Cosleeping Success!

The glow-in-the-dark moon & stars


Gerritt's 1st time falling asleep on his own in the "big bed"


Gerritt reading his favorite book at bedtime


An unexpected finding one morning - Sophia in bed with Daddy!


The happy family

Well, Gerritt has been sharing a bed with me for about a week now. Like I noted in my recent post a couple of weeks ago, he became interested in sleeping next to me by requesting to go to the "big bed" as I tried to rock him to sleep in a rocking chair one night. I always liked the co-sleeping idea, so we've decided to give it a try. The 1st couple of nights were rough as we were both getting used to each other's tosses & turns. We both woke up frequently & ended up being pretty sleep-deprived. The bed sharing has gotten easier, so now it is more enjoyable. Gerritt loves to face me close (so we can feel each other's breaths & our noses are almost touching) while drifting off to sleep. Our bed time routine involves changing Gerritt's diaper, brushing his teeth, & reading his favorite book "It was the night before Christmas" before turning off the lights. The bad news is that I have to go to bed with Gerritt (he won't sleep without me), which means going to bed at 8:30 or 9 pm. So I have to have my pajamas on & have my teeth brushed by 8 pm. I just have to say, "Gerritt, let's go to bed!", & a few seconds later I find him laying under the covers. The good news is that I don't have to bottle-feed him before bedtime anymore, thus reducing his risk of cavities.
Gerritt is very attached to me & has been known to get out of bed & walk in the dark to the opposite side of the house to find me sleeping with Sophia upon discovering Daddy instead of Mommy next to him in bed in the middle of the night. My husband is actually quite annoyed with this & reprimanded me multiple times for "spoiling" the child. However, I trust my attachment parenting skills. If you really listen to your parenting instinct, who wants to sleep alone? I wouldn't want to fall asleep in the crib alone & in the dark, separated from people I love most. This Mothering magazine article sums it up perfectly. Some other interesting facts I've learned from the article: US is the only nation in the world where infants are routinely put to sleep in their own beds in their own rooms; more parents sleep with their children than they are willing to admit; & cosleeping is safer than sleeping alone in the crib (it may even prevent SIDS). I am not exactly sure what makes me like bed sharing with Gerritt. It is probably having a quiet, uninterrupted, peaceful & unhurried time together. It is great to snuggle up next to him when returning home from work after midnight & not seeing him all day. One night I was actually laying in bed & listening to Gerritt's breathing & feeling his body warmth knowing he was happy & safe next to me. This wonderful feeling came over me & the word I thought of was "bliss." It is pure bliss to sleep next to your baby & feels so natural & right! I wish Sophia could join us, but she still wakes up frequently. If she was in bed with Gerritt & I he would be really sleep deprived. So for now I sleep with Gerritt in our master bedroom while my husband sleeps in the guest bedroom with the baby monitor on. Sophia sleeps in Gerritt's crib for most of the night, however, my husband ends up bringing her to bed with him around 4 or 5 am since she refuses to be left alone. Most of the mornings I find Sophia sleeping sweetly next to him in his bed - quite a sight!
This week I bought 2 boxes of the Glow-In-The-Dark Moon & Stars. Our bedtime routine was taking too long since Gerritt wanted me to read "It Was The Night Before Christmas" book to him over & over. Loud crying followed every time I told him "Good night" & turned off the lights. I really wanted bed sharing with Mommy to be a happy & peaceful experience, so I came up with the idea of putting the glow-in-the-dark moon & stars on our bedroom's ceiling. Gerritt loved it! The stars & moon glow for up to 45 minutes after turning off the lights, so Gerritt has plenty of time to admire them while falling asleep. Now he can't wait to go to bed, turn off the lights & start counting the stars. Problem solved!
I have to wash our bed sheets every 2-3 days since Gerritt's diaper leaks occasionally, otherwise cosleeping turned out to be easy. Good thing it is a king-size bed since Gerritt's 2 dogs, bear & boo-boo (blanket) go to bed with us too. Sometimes Gerritt insists on sleeping with his favorite book & several cars, so I wait until he is asleep to remove them. My husband tried sleeping with us a couple of times without success. Gerritt slept between us & kept waking up every time one of us turned. We were also too warm. I couldn't sleep because of my husband's snoring & Gerritt's kicking. We had the baby monitor on so we could hear Sophia in the bedroom next to ours, however, I couldn't go back to sleep after hearing her cry even if my husband got up to feed her. So we are back to square one: Gerritt sleeps with me & Sophia sleeps with Daddy. My husband & I had to get creative on finding ways to spend time as a couple. We might as well wear t-shirts like this. :-)
Yesterday he & I went to the post office to file an application for Sophia's passport. Gerritt got one when he was about 3 months old, so Sophia followed suit. The passport is valid for 5 years, so we got one for both kids since we plan on traveling to Mexico or Canada in the next few years. Right now it is just too much work, but it is nice to dream about traveling again just like we did before kids came along.

Gerritt's Dental Visit

Sophia's first Halloween


Gerritt enjoying "hammer & nails" in his toddler class


Circle time!


Admiring a sprouted avocado seed


Painting with both hands!

Last week Gerritt had his dental check-up visit. Dr. Thomas did not find any dental concerns & praised me for being such an informed parent. Gerritt cried during the exam & fluoride application, however, had so much fun after the visit, he didn't want to leave. He wanted me to read him books, & he played with wheel magnets on the wall & with a plastic puzzle on the floor of the dental office. He also got a couple of stickers for being a good boy, so he kept admiring those.
Dr. Thomas doesn't know my personal health history, but I didn't see a dentist until I was 6 or 7 years old, & I went to one in my school (When I was growing up in Russia, every school had its own dentist on staff) only because my cheek swelled up. I had a dental abscess. The dentist did not use any anesthetic while slicing my swollen gum with a scalpel & doing a root canal, which was the standard of treatment back then. Needless to say, the trauma of this visit did not encourage me to return. There was no such thing as preventive dental care in Russia (no, no dental cleanings every 6 months), & you went to the dentist only if you were in pain.
I remember spending most of my early childhood crying in pain due to toothaches. I was never taught how to brush or floss, & ate chocolates & fruits at bedtime regularly. I am not sure why my parents or grandparents never took me to the dentist - maybe they thought there was no need to worry about "baby" teeth? And here I am many years later having had fillings in all but 8 of my teeth & more than 9 crowns altogether. If you think there is another parent out there who is more concerned about their child's dental health than me, think again. I am determined to spare my children the unnecessary pain & suffering I went through since tooth decay is largely preventable.
I brush Gerritt's teeth using an electic toothbrush every morning & night using Spry Dental Defense System Tooth Gel, which contains bacteria-fighting xylitol. Xylitol helps raise the pH of the mouth (from acidic to alkaline); inhibits plaque formation; enhances the mineralization of the enamel (it is even effective in treating small decay spots); & stimulates saliva flow. Xylitol is not just for the young. A Finnish study showed that children whose teeth are colonized between 19-31 months of age by Streptococcus mutans bacteria are more likely to have a large number of cavities. Most children acquire these bacteria from their mothers by sharing food, food utensils & kissing. The study showed a 70% reduction in tooth decay amoung children whose mothers chewed xylitol gum (see How Xylitol-containing Products Affect Cariogenic Bacteria. J. Am. Dent. Assoc., April 2000). A study conducted at Harvard School of Dental Medicine concluded that "xylitol can significantly decrease the incidence of dental caries."
Dr. Thomas shared the following educational resources with us:

1) CariFree - I found its article on preventing cavities to be especially helpful.

2) Dr. John's Candies - a variety of tooth-friendly, sugar-free sweets.

3) Spry Gum - xylitol-containing, sugar-free gum.

4) Weleda toothpaste - Calendula & Ratanhia toothpastes contain licorice root extract, which inactivates cavity-causing bacteria for up to 3 months.

I have certainly learned a lot & look forward to implementing more healthy lifestyle changes into our lives. Prevention is worth an ounce of cure, that's for sure!
On a different note, Gerritt is still enjoying his toddler class. We have progressed from holding Mommy's hand to holding his stuffed dog only to holding nothing! Even the teachers commented when Gerritt's dog didn't show up for class one day. He still wants me near him at all times, however. I've attempted to attend the lecture for Moms the other week & had to leave after just a few minutes. Yes, Gerritt is more comfortable in his toddler class. Instead of whispering, "Mommy, come!," he yelled it out loud! :-)