Sleep Training Day Two. And Three.

Oh. My. Goodness.  Griffin is really doing great with our new adventure.  His first night he cried and I had to go in there 3 times to pat his back for a little while.  But, guess what?!  When he fell asleep (on his own!), he proceeded to sleep for 11 hours straight!  Woo-hoo little man!  I could not believe it.  Sleep trained in 1 day?!  Apparently so.  The next day he only cried a little for his nap.  And when it was time to turn in for the night, no crying at all!!  He did wake up once during the night but, I went in to pat him for a minute and we didn't hear from him again til this morning.  The same thing happened today.  For his nap, Ammon went in once to pat his back before he fell asleep.  Then tonight, no crying again!  I am so proud of him and I'm so excited to be getting a little more sleep!!  8 months without really sleeping is long enough.  I love you Griffin.  You make me smile.  You make my heart melt.  You bring joy and meaning to my life.

I love my wife

Those that know me know that I have always been quite the ladies' man. I have dated a lot of girls and would say I know them pretty well. I met Jessica my junior year in college. She was a hot freshman and when I was walking past her on the road on my way to school, I couldn't help but start talking to her. The blond hair and blue eyes have always been a weakness of mine and when you add to that a perfect smile and a smokin body, you have some eye candy that is just to sweet to pass up. I started talking to her and although it was brief, I knew I was going to make sure we met again.

 It didn't take me long to realize there was something different about Jessica. I read people very well and the read I was getting from her was a lot different then any other read I had ever gotten. I later realized that this was the difference between the girls you date and the girls you marry. When I read Jessica I saw what kind of wife she would be, what kind of mother she would be, and what children we would have. I wouldn't claim to have had a vision but I knew exactly what our future would be. I saw the love, the beautiful children, and the eternity of happiness we would have. There wasn't a question of what our future would be like, just a question if we were going to take it.

 Jessica is a good girl in every sense of the word. She has a pure heart, clear mind, and beautiful spirit. In other words she was out of my league when it came to the quality of people we were. My reputation preceded me and Jessica was not ready to give me the light of day, and rightly so. My mission president always told me to marry up. Marry someone that is going to make you more than who you would be otherwise, was his advice. I don't think he ever guessed I would set my sights so high. Breaking the hearts of many others, I focused all my time and effort into charming Jessica.

 Jessica had plenty of guys in her life at this time. She had missionaries coming home, childhood sweethearts, high school sweethearts, and other boys from school after her as well,  (If you are wondering why, go back and read paragraph one). So what would a guy like me have to do to win the heart of someone like her?!?! Let me just say that I am a one of a kind. You won't find anyone else out there like me and Jessica had never met anyone like me either.

 When I want something, I do what it takes to get it. You can't substitute hard work and face time. I made a trip down to the registrar's office. I guess it's also fair to say here that I was a friendly guy that knew the benefits of geting buddy buddy with people in positions of usefulness. After a short coversation with the registrar, I walked out with Jessica's class schedule. This let me adjust my route to and from class so that I would have to pass right by Jessica multiple times. There is a law of percentages and it does work. Jessica was taking an astronomy class which required her to buy a star map as part of the course text. After years of dating girls, I know what girls want and I know how to give it to them, so in comes the charm! I go and buy the map and put it on her windshield with a note saying that I couldn't pass up the chance to give her the stars. I don't care who you are, that is going to win some points.

 Then Jessica got sick. No one turns away soup and comfort when sick. Day after day, week after week, I worked my charm. Now I don't want you to get the idea that everything went smoothly or that Jessica made it easy on me. During all of this, I had to put up with Jessica turning me down every time I asked her out. I would be over at her apartment when her roommate and her decided to write "their missionaries." I continued to jump at any chance I could think of to see Jessica or do something sweet for her, all the while she wouldn't even be my friend. She tolerated me because I was always doing something nice for her.

 One day it happened! We were in Jessica's kitchen, I don't remember exactly what we were doing but I would guess I was making something for her, and.... we kissed. I wouldn't say I kissed her but I would say I made her want to kiss me so bad that she couldn't not kiss me. There is no kissing me just once, it's like opening pandora's box. You would think there was a happily ever after at this point, but you'd be wrong. Yes we kissed and yes she couldn't stop kissing me, but her stubbornness in not dating a boy like me continued. The date rejections continued and so did my pursuit. I didn't let the fact that Jessica wouldn't commit to going out with me keep me from taking her places. She had to leave her apartment some time and I was going to make sure I was around to go with her and if she did stay home well, I'd be there too. An outsider might think I was a bit of a stalker and there might be some truth in that but, when she couldn't keep her lips off me everytime we were alone, I had good reason to keep coming by. I will admit it was quite frustrating to have someone kiss you and then tell you that it should end, and then kiss you again.

 When Christmas break came along, Jessica was clear about not having any kind of commitment as we prepared to head home. I had made plans to visit a friend north of her so that stopping by on my way home wouldn't be so hard to accept. Of course, Jessica wouldn't commit to the plans of me stopping by on me way home so, I left thinking I had met the first girl to not find my charm completely addictive. You know they say "time makes the heart grow fonder." Well, withdrawl can be rough and Jessica didn't last long. I got the call and cut my visit short to come by and visit. I think I spent two days at her house before continuing on to my parents' house. I then drove back up (three and a half hours one way) to bring her to my parents' house. She spent two days there before I drove her back up to her parents. I spent hours in the car with nothing else to do but think about her and how I felt about her. I think it was that week I told her I loved her.

 Jessica was everything I could have ever hoped for in a wife, a mother, and an eternal partner. When I was with her, I could see what we would be like together and knew that no one else could complete me the way she does. She was not like any of the girls I had dated and I knew that if I was so lucky to be with her, that I was willing to do anything for it. I knew what Jessica wanted and what made her happy. I knew that I could make her happier than anyone else could, whether she knew it or not.

 We got back to school from break and Jessica was willing to publicly be involved with me. I started putting the finishing touches on what I would call the biggest sweeping off her feet ever. I am not one that people can read easily and so a lot of things that are not accurate get passed around about me. It was because of this opposition that I knew I had to plan something where Jessica couldn't say no. It was then I started to piece together my proposal. I set the date for Valentine's Day. I pulled some strings and got her ring within a week and, with some help, put together a scavenger hunt. I had notes leading Jessica to all the places that had special importance to us. I had a big vase of a dozen roses waiting for her in the cafeteria where I knew everyone would see them and know they were for her (girls love to get thoughtful gifts but girls love more for other people to know they are getting thoughtful gives). The notes took her to where we first met and ended where we first kissed. I had filled her kitchen with 200 lit candles. This was no easy task when her roommate decided to call the campus police on me for being in their apartment without Jessica being there. There again it pays to know how to use the power of persuasion. Jessica makes her way around campus and back to her apartment to find me standing there in a room full of candles. I got down on my knee and asked her to marry me. Even though Jessica was caught off guard by someone she had met in Nov. now proposing in Feb. I had made it where she couldn't say no.

 From that point on, if we were not in class, we were together. We were happy and in love. To this day, that has not changed. Jessica continues to make me happy. She makes me happy when everything else in the world is going bad. I always look forward to coming home to her. I smile every morning I wake up next to her. There is nothing I like better than being with her.

 Now that you have read all this, I hope you know I could write more. I am so grateful for Jessica and my boys. I don't know what I did to be so blessed but I will forever be in debt because of it. Jessica makes me want to be the best man I can be. She keeps me in line, not by force and not by guilt, but by being such an inspiration to me. Jessica is a great wife and mother. I couldn't have asked for anything better.   

Noah Says:

We were with Ammon and some of his friends tonight.  Most of them are guys but there were 2 girls there, I think.  Noah spots one of the girls and points at her while saying, "I see a girl!  I see a girl!  Look Daddy!  Right there!  I see a girl!  See it?"  Haha.  He totally cracks me up.

While we were still there, Noah walks up to this group of 4 guys that were just standing around talking.  Noah is usually VERY polite and always says "feegit" (excuse me) but apparently not when he's hanging with the guys... So he walks up to them, stands there for a couple seconds and then looks at them and says, "I fart."  This was their first time meeting Noah and they about lost it.  Hilarious!  Stories like these happen every single day.  He is one funny dude.

:)

Sleep Training Day One

I love to rock my babies to sleep.  When Noah was 7 months, he cut his first tooth and started biting me horribly while nursing.  I couldn't get him to stop so at 8 months, we switched him to formula.  About this same time, he started fighting me while I would rock him to sleep.  We decided it was time to sleep train him so he could soothe himself to sleep.  It was super easy to do.  I think only 2 or 3 nights and he had it down.  He also had a blanket and a plug that he loved.  I think that helped a lot.  Griffin is 7 1/2 months old and I have created a nighttime monster.  I (or Ammon) would rock him to sleep and then put him in his crib.  He would wake up 4 or 5 times per night and need me to nurse him to calm down.  I am tired and since I know he doesn't need the food in the middle of the night anymore, it's time to sleep train.  For both naps today I waited til he was drowsy and laid him in his crib with a specific blanket that I'm trying to get him attached to.  Both times he cried for 3 minutes before I went in to pat him on the back.  I stayed in there for 2 minutes but didn't pick him up.  When I left the room, the plan was to let him cry for 5 minutes before going in to soothe him again.  When 5 minutes were up, I went in and patted him on the back for 2 minutes and left again.  This time, I was up-ing the time to 10 minutes before I would go in to soothe him.  For both naps, he fell asleep during this time.  :)  Hopefully soon, he'll fall asleep during the first 3 minutes... I hate to hear my babies cry.  He is in his crib right now working on going to sleep for the night.  I've already gone in once to soothe him and I'm going in again right now to do it again.  K, back.  I think he fell asleep while I was patting him...  Oh well.  That's progress.  We'll see what kind of night he has.  Maybe he won't wake up til morning?!  (he just started crying again...  oh geez)

Documenting the Day

Ammon is currently in Minneapolis on a business trip so, the kids and I decided to come visit my parents, Nana and Poppy. We are having a great time but I really miss Ammon. He is so important to me and I don't like being apart. Although I miss him, we are really enjoying ourselves here. We've been keeping very busy. I'll do a long post later. Right now I just wanted to document this day because, Griffin got his first tooth today! The bottom left. He is such a sweet little man and is really growing up so fast. Nana is holding him in the rocking chair right now and they are both sleeping. Awww... I looked over and I saw his head all the way up on her shoulder and his knees are bent with his legs in her lap. Such a big boy. I love him so much.

A trip to the doctor

I just took the boys to the doctor.  Ammon met us over there.  They are sick.  Noah has fluid in his left lung and is wheezing.  Dr. Robertson (who I love love love!  I'm so glad I finally found a pediatrician that I like)  initially thought it could be walking pneumonia.  His cough is terrible but he is acting totally fine.  He still plays and eats and is a happy boy.  After a test for RSV for both kids, it was determined that they just have nasty colds.  Griffin's isn't that bad and we hope it stays that way.  Noah was put on an antibiotic and an inhaler.  We're supposed to travel up to Virginia on Friday so I hope they feel better soon.  I absolutely hate it when my boys are sick.  It's the worst part of parenting thus far.  We talked briefly about starting sleep training for Griffin.  I love to rock him to sleep.  There's something about having a baby fall asleep on your shoulder... so peaceful.  But then he wakes up 4+ times per night to eat and I can't take it anymore.  I don't sleep at all and it is definitely taking its toll on me (and anyone I come in contact with).  Dr. Robertson assured me that he doesn't need to eat in the middle of the night anymore...  When we sleep trained Noah, he did really well.  He had a pacifier and a blanket though.  Griffin won't attach himself to anything but me.  I might wait until after our trip to begin the journey.

Be Happy!

I like to think that I am a happy person.  I have so many blessings in my life it's hard to think of a reason not to be happy... 

That being said, I do get frustrated sometimes.  

Like when Griffin is crying and Ammon asks me what I did to him.  Like I wanted my baby to cry so I dropped him or put hot sauce on his tongue...  

No.  

Sometimes babies cry and they'll keep crying til you figure out what it is they want.  

I know he doesn't mean anything by it.  He's just joking with me but, it gets me really frustrated. 

 -or- 

When I'm driving behind a slow person.  Not a "slow person" but a slow driver.  I hate that...

-or-

Having to get up 4 or 5 times per night with the baby.  I swear I haven't slept in 7 months.

You get the point.

This week, I am choosing to be happy.  

Happy about life's ups and downs.  

Happy about the differences between Ammon and I.  

Happy about slowing down to see the beauty around me.  

And even happy about the fact that my baby depends on me and loves me so much.

It should be a great week and I'm excited to live it with my loves.

Join me.  Be Happy!

Temple Trip #3

We made the trip down to the Raleigh temple again today!  :)  It's our goal to go at least once a month this year.  Ammon and I love going to the temple together.  I am so grateful that he is able to take me there...  Will and Ginger took the boys to the planetarium on the campus of UNC Chapel Hill while we were in the temple.  They said that the boys were good and had a lot of fun.  Noah loved watching a movie on the ceiling and Griffin, well... Griffin slept on Pap's shoulder.  We met up and headed over to Qdoba for lunch.  When we sat down Noah said, "Mommy, I want chicken and fries... in 5 minutes."  Oh man, that kid absolutely cracks me up.  Like last night.  I got him out of the bath and for some reason we were standing there watching the water drain.  Anyway, Noah said, "Bye-bye water.  See ya later.  Have a good day!  The end."  :)  It's been such a long day but I'm so grateful to have a temple closeby so we can attend regularly.

Noah just locked himself in his room and then couldn't unlock the door to get back out.  You may remember this happening in the past... when he locked me out of the house while he and Griffin were the only ones inside.  Pap had to drive down the mountain to rescue us.  Back to tonight - Noah was knocking on his door and when I got there, I tried to talk him through unlocking the door.  He wasn't getting it.   I went downstairs and got a paperclip and a bobby pin.  Neither one of those was working so I called Ammon, (he's out with the guys tonight) and told him what was going on.  He told me to get a nail and stick it right in the middle and it should push a button that will unlock the door.  I tried and tried and that didn't work.  Apparently we don't have that kind of doorknobs.  By this time, Noah was getting a little anxious.  I called Ammon back and his ideas were to either kick the door in or have Noah pull the pins out of the hinges... yeah right, like that was going to happen.  I told him I was going to take the doorknob off and I'd call him back.  The doorknob came off but it was still locked and I could not get it to open.  Noah was wearing underwear and of course I hear him say, "Oh no!  I peed!  Sorry dude."  Thank goodness for hardwood floors.  Noah turned on his tv and dvd player and started to watch Baby Einstein.  I called Ammon again and he said that he would come home and get Noah out.  I kept trying after we got off the phone and finally got in with a credit card...  Shew!  What a crazy night.  I decided while putting the doorknob back on to put the lock on the outside so we can avoid this problem in the future.  He definitely keeps me on my toes.  You never know what this kid is going to say or do.

Things that are making me happy right now

• pandora.com - I think I've blogged about this before... I really love going to this site and listening to my Jason Mraz, Norah Jones or John Mayer station.  I always find new music that I love.  You need to check it out.
• Ammon's lava lamp - While going through some old things at his parents' house, he found his old lava lamp.  It's blue with white "lava".  Noah calls it the "bubble lamp".  I always wanted one when I was younger... totally rad.
• Ammon's childhood journal - This was another thing Ammon came across while digging around in some boxes.  I have loved reading what he had to say back then.  It has made me laugh and smile to think of him as a child.  I love seeing his handwriting and abbreviations for words he didn't want to take the time to write out.  Man, he's cute...
• Snuggles - from any of my 3 boys, at any time.  It makes me so happy to have my baby snuggle up to me as I rock him to sleep.  And for that toddler of mine to give me some sugar absolutely makes my day. And of course, from my husband.  He's very affectionate and I love it.
• Photography - I have always enjoyed photography and wanted to learn more.  I signed up for an online photography course from this talented lady.  I can't wait to get started!!
• Warm weather - It's going to get cold this weekend again but we have tasted Spring and we likey.  Sitting on the porch swing watching Noah fall in love with soccer or spot different animals is so much fun.  I feel like we're coming out of the cold, dull days and entering to the fun, cheery days of Spring.  :)
• Changing less diapers!

I'm a big boy now

Wow, that's a big toilet seat!!  I should've uploaded it smaller, oh well.  I don't want to redo it.  Anyway, the message is, Noah is officially potty training!  He has gone on the potty a few times here and there before but this past week, he's really done awesome.  We started using a small potty on the floor but he wasn't that into it and we didn't want to have to clean out that little bowl everytime. Yuck!  Ammon found this Bob the Builder seat that fits onto the big potty.  Ours has a "pee guard" so we don't have to worry about cleaning bathroom walls, floors or bathtub if he misses the bowl.  He also gets a dinosaur sticker everytime he goes.  This system is working really well for him.  At first we had to ask him if he needed to go and now, he tells us.  He doesn't like wearing his pull ups.  He tells me that they hurt his butt... He's slowly getting over that.  I just wanted to say thank you to Mom and Michelle for being excited when Noah would call them and tell them that he went.  He really enjoyed being able to share his excitement with other people.  Yay for changing less diapers!

Tough Weekend

This little booger bug has has us so worried this weekend!  We played outside for about 2 hours on Saturday.  It was so fun to be outside with my boys on a spring-like day in March.  When he woke up from his nap, he had a fever of 102 and was vomiting anything that touched his stomach.  He was very miserable but tried to be happy.  After tylenol, motrin, a lukewarm bath, father's blessing, sponge bath, and many many prayers, we all fell asleep around 4am.  His fever had not broken all day and had climbed to 103 degrees.  The next day, Sunday, he was doing a little better but still had a fever and you could definitely tell he didn't feel good.  His head was pink and Ammon could see tiny blisters on the top of his head.  Then, it clicked.  The poor kid had sun poisoning!  I feel awful that I didn't think to put sunblock on him...  Please forgive me, Griffin.  I love you so much and hate that you had to suffer this weekend.

How to become a DIRTY DIRTY boy

First go outside with Gigi.  Walk all around the farm.  Cross the creek, throw rocks in the creek.  Walk through the Christmas trees and jump off stumps.  Make sure to hop in all the holes where the trees have been uprooted.

After about an hour and a half, head over to the sandbox.  It is important to roll all around in it to achieve the dirtiest look.  

Find some of the last traces of snow and mix it with sand.  This ensures a nice wet sand that is sure to be a killer for your mom to try and get out of your clothes.

See?  I told ya.  Nice wet sand.

See if you can find some water where the snow has melted.  Did you find it?

Good.

Now, dig your hands in and make some mud!

Be sure to wipe some on your forehead.  It's what the cool kids do...

Oh yeah, and in your hair as well.

Once you're good and muddy, find a trench of small puddles and run back and forth through it about um... 63 times.

Keep running!  And don't forget to step in every little puddle along the way.

If your pap wants to run with you, that's ok.  But since he missed out on the previous steps, he won't be as dirty as you.

Whatever you do, keep running!

The last thing you need to do is to have your pap teach you how to make a snowball.  Take it over to the car, and throw it as hard as you can.  This doesn't really help in the "getting dirty" process but, it sure was fun, right?

There ya go!  You're about as dirty as you can get.  Good job!  Now, this part is important.  Do not go inside the house looking like a mud monster.  The mess needs to stay outside to keep all adults happy.  Strip your clothes on the front porch, let your gigi pick you up and finally, get into the nice warm bubble bath.  'Til next time!

Snow Day!

Last Monday, the Triad area as well as the mountain communities got 6+ inches of snow dumped on them!  Now, we are right in the middle of the two and what did we get?  1 inch.  That's it.  How that happened, I'm not sure.  We were bummed, to say the least.  We decided to head up to the mountains that afternoon after the roads got a little better.  Noah doesn't have any snow clothes so we bundled him in MANY layers.  This kid was wearing 4 pairs of pants!

Griffin stayed in the truck with Pap.  It was incredibly cold outside.  13 degrees!  He enjoyed watching everyone.

Ammon's turn to go down the hill!  Go Daddy!

It was so bright outside so it's kinda hard to tell in this picture but, they had quite the drift right here.

Noah and Daddy going down the small hill together.

Despite the look on Noah's face, he had fun sledding.

After I snapped a couple quick pics, Griffin and I came inside.  I wasn't wearing a hat, gloves or even a coat!  Brrr!  Griffin loves this piano.  It has been a favorite among all the grandkids thus far.

After a couple hours spent inside getting warm, Pap and Noah decided to brave the cold one more time.  Pap said they walked down to the shop, turned the heat on for a couple minutes and then walked back.  Seriously, it was bitter cold!

We had a fun snow day!  Maybe next year we'll get another snow storm so we can have some more fun.

I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend

The song you're listening to is important but, we'll get to that in a minute.

Ammon and I like lists.  We get much more accomplished when we have a list to refer to.  We write lists for ourselves but also for eachother.  Here is Ammon's list for me today:

• fix registration (I paid to renew the registration for the truck but we never got the stickers)
• put on the calendar when you have to go to court (yep, i got a ticket for not having those stickers on my plate...  and maybe I was speeding too...)
• backup all our pictures and videos onto dvd's
• get all our important papers together so I can put them all in a safety deposit box
• download "lucky" by jason mraz and listen to it while thinking of me
  

I immediately downloaded the song and I love it!  I'm a fan of Jason Mraz and he does this song as a duet with Colbie Callait, who I'm also a fan of.  I love that Ammon heard this song on the radio this morning, thought of me and wanted me to hear it.  I know it's playing right now but, here are the lyrics if you're interested. 

Do you hear me,
I'm talking to you
Across the water across the deep blue ocean
Under the open sky oh my, baby I'm trying
Boy I hear you in my dreams
I feel your whisper across the sea
I keep you with me in my heart
You make it easier when life gets hard

I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again
Oooohhhhoohhhhohhooohhooohhooohoooh

They don't know how long it takes
Waiting for a love like this
Every time we say goodbye
I wish we had one more kiss
I'll wait for you I promise you, I will

I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again
I'm lucky we're in love in every way
Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed
Lucky to be coming home someday

And so I'm sailing through the sea
To an island where we'll meet
You'll hear the music, feel the air
I'll put a flower in your hair
Though the breezes through trees 
Move so pretty you're all I see
As the world keeps spinning round
You hold me right here right now

I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again
I'm lucky we're in love in every way
Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed
Lucky to be coming home someday

Ooohh ooooh oooh oooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
Ooooh ooooh oooh oooh ooh ooh ooh ooh

Does every kid do this?

This is a regular sight at the Piatt household.  He will jump and jump and jump.  Does every kid do this?

ps - The painting above our loveseat was painted my Ammon's aunt, Nanette.  The Washington DC temple is where Ammon and I were married.  She took a picture of the temple that day and then painted that picture.  Beautiful, eh?  Thanks Nanette!

Self-Feeding

 

My friend from Noah's gymnastics class told me about these things.  You put a piece of food in the mesh part and the baby can suck, chew, and drool all over it until the food is small enough to come through the mesh and then it's safe for them to eat.  We tried it out for the first time the other day and Griffin LOVED it!  It gave a me a few minutes unload and reload the dishwasher.  Griffin is really clingy lately so, anything that keeps him occupied for a minute or two is very much appreciated!