Things I’m Loving Friday
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Surprising Callie!
Surprise! I’m in Florida! I headed south with the boys on Wednesday afternoon as part of a grand plan to surprise my niece Callie (and my sister and brother-in-law) on Thursday for Callie’s FIRST birthday!!!
I cooked up this little plan a few weeks ago and, with my parents’ help, was able to execute it to the fullest! Chase, Ryder and I hung out at my parents’ place until Thursday evening when my parents were planning to go over to Leslie and Ross’ place to celebrate Callie’s birthday. The boys and I hid around the corner in their front yard and ran out to say “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” and it was just the best!! I absolutely hate that we don’t get to see Callie on a daily or even weekly basis and any chance I get, I find myself thinking of ways for us to make it down to Florida to see this precious little girl!
The boys clearly love their only cousin and Callie is such a trooper about happily accepting a lot of Chase cuddles and grabby Ryder hands.
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Beach + Pool Time
What would a trip to Jacksonville Beach be without lots of beach and pool time!? Considering the fact that both boys are 100 percent water-obsessed, you better believe we’ve been spending our fair share of time splashing in the pool and ocean.
This is actually our first trip to the beach since Ryder learned how to walk and it definitely feels like all hands on deck with both boys running and splashing and playing. Ryder was a little timid around the crashing waves for the first five minutes of our first beach trip but he soon found his courage and now he beelines for the surf. It’s keeping me on my toes, that’s for sure!
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Maple Sea Salt RXBar (+ My RXBar Power Rankings)
I almost always have an RXBar in my bag for emergency snacking purposes. I’m not sure if the maple sea salt is a new flavor or if I’ve just never seen it available in my area before but I picked up a couple of them at the grocery store two weeks ago and they’re awesome!! I have a continually-updated RXBar power ranking in my mind and this flavor just made its way into my top five. My current favs (in order): Chocolate Coconut, Gingerbread (seasonal and SO GOOD), Chocolate Sea Salt, Pumpkin Spice (another seasonal find) and Maple Seat Salt.
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Well Rested Mama Giveaway: Customized Sleep Training Plan
If you are on the struggle bus when it comes to sleep with your infant, baby or toddler, I think you are going to be all about the giveaway I have for you guys today! I know how hard and defeating it feels when your baby is up all the time and you feel like you’ve exhausted every single baby sleep training trick in the book. When Chase was a baby, I felt like I read just about everything there was to read to help him sleep through the night and it just didn’t happen. Now it seems like there are a lot more resources for baby sleep help for those struggling and my friend Cara, founder of Well Rested Mama, is one of those fabulous resources!
Cara is an elementary school teacher turned certified sleep consultant and works with parents to create customized sleep training plans for infants, babies, toddlers, twins and young children. (If you happen to be in the Tampa/Clearwater area, she also offers in-home sessions.) She believes there is no “one size fits all” approach when it comes to sleep training and creates plans that align with your specific parenting philosophy and values.
If you think you and your infant, baby, toddler or little one would benefit from help from Well Rested Mamas, check out Cara’s services (there are packages at all price points) and definitely enter today’s giveaway!
One blog reader will win a customized sleep plan from Well Rested Mamas ($189 value), a Starbucks gift card and a Zipadee-Zip sleep swaddle!
To enter this giveaway, simply follow @WellRestedMama on Instagram (if you have an IG account) and leave a comment on this post telling me about your biggest sleep-related struggle. (My answer: With Chase, his small size made me feel like he needed lots of nighttime nursing sessions and that bled into a lot of other sleep-related struggles. My sleep-related struggles with Ryder all centered around the four-month sleep regression.) I will randomly select a winner next Friday morning. Good luck!!
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Around the Web
Food: Kid-Approved Crockpot Meals / Vegan + Gluten-Free Granola Bars / Raw Brownies / Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad
Fitness: 30 Minute Boot Camp Style Workout / Leg + Booty Blast
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Friday Flashbacks
Crock Pot Coconut Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Stew (A delicious veggie-packed recipe that tastes great as leftovers, too!)
High Protein Hemp Oatmeal (Dairy-free with 14 grams of protein and 14 grams of fiber per bowl.)
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Good morning! I have a 9 week old boy. Our biggest sleep issue seems to be when his last afternoon nap runs long and he’s not ready for nighttime sleep until later than we would like.
My biggest sleep related struggle with my babe: she struggles to fall asleep in her bassinet! She typically falls asleep on me and then I have to transfer her when she’s out cold, but it makes for some long nights with lots of time awake.
Not sure if this counts but I am due in November and already anticipating a lack of sleep…. maybe help determine the best way to schedule sleeping for a newborn.
My biggest sleep related struggle with my 5 month is napping. She won’t stay asleep for longer than 40 min in her crib.
What a great surprise! My baby goes down okay but wants to eat every two hours all night long.
I should add he’s 8 months now, not newborn!
We currently still co-sleep with our almost 3 year old (this was our choice and we’ve loved every second of it!). But now we’re expecting again in March and we know that we need to make some changes before our new little one arrives, if only to ensure that our toddler continues to get enough sleep and isn’t woken up every couple of hours. He is a GREAT sleeper! Our biggest issue is that he reaches out in his sleep to feel that someone is near him because this is all he’s ever known. If one or both of us isn’t there, he wakes up instantly. We need to figure out how to get him to sleep without another human body next to him!
Currently my biggest struggle is figuring out how to help my newborn stay asleep.
I have a 7 month old and he is sleeping way better than he used to! My biggest struggle is knowing whether or not I should feed him when he wakes at night…I usually do because it’s the fastest way to get him back to sleep but he’s such a chunk I doubt he really needs to eat!
I would like to enter this for my sister. She has an almost 4 month old baby boy who fights naps like crazy. He is then usually over tired by the time the “witching hour” hits and it is ROUGH!
My almost five-month old had a cold a few weeks ago and hasn’t slept through the night since. She wakes up every couple of hours for milk but will only drink a little before drifting back to sleep.
Thanks for hosting! My turned one-year-old-yesterday son (birthday twins with Callie) has a bunch of sleep issues: only goes down with a bottle, still wakes up maybe once every three nights, tosses and turns a ton, is up at 5am. Would love some professional help. Have fun in Florida!
Oh my goodness I need sleep help! I have a 6.5 month old, beautiful baby girl who is the happiest baby I’ve ever seen! Love her to pieces. She slept entirely through the night from about 4 weeks until about 3 months. I thought I had hit the jackpot! Unfortunately, a 4 month sleep regression hit us and we are still not out of it almost 3 months later. She wakes up every 2-3 hours to nurse.
On top of that, I’m working full time so I don’t want to deny her cuddles and mommy time since I miss out on so much during the day. But Momma needs some sleep!
I am currently 38w3d pregnant with my first baby. So hopefully I can still enter in anticipation of needing this!!! I am firmly against bed sharing so I know we will face sleep struggles and I will need all the help I can get!
My daughter is 7 months and while she never slept through the night consistently she did have a few weeks where she was sleeping 9 pm – 6 am! However that ended almost 2 months ago and we still can’t get her to sleep well. She’ll sometimes wake up 3 times a night and sometimes once. But it’s been a struggle to still be dealing with this.
Would love the sleep training! Our 3 year old still sleeps on the floor by his door, and the 1 year old sleeps but I’m still nursing him to sleep! Wondering some great tips for these two!
Have a blast at the beach with the boys and celebrating Callie! I can’t believe she’s already 1!!!
Good morning! My biggest sleep struggle with my daughter who is currently 23 months: sleep was a big struggle until I night weaned her at 14 months. She would go to sleep great but then wake up many times every night wanting to be fed.
I am now pregnant and due in January with another girl! I plan to keep the infant in my room for the first couple-6 months or so but then I need to move her to a crib in my daughters room. So they will be sharing and I am at a loss as to how to get both kids to sleep in one room and/or attempt to sleep train or night wean a baby with a toddler in the room.
Glad to hear you made it down to Florida!! Enjoy your trip!
Our biggest sleep struggle with our almost 9 month old son is short naps! He never naps longer than 30 minutes, usually closer to 20, so I’m usually dealing with a cranky, overtired baby. It feels like we’ve tried everything and as a SAHM, I feel like I’m going crazy with how little time I have to myself.
How about sleep training for mamas who have successfully sleep trained their babies, but are still waking up themselves?? 😉
I had my 3rd baby last week and my current struggle is nursing all night long. He is up every hour and it’s slowly killing me. My other two weren’t great sleepers either, so I’m desperate to have at least one baby figure it out.
I have a 9 week old daughter, who will give us a good 4-5 hour stretch the first part of the night, but then from about 4-7 am is constantly grunting, kicking, and fussing in her sleep! I will pick her up but she is tired and does not want to nurse, but her constant moving and noises make it so difficult for me to go back to sleep!
I’m due on November 12th with #2. I had so much trouble with sleep with #1, it sent me over the edge. I’m really hoping that this time I can get ahead of problems so that I can experience more joy than I did in the first year with #1.
Hi Julie!
I’ve been a long time reader but have never commented. I wanted you to know how helpful your blog has been. I had my son in April and I’ve revisited all of your baby related posts!
We are currently struggling with sleep. Things were good and then 4 months hit. Combine that with starting daycare since I returned to work and some illness and my baby who once would sleep through the night is up multiple times wanting to eat and is very fussy. I would love the sleep training!
I have a 11 month old who wakes up multiple times after being put to sleep to play and spends hours awake in the middle of the night fighting to go to sleep because he wants to play. Could totally use any help!
I would love this! I have a 6 month old and our biggest struggle Is teaching her to self soothe.
What a fun post! I can imagine how exciting it was to surprise your sister for Callie’s first birthday. It’s always fun to be with family. I followed Well Rested Mama on IG. We have a 15-month-old (just a few days younger than Ryder) and he was sleeping through the night, but his good habits have fallen by the wayside. Our biggest struggle is nighttime wake-ups – sometimes he puts himself back to sleep, but not all the time. And if often feels easier to go rock him for 5-10 minutes in the middle of the night so we can all go back to sleep instead of listening to him cry on the monitor.
Oh sleep. My biggest struggle right now are really early wake ups with my 11 month old. Along with his sleep just suddenly being more unsettled and him up more- 11 month sleep regression???
Following @wellrestedmama! Gosh, this giveaway would be a serious blessing for me and my little one! I have a 4 month old and we are STRUGGLING when it comes to sleep at night. I recently had to go back to work and I am like a walking zombie due to lack of sleep. This is my third child, and I was a little cocky going into this one thinking I had the sleep thing figured out. I definitely do not! I think we have developed some bad habit and patterns, and I would love some help getting those under control.
My 3 month old has never slept more than 2 hours. I’m exhausted! My first was terrible after her first stretch at this age, but at least she’d give me 4-5 hour stretch most nights.
My daughter is due with her first baby in October. I would love some helpful tips on baby sleep to share with her.
One of my toddlers wakes up several nights per week and is up for HOURS. The other two sleep perfectly fine. I feel like we have tried everything. She’s a stellar napper. I just want all night sleep!
Our girl cannot put herself to sleep no matter how groggy she is. We do a lot of rocking/swaying/singing every time she needs to be put down.
We have a 2.5 year old and a almost 5 month old. The 4 month sleep regression was THE PITS with our second and when I feel like she finally got over it we got slapped with a double ear infection. I think my biggest concern is using sleep ‘aides’ like swaddles, pacis, the dockatot, white noise etc…I just don’t want to have to keep training her every few months as she’s graduating to new stages.
What a fun surprise! I think that spontaneous trips are often among the most memorable–there’s just something about them that makes me feel less like a boring, responsible adult and more like a kid again 🙂 I bet your niece loved it!
Ever since my son got ear tubes in his ears when he was 9 months old, our sleep struggles have been minimal, thank goodness!
Biggest sleep-related issue now: 7 1/2 month old has been waking up at 5:30am wide awake. She sleeps through the night but that just seems a little early.
I would so love to win this giveaway! My biggest sleep issue is that my 8-month-old wakes up between 2-4 every night, no matter how much she eats or sleeps during the day.
I can’t believe she’s already ONE! Where is the time going?? Have so much fun with your fam! 🙂 I’ve got a women’s conference at our church this weekend, so I’m excited for a little ‘me’ time with some girlfriends!
I have a three and a half year old and one year old, neither of which have ever been good sleepers. I’ve tried it all, read all the literature out there because after a solid four years (including pregnancy) of sleep deprivation I’m read for a good night’s sleep! I would welcome some help.
What a wonderful giveaway! We have a 16 month old who has never been a good sleeper since he had reflux and now has eczema really badly. I’ve read a ton of things and we’ve tried a ton of things, but he is still not the greatest sleeper. We would love to win this!
Hi Melissa! I’m sorry your little one is struggling with eczema. I always recommend this cream (my dermatologist referred me to) and it really helps. Luckily my boys did not have to go through eczema but I have been since this past spring. Hope it works for your little one! – Triple Cream Eczema Care & Severe Dry Skin
I have been reading your blog for years now and can’t believe that Callie is already one!
Our biggest sleep mistake is going into the nursery right when the baby wakes up and not giving her time to go back to sleep especially when she wakes up still VERY tired.
My biggest sleep mistake with my toddler twin boys was getting into the habit of rubbing their backs until they went to sleep. We are finally in a good spot but I have a newborn now and would love all the sleep help I can get!
Followed! Oh I could use the sleep package! I have a 16 month old (officially tomorrow) and we are dealing with multiple sleep issues… She was a great sleeper until the 4 month sleep regression and then she started to crawl and walk very early which caused her to go down a curve so I did a lot of night nursing since she wasn’t eating too much during the day (alot of milk (and tears) was wasted down the drain at daycare bc she wouldn’t finish the bottle) so I feel like she got used to the night nursing. Flash forward to today and we just got back from two weeks in South Korea (a 15 hr time difference) and we are struggling with jet lag and sleeping in the crib a lot.
I’m currently pregnant with my third, and already nervous about the 4 month sleep regression, which was a major issue with my first 2, especially the second one who slept terribly from about 4-8 months. So, a plan for #3 would be amazing!
Our biggest struggle with my almost 7 month old is naps. She has always been a short/inconsistent napper. She had been sleeping pretty well at night but this past week has been a complete mess. I don’t know whats going on!
My sweet little four month old has struggled to sleep from day one, and now she’s got a DOC band helmet that is throwing yet another wrench in things. i just started a new job and would love nothing more than a few hours straight of sleep, but mostly want her to experience the joy of a great night’s rest too.
We have several sleeping struggles with our 5 week old. She will not let us put her down for a nap during the day so she naps on it. She won’t self soothe so has to be nurses to sleep. Then at night, she’ll give us one good 3-4 hr stretch but then after feeding, we put her down asleep but she kicks, squirms, and groans in her sleep for the next hour or two and then we can’t sleep.
He’s the youngest of 3 and we’re perpetually tired. We started the vicious cycle of bringing him into bed with us so we could all get sleep…and I imagine you can guess what happens from here!
I am currently pregnant! Would love to enter this giveaway for the future sleep issues I will encounter… haha!
Balancing to have some type of nap “schedule” with my 4 month old, while also remaining flexible with my almost 3 year old!
I have a 2 week old and I’m first time mom who’s just trying to figure it out!
In deep with the 4 month sleep regression right now, trying to figure out how to get him sleeping through the night.