From the files of Oliver Goss

Listen folks, it is pretty busy being a baby. I am learning new signs daily (latest being "apple" and "thank you") so, it is understandable when even a very astute and with-it baby forgets to post a few videos here and there. Well, in the interest of saving you time (because if you are busy like me, sometimes it is even hard to find the time to Tweet) I want to post all the lost videos I have recently found on one post. So enjoy my people. Much love, O.G.

Wonder what we do all day? These videos should clear up some things!




This next video is a classic. Really it is just me hanging out and yelling at mom. She loves it when I do that!



Before we go, I wanted to let you know that I have picked out a new puppy. Here is a video of us meeting for the first time!

Sleep Bootcamp

So, since being pregnant I have been very VERY lucky. My boombahs only hurt for a few weeks when Oliver nursed and my supply has yet to drop (still early though). The only thing I have to complain about is the way night nursing makes me feel murderous. During the day I am perfectly fine but when that sun sets, I become like a nursing she-wolf. I hate the way my skin crawls when he whines for me to lower my top, I just feel touched out. So, something had to give and that is when I found Dr. Jay Gordon's sleep plan.

The goal is to get him to sleep for 7 hours straight through with NO nursing. This is a ten day plan. The first three days, you nurse to sleep and nurse if he wakes in the hours of 11-6 but only a bit and then you rock and comfort other ways back to sleep. For the second three days, you nurse to sleep but if he wakes from 11-6 NO NURSING, but you can pick up and rock. For the last four days (or more) you nurse to sleep but again, no nursing from the hours of 11-6 and also, no picking up the baby. You can comfort with words and pats, but no rocking.

Before we started this method, Oliver was waking every hour to 2 hours during the night, every night. While we are night weaning, I am sleeping - heavenly alone - by myself in the guest bed (which will eventually be Oliver's bed) because half the issue is my laziness and nursing him just because it is quick. Because I am in the other room, it forces me to mindfully get up and take care of him, plus CT, who is still co-sleeping, can take care of the minor wakes.

Day One: Cried for 45 minutes the first time he woke at 12am. Cried again for about 45 minutes when he woke at 4am, but he ONLY WOKE TWICE!!!

Day Two: Cried for 15 minutes when woke at 12am. Cried for 15 minutes when he woke at 4am.

Day Three: Never really cried and was asleep within 5 minutes at 12 and 4am.

Day Four: I foolishly tried to co-sleep again. He woke ever hour again until I moved out at midnight. When he woke at midnight and 5am, it took about 10 minutes of crying to get him down.

Day Five: My husband tells me he woke several times last night, but I couldn't tell because....HE TOOK CARE OF THEM!!! At midnight I had to come in for a few minutes, and then a little before 3am, Oliver decided to cry for over an hour. YIKES!

Day Six: Finally had to decide that nursing back to sleep at 3am is what it is going to take for the little man to go to sleep. He was up for an hour again. Le Sigh. However, I was able to sleep in bed with him only waking twice!! YAY!

Day Seven:

Day Eight:

Day Nine:

Day Ten:

Signs

We started sleep training last night. We are doing the Dr. Jay Gordon method of night weaning because I have had enough of waking every two hours while trying to grow a human being. Don't get me wrong it HAS been fun and all, but I am moving on to...oh dang, what is that word? We used to have it all the time back in the day...oh yea, that's right, sleep. So pretty much this consists of a ten night boot camp of seeing just how loud your baby can scream. Turns out, pretty loud. CT's ears were still ringing this morning. Oliver has to learn that breasts sleep too, from the hours of 11pm to 6am. He slept a continuous 4 hours last night, so maybe it will work! I am sleeping in the guest room until the process is over and Oliver prefers Daddy to Mommy at night time.

Apparently, four continuous hours of sleep does a body good because I sang the Moulin Rouge soundtrack to Oliver while he was getting changed and Oliver suddenly knows the sign for "more". That's right folks! It only took 8 months of signing to him for him to learn that if he touches his finger to his palm, we give him goodies. Tonight while I was nursing him, he kept signing 'more' 'more'! Until he fell asleep. Sure, it could be that he just loved it and didn't want to stop, or it could be that my milk supply is tanking. Sigh. I will get video of it soon!

So now, my new goal is to get him to sign 'milk' before he weans and to get him to sign 'poop' (the funnest sign EVER) and 'pee' when he does either one. I guess I figure if he knows the sign for it we can use it to potty train him. Maybe? I'll be honest, I think potty training is a miracle. It amazes me when a kid willingly just hops on a potty and makes a deposit. No idea how to approach it or when. Luckily, I have no problems with two in diapers because honestly, Oliver sorta thinks the toilet is some sort of bookshelf.

Good Baby v. "Bad" Baby

Recently, while getting a heavenly pedicure with my good friend and neighbor Gean (hello!!), I had to question my parenting techniques. Not wanting to have to corral my 14 month old love of my life while receiving a foot massage, I left Oliver at home with daddy. Well, SILLY ME!! There was a mother and daughter getting a pedicure/manicure at the same time as Gean and I and they brought along their 15 month old granddaughter/daughter. We were there for 2 hours, they were there for longer, and that baby didn't scream, move to launch herself out of the stroller or throw her toys ONCE while we were there. Gean suspected drugging. It was abnormal. Then, about half way through my pedicure, around the time they use that tickly foot scraper thing, I heard it. The reason the baby was so complacent to sit and watch her mom get pampered without complaint, bored out of her damn mind.

SMACK! SMACK! Holy crap! She is slapping the baby's hand for wanting to play with the nailpolish bottles!! SMACK SMACK! Again!? Should I say something!? I mean, the baby just wanted to see the pretty colors, she wasn't trying to unscrew the thing and throw it in your face - though I might if you keep hitting your baby. The way I figure it, the baby doesn't understand at 15 months old, that nailpolish is dangerous if you open the top, drink it and then ask for seconds. All she sees is something pretty that is less boring than watching some old ugly broadget their calloused toes whittled down. You aren't teaching the baby anything but "curiousity is bad" at that point.

What we would have done: Taken the display down, put it in front of Oliver and pointed at the different colors, naming each one. Wow! Using something the child is obviously interested in as a teaching tool, imagine! I mean, I know kids are supposed to be like glorified lap dogs now a days who never cry, sleep through the night by force, and who's feedings don't get into the way of having a cocktail or five but it is so sad when a child is hurt by the one person who is supposed to love them and protect them the most because she is too lazy and too selfish to think of some better way.

Now if you will excuse me my baby is crying on the floor because I am ignoring to blog about how I am a better parent.

Name My Baby Contest!!!

Hi guys! Since most of you don't follow the other blog, I thought I would post here too. I am having a contest at my other blog, so check it out!

The Gosslings

Oliver On Sleep

My mommy is mad at me. I don't know why! I am trying my best to be a good baby! I eat all of her oatmeal at breakfast and all of her sandwich at lunch, and during dinner I only drop the bits of food that Dante would enjoy, onto the floor. During naptimes, I make sure my mommy gets to watch as much of the weird looking people show as she wants by taking a long time to go to sleep.

Last night it was really obvious that she was mad at me, but it wasn't my fault! I am thirsty all the time, especially after I get some milk, I think mommy has been eating too much popcorn or something. So I want my sippy cup, but then I miss my mommy, so I eat some more, and then I am thirsty all over again. Besides this, someone snuck into my room while I was sleeping and shoved a fork into my mouth, my gums hurt so badly. I kept trying to tell mommy that my mouth hurt, so maybe she could chase the bad fork away, but she kept saying angry sleepy things to me.

I just had one of those nights where nothing felt good. My tongue was dry, my mouth hurt and I just couldn't get comfy, so being the nice baby I am, I decided to save everyone from a similar tossing and turning, and woke them up to play. Sure it was still dark out, and sure I wasn't the happiest when I woke up, but I was trying to help!!