Nap time sleep problems. Help!

I feel so conflicted.

I've read several baby sleep method books and done research and all that about getting babies to sleep. Our biggest problem is naptime. Blake spends about 40-50 minutes eating, then I have to burp him, then change his diaper, and swaddle him up for a nap. The whole process takes between an hour and a little more. Then when I lay him in his crib he kicks and plays and wiggles like crazy. I take him out, rock him, give him a binky and he gets totally drowsy. Then when I lay him down he wakes right up. If I leave him he can usually try to work things out for a few minutes, but then after 5-20 minutes he starts crying and screaming. We try to soothe him with a binky, rocking him, patting his back, etc. He gets drowsy, then wakes up and the whole process repeats. This goes on for awhile until he finally falls asleep. By the time he crashes he's been awake for around 2+ hours. Then he sleeps 40-60 minutes before waking up again. Sometimes he can fall asleep, most of the time he can't. But he doesn't seem really hungry, just still tired.

I don't know what to do! I know nap time is SO important during the day and it helps them sleep better at night. Yesterday he had a 2 hour morning nap in his car seat (after finally falling asleep on his own in the crib, and I had to move him 10 minutes later). Then I fed him and did the whole swaddle and try to get to sleep routine. Once again, after 2 hours of being awake, I finally resorted to putting him in the swing to sleep. He slept there for maybe an hour and then woke up to eat. Scott fed him a bottle so I could nap, then he was awake for 2 hours again before we tried to put him in the crib. Once again he kicked and played and didn't fall asleep. So Scott put him in the car seat and we ran some errands. He slept for almost an hour. Then he ate again. Then I did the whole swaddle routine. After he'd been up for 2 hours again, he finally fell asleep in his crib and slept for 5 1/2 hours. I fed him, he was up for 2 hours (shoot me) and then he slept for another 4 hours.

I feel like he gets so tired being up for 2 hours that he can't take a good nap. And obviously he can't take a good nap because he is only sleeping for 45 minutes. I don't know how to get him to nap longer. I don't know if it's because we've moved him into the crib to sleep. Or if he's so used to being rocked, swinged, or vibrated to sleep. Or if he's relying too much on the binky. Or if he is so over tired that he can't sleep well.

Is it okay or normal for him to be awake for 2 hours and then only take an hour nap? I feel like he needs more sleep than that in a day! That's only 3-4 hours of day time sleep with 9-10 hours of night time sleep. Is that bad? Good? Okay? I don't know. :-/

HELP!!!!

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

I had to post this so I could find it again easier! Shadow gave us this recipe. SO yummy!

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Ingredients

• 2 cups parmesan cheese

• 1 (10 ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed

• 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1 cup cream cheese
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Mix together Parmesan cheese, spinach, and artichoke hearts.

Combine remaining ingredients and mix with spinach mixture.

Bake for 20-30 minutes.

Serve with crackers or toasted bread.

found here:http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Spinach-Artichoke-Dip-1209

Winger's Wings Sauce

My good friend gave us this recipe for the Winger's wing sauce from the Utah restaurant. We made it today and it was delicious!!

6 TBL Frank's hot sauce

4 TBL water

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

Bring to a boil. Boil for a couple minutes. Remove from heat and sauce with thicken as it cools. Pour over wings and enjoy!

You can find Frank's hot sauce at Wal-mart in the BBQ sauce aisle. It's the original flavor. Also, we bought a bag of frozen chicken wing pieces and baked them in the oven. It's also good if you deep fry the wings. Also, I halved this recipe for us. It makes quite a bit of sauce. Yum!

29 ways to Induce Labor

o I have been quite amused (and sometimes annoyed) at everything I hear and read that people swear by works to induce labor. I thought I would make a list and share those things I've heard up to this point. Some of them are just wacky. Enjoy. :-) And, if you have any to add, feel free!

1. Walking

2. Sex

3. Exercise

4. Nipple Stimulation

5. Acupressure

6. Acupuncture

7. Reflexology

8. Castor oil

9. Blue Cohosh

10. Black and Blue Cohosh

11. Primrose oil

12. Raspberry leaf tea

13. Spicy food

14. Pineapple

15. Oregano

16. Walking up and down flights of stairs

17. Walking one foot on and one foot off a curb

18. Squats

19. Jumping jacks

20. Cleaning your house

21. Praying

22. Pep talks to the baby

23. Don't think about it

24. Get in a fender bender

25. Swimming

26. Bouncing on a pilates ball

27. Strip membranes

28. Relax and be patient

29. Bumpy car rides

Other things I've seen/heard:

-When you get a big burst of energy, you'll probably go into labor within the next day!

-When you feel really miserable you're about to have the baby.

-When you feel really great you're about to have the baby.

-You might throw up or have diarrhea and then go into labor the next day.

-If you do acupressure, you'll go into labor in the next 12 hours.

-If you're really stressed out, the baby won't want to come into that atmosphere so he'll stay in longer.

-The baby releases hormones when his lungs are developed and those hormones cause labor to start.

And my top favorite that I have now heard twelve trillion times: "Don't worry. He'll come as soon as he's ready. Just be patient."

Yes, I believe it's true, and I trust you, but I'm the one with the huge bowling ball belly that I'm ready to have disappear! :-) Plus, I'm really terrible at being patient...

p.s. I have tried at least half the things on the list...but to no avail.

** Update: I also remember a friend saying someone said "More women go into labor when there is a big weather event or storm because of the air pressure change." We're supposed to get thunderstorms tomorrow....does that mean I'll go into labor tonight!? ;-)

hug a monkey slings!

A good friend of mine introduced me to these awesome slings. Her sister actually invented them and makes and sells them. I'm dying to get one, but I don't want to spend the money. Hopefully I might get lucky and actually win a giveaway for once!

Check them out here:

http://www.hugamonkey.com/blog/giveaway

MY Chicken Noodle Soup

I've been sick and wanting some real good, homemade chicken and dumplings. Unfortunately, that is too much work. So I decided to settle for some chicken noodle soup. However, soup out of the can just doesn't quite work for me...so, I decided to create.

The following recipe is 100% from me. I didn't cheat by looking up what is typically in CNS, and I didn't use any other recipe as guidance. I just imagined in my head and threw stuff in a pot. YUM!!!

1 c. carrots, sliced

1 c. celery, sliced

1/2 c. onion, chopped

1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

1/2 TBL parsley

4 c. chicken broth

Combine in a large pot, simmer covered for at least 15 minutes (or until carrots become tender).

1 chicken breast

1 1/4 c. pasta (measured after cooking)

1 can cream of chicken soup + 1/2 can water

1 1/4 c. boiled chicken/pasta water

Boil 1 chicken breast in enough water to cover it for about 15 minutes, or until juices are clear. Transfer to plate and shred. Cook pasta (I used spaghetti, broken in half) in chicken water about 5 minutes, or until barely soft and a little crispy. Drain into a bowl to reserve water. Dump cooked chicken, pasta, cream of chicken soup, and waters into veggie pot. Add fresh ground pepper to taste. Simmer together about 5-10 minutes until veggies are tender and pasta is soft.

*You can add more chicken if desired.

This totally hit the spot tonight with feeling so icky and sick. I'm quite proud of myself. :-)

Sweet n sour chicken

Sweet n Sour Chicken

4-6 chicken breasts

one egg

flour

oil to cover bottom of skillet

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut chicken in small chunks. Dredge in egg then flour. Brown in skillet. Dump into a baking dish.

3/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. vinegar

4 TBL ketchup

1 TBL soy sauce

1/2 teas. garlic powder

Whisk and pour over chicken. Cook for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to re-coat chicken. Serve with rice and sauteed bell pepper, onion and pineapple chunks.

**My adaptations

I used 1 1/2 chicken breasts and the same amount of sauce. If I did 4-6 chickens, I would double the sauce for sure!!! I also had no soy sauce, so I used teriyaki sauce and added some salt. I also only had red wine vinegar. I also did not measure the garlic powder. I also added a few shakes of Cayenne Pepper (my fave). I also cut the bell pepper and onion into short but thick chunks (like at Panda). I also dipped the chicken in the egg and then shook it in flour in a plastic bag. I also dumped the chicken and the sauce into a skillet with the veggies as soon as it came out of the oven.

Next time I will use less sugar. It was very very sweet and I like a little more tang. I will also use soy sauce. I will also saute the bell pepper first for a couple minutes, then add the onion and pineapple chunks. The onions got soft much quicker than the pepper.

Overall? Delicious!!!!

Thank you Casi Bludorn for this yummy recipe!!