So what about "Dear Mr. Ferber"?

My intentions were good, but I have not updated because my results were not as stellar as I hoped.  I was sure that sleeping through the night and potty training just required simple focus and determination. How unsubmissive could children really be? Oh, they can break your spirit without even trying.

So, day one ended with Caroline not taking naps and being incredibly tired, Maddox urinating on the carpet three times, breaking our computer screen with a scrub brush, no naps, consuming a ton of processed sugar (aka. mini M&Ms), not getting dinner cooked, no workout for me, and throwing in the towel (pardon the run on sentence). That is right, I was broken by a 6 month old and 2 and a half year old. So, ten pairs of wet underwear and one swaddled baby later we fell asleep to try again another day.

My anti-potty training has since improved. He does, now, ask to sit on the potty a few times a day. We have more dry diapers than before. However, the child is content to be in diapers half the time. Caroline is a laid back kiddo with a desire to be just like her older brother. It has caused her to develop her gross motor skills at a fast pace. So, I suspect that she will continue to follow suit and indeed potty train when he does. I can truly see him being three and a half and her being 18 months and conquering it in one swoop. Only God knows the timing. However, I can not loose my sanity over it. My Type A personality is learning to take a back seat with two little ones. As for Ferber...

He came and went and came back again. This time, he is here to stay. We began swaddling again and then realized that Caroline was waking up with no way to self-soothe. So, we decided to really bite the bullet and take her arms out of her "convertible Woombie" (we love them) and endure more frequent wakings with more opportunity to learn self-soothing. We decided to implement this five nights ago.  Just in time for my mother to arrive from Pennsylvania. She endured it well. Caroline, however, has a new edition. A precious pink bunny blanket that she sleeps with. I love finding cute transitional objects.  Of course, Maddox got one too. He is a gray bunny named Rascal.

So, a month or so later, we have two new bunnies, a better night time sleeper, and a toddler who still prefers a diaper to "unnawear." However, sanity is returning, and for that, I am grateful.

P.S. We miss you already Gigi!!!

But I thought you were a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner....

That is what my inner monologue sounds like. I have most of the answers my patients are seeking, but when it comes to my own kids...they are rarely text book. With my own children, my brain turns to mush, and I become an irrational panicky mom like the rest of them.

Current problem, Caroline's weight and transition to solids. Our little one is gaining weight like a mini-sumo wrestler. She is a 22 lb. six and a half month old. Literally, she gained four pounds in the last two months! I thought Maddox was a big baby. So, I decided that I would check his baby book. He was 18 lbs. 9 ounces at 6 months. Also, he was a pound heavier than Caroline at birth. That means she has literally beat him by 4 pounds over a 6 month period. Our provider, who I fully trust, thinks that I should bottle my creme de la creme milk and send it to children in Africa suffering from famine. It was a great suggestion, but I am just one momma. Additionally, I do not think customs would approve.

So, the consensus was to try and reduce her overall intake or dilute her milk so it was no longer heavy cream in nature.  We thought that giving her a sippy cup of water a day or giving her an ounce or two of water in each bottle would help. FAIL! She was so mad at me after the first time I tried to give her water, she refused a bottle for  a full 24 hours. Oh the joy of girl drama! Truly a woman scorned. She will take a slightly diluted regular bottle, however. The second part of the plan was to increase her intake of solids.

Again, FAIL! This poor princess has had trouble with her belly since day one. We make her baby food so that we know everything that is in it. As well, it saves money. However, she has only been able to tolerate some applesauce and oatmeal. Everything else has made her cry and have poop that smells like straight vinegar. So, looks like this little one is going to be a chunky monkey for awhile longer.

 Could she be any more precious, really?

I wish I had all the answers, but I do not. I am daily discovering more ways that the Lord uses children to not only humble Brian and I but to teach us. We are so dependent on God. No matter how much we know or how successful we are, it only takes a few tears from my daughter and some diarrhea to remember that I am not actually in control at all. It is only by His grace....you fill in the blank.