Baby Gear: The Co-Sleeper

Like politics these days, the sleeping arrangement debate has fierce proponents on both sides. Somewhere in between the Red State Ferber camp (crib in a separate room, let babies cry it out, teach independence) and the Blue State Family Bed crowd (natural to be together, provide security) is our Arms Reach Co-Sleeper.

It's like a crib where one side is the same height as a regular bed. It's been perfect for us -- very easy to provide a reassuring pat or get a pacifer back in place without getting out of bed. And there is no danger of roll-over or suffication from comforters.

There is only one problem with the co-sleeper -- our little babies have grown into big babies. So big that they only fit diagonally. The switch to a crib will likely happen within a week or two, but we'll be sorry to see the co-sleeper go. Fortunately, it converts into a pack-and-play for extended use.

We highly recommend a co-sleeper as a compromise between safety and security.

Winter Wear

Despite day-time temperatures in the 80's, it's been pretty cold at night. Well, cold for us which means anything below 60 degrees. Perfect oppotunity to break out the 6 month winter wardrobe before spring arrives next month.

Here Ryan and Lucie sport onesies, Rachel sweaters, knit caps, and booties. Everyone managed to survive the chill as we walked to get Chinese food for dinner. Of course, Megan blames the MSG for keeping the babies up, but that's a different story.

Ryan on Rogaine

I was looking through my baby book recently and came upon this photo. My dad captured this in October 1973 when I was just a little younger than Ryan and Lucie. The first thing I thought when I saw it was, "Wow, it's Ryan - with hair!" The resemblance made me catch my breath.

We're still trying to find a family photo that looks like Lucie, though when I see her sitting on her dad's lap, I know exactly where she came from.

Let's Eat

At Ryan and Lucie's four month check-up, the doctor said that we could start introducing solid foods, starting with rice cereal, within the next month or two. Being the Generation X parents that we are, a book on making baby food was purchased online that very afternoon. Wouldn't want to start this important step without doing our research, right? (I won't even go into how long it's taken us to buy a crib!)

Anyway, I think I forgot that making baby food is about as easy as it gets - grab a mushy banana, mash it with a fork, and there's breakfast. I definitely remember this from helping my parents feed my younger brother. Oh well, the book does have some good tips about making large batches of foods and freezing individual size servings in ice cube trays for future use.

We won't break out the bibs quite yet, but in the meantime we're having fun watching Ryan and Lucie develop some fat rolls and grow out of clothes. Here's Lucie modeling size 6-9 month, and a pom-pom and rasberry hat - adorable creations from Aunt Rach of course!

Backsliding

We'd like to think that once Lucie and Ryan achieve a milestone, their behavior will be forever changed. Achievements like waking up only once a night, taking two-hour naps in the morning, or going to sleep with little effort should be an indication of the future.

Only they have different thoughts. There has been a significant backslide over last week -- waking up 3+ times a night and irregular naping during the day. Not surprisingly, this change directly corresponds with blog inactivity.

One step forward, one step back, and maybe one to the side. Cha-cha-cha.

Update: Megan insists that I let everyone know Lucie and Ryan only woke up twice last night over an amazing 11 hours. And no dirty diapers!