This and That.....

Just in case you’re wondering....

Life in the Schmidt house has been pleasantly nice over the past few days! Thanks to a bunch of lovely facebook friends, I received a ton of advice on how to help our sleeping issue we were having with our little man. I appreciate everyone’s advice, and though I didn't take a lot of it, I appreciate everyone giving me advice on what worked for their kids. I am sticking to my guns and not going to put cereal in a bottle (even though I know it has worked for a ton of people), and I don't want to supplement with formula (nursing is not an issue). So, we have opted to giving him a bottle at bedtime instead of me nursing him, this has really helped! By giving him a bottle at bedtime I know exactly how much he is taking and how much he is not. So, when/if he wakes up I know that he probably should eat/shouldn't eat depending upon his last bedtime bottle.

Well, the past three nights he has done great! Thursday night he slept from 9-4, Friday he slept from 8-11 (we were out and he woke up when we got home) then  he slept from 12-4, Saturday he stayed with my sister and slept from 9-4, and last night he slept from 700-9, then from 915-345 (with a little session of tears at around 11). So, we are getting there, and it is working right now. Hopefully he will continue to sleep through the night and I think he will. He just needs a little help (and a mama who is going to stick to her guns) with when he needs to eat in the middle of the night and when he doesn't.

Now to rant for a minute, and maybe some of you mommies out there will understand....

What kind of got me irritated this past week and actually a few weeks ago when I posted something about letting my little man sleep in bed with me; is that people want to give you advice/their opinions and then judge you for not doing what they said you should do.  I am not by any means saying that what I am doing is the best way to handle the sleeping issue we are having/had, because what I have learned over the past few weeks is that even though something works well for one baby it may not work for mine or someone else's. I am obviously all up for trying new things because if one thing isn't working, I am not going to give up, I want to keep trying or find something else that is going to make the situation work!!! I mean don't get me wrong I am totally jealous of the fact that some baby's that are younger than Carter are already sleeping through the night, And I always think of what my niece Sloan was doing at his age. But, I know that there are not two same babies out there, and I need to just handle what Carter does without comparing him, or having other people compare him to their kids.

People obviously can judge you for the way you raise your kids, I have seen it happen, but is there really just one handbook on how to raise them? I mean because it worked for your kids, does it mean that is the way other people should do things with their kids.  If I want to let my little guy snuggle in bed with me, then I can... He's my baby... Don't pass judgment on me. If I want to give him a blanket to let him go to sleep.... again... he's my baby... Don't pass judgment on me. If I want to let him take a nap in the middle of the living room floor (and yes, that he where he likes to nap), remember he's my baby... don't pass judgment on me. I love getting advice and I love seeing and hearing all the ways that other moms are raising their babies; that is why I ask....but just because I am doing mine differently sometimes (because I am doing what is best for CARTER and what makes him happy) I would prefer for people not to pass judgment on me...

Ok... now that I have ranted a bit... I should stop!

Will follow up with some pics tonight of our little boo boo!!