in tow vacation)? So I can pretty much promise that I won't have time to blog much until after Jan. 16, when we return from vacation.
See you in cyperspace then.
Everyone is sick. Esme, Emil, Jacob, me. Hell, I think I even heard the dog coughing last night. We're interviewing nannies, a stressful process under the best of circumstances. Esme's daycare provider is on vacation. And I have three deadlines Monday, and two more looming soon after that. And did I mention that we leave for 'vacation' next week (if you can call visiting family and researching travel pieces with two very young children in tow vacation)? So I can pretty much promise that I won't have time to blog much until after Jan. 16, when we return from vacation.
See you in cyperspace then.
Monday, January 1, 2007
A New Year's Resolution Gets the Ax
Hallelujah. The NY Times has exonerated me by declaring "messy closet owners are probably better parents and nicer and cooler than their tidier counterparts" in this story (subscription required).
The article talks about how more creative people with limber minds are more likely to have messy desks, among other things. This is nothing new, except it confirms something most of us have thought for a long time: if your house is too clean, then you probably don't have a life. The beauty of seeing this in print is it allows us to let go of the guilt many of us feel when we look around at our cluttered lives. Each piece of clutter is actually a sign of a life well lived. Looking around this New Year's Day, I see toys, several party hats that we made with Esme last night, an empty bottle of Dom Perignon, and the remains of a delicious breakfast. I realize I live a very full life indeed.
I guess I can cross off the New Year's Resolution that says try to be cleaner. Nice.
The article talks about how more creative people with limber minds are more likely to have messy desks, among other things. This is nothing new, except it confirms something most of us have thought for a long time: if your house is too clean, then you probably don't have a life. The beauty of seeing this in print is it allows us to let go of the guilt many of us feel when we look around at our cluttered lives. Each piece of clutter is actually a sign of a life well lived. Looking around this New Year's Day, I see toys, several party hats that we made with Esme last night, an empty bottle of Dom Perignon, and the remains of a delicious breakfast. I realize I live a very full life indeed.
I guess I can cross off the New Year's Resolution that says try to be cleaner. Nice.
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