The title is "Quarantine Weeks 3&4", but we might actually be on week 5. That about sums up how lost we feel during this! What day is it? Another day of survival. But in all honesty, we are trying to enjoy our family time. Isla has stayed very busy. Here are some of the things she's been up to:
She loves to help me bake. I'd really like to get her a "learning tower". It's basically a tall, secure stool for helping in the kitchen.
She's been actively making art over here. We've come a long way with being ok with the mess of markers and paint. We decided to send some art out in the mail. She was excited to help me put these in the mailbox (although it sounds like some of you didn't get any mail for whatever reason... sorry about that).
A little post-bath, pre-bedtime snack!
This girl loves a good sensory bin!
Isla had a really hard time in the beginning understanding that daddy was home, but couldn't play with us. Sometimes it's still hard, but if we stay out of his way, she's pretty good about not crying. On this particular day, she needed to help daddy with his work.
Isla met her first ladybug and was very intrigued!
We liked drawing on the fence.
Most of the time, Isla is hanging off my leg, screaming while I make food. Every once in awhile, she finds a way to occupy herself. Magnets on the fridge are a good way for her to be close to me, but still out of the cooking zone.
Throwing a little food coloring into water and then allowing her to mix them is very entertaining. She loves her sensory bins, but water bins keep her entertained even longer!
Isla was excited about some new clothes that came in the mail. She especially liked her silky-feeling swim suit!
Sometimes we find creative ways to eat! She likes having her snack served in an egg carton.
Grandpa and Mimi sent Isla a beautiful dollhouse for Easter. It came at a great time. She needed a little something new to keep her from going crazy during this quarantine!
We've just started working with contact paper. I've seen all sorts of fun things to do with it online. We made a sticky wall and I gave her different objects to stick. She had fun with this before she ripped it all down.
One of the best ways to keep us sane during quarantine is to get outside. Unfortunately, this week has been cold and snowy! But hopefully we can get back to the nice weather we had last week pretty soon. Our neighborhood has a park with a big open field. We stay away from the park equipment like we are supposed to, but the field is a fun way to run around! We like to take "snack picnics" on our adventures.
We found out Isla really likes Monical's Pizza. For daddy's birthday, he got his favorite pizza and Isla really enjoyed it too. It's not mommy's favorite, but I made it work since this birthday was a big one (30!).
This picture should be called "Quarantine: What day is it?" haha
We've started our bug and bird unit. Isla loves playing with her little bees.
The last couple weeks have had me feeling like a not-so-great mama with the amount of screen time Isla has had. It's still nowhere near a large amount, but it's still more than I like (which is zero). But Isla has sprouted 7 teeth in two weeks, gone through a sleep regression, and has had a hard time being cooped up and quiet while daddy is on work calls. Screen time is our saving grace some days. I still only allow about 30 minutes tops, if that, but it's not how I'd like her to spend her time. We did find a really great show called "Caitie's Classroom" on Super Simple. It's a real life lady who sings, makes crafts, and tells stories. We avoid cartoons (which are not developmentally appropriate at her age for a lot of reasons), it has great educational info, and it really feels like Isla is sitting in a classroom. She even sings a long or dances! I guess if we have to do screens, that is what I would prefer. Once quarantine is over, we will be back to a zero-screens policy in our home :)
And our biggest issue lately has been... you guessed it... SLEEP! On December 28th (yes, I remember the exact day), Isla slept all the way through the night. It was the first time in her life and she was almost 15 months old. I don't know what changed. I don't know what happened. Literally the night before that she had been up 5 times. But we were so excited. We had months and months and months of trying literally everything out there- four different sleep methods, sleep consultants, pediatric sleep specialist, melatonin, white noise, black out curtains, perfect temperature, different sleep sacks, different loveys or sleep aids, bath before bed, snack before bed, dream feeds, pacifiers, music, oils, massage, appropriate amounts of sunlight, following wake windows, sleep-inducing foods, vitamin D, and so on and so on. We've done it ALL! Then one night, she just did it. We call it the Red-headed, Ready gene. She's the most stubborn person I've ever met.
We had about 2 solid months of peaceful, full night's sleep. Then it all went downhill. She started sprouting a tooth, and then another, and then another... we think she got 7 or 8 teeth in a 2 week span. She was miserable. She also hit the 18 month sleep regression. For some people that's not a big deal, but for Isla it has been awful. Apparently, separation anxiety peaks in full force around 18 months. As we would start to get ready for bed (the same routine we've had since about 4 months old), her bottom lip would start to quiver. It was heart-breaking. She knew we were going to leave her alone soon. We've had several nights of her crying herself to sleep. Sometimes an hour or two goes by with no end in sight, so we sit next to her until she falls asleep. Then she started waking up earlier and earlier in the morning. First it was at 5:00, then 4:00, and now she's at like 10:30 some nights. It takes hours to get her back down. She doesn't nurse or take bottles anymore and that was always our easy go-to crutch to get her back to sleep. So now we pull her climbing couch into her room and one of us (usually Michael because this pregnancy hurts my hips and legs at night) sleeps next to her crib with our hand on her chest for the rest of the night. She fights naps too. They are either short or don't happen. It's been a nightmare.
We have slowly (and I mean very slowly) seen progress. She will sometimes fall asleep on her own or after minimal crying. Sometimes she will put herself back to sleep after a night waking. And her early mornings are fixed if we go in there and lay with her. That way she makes it to 6:00 or 7:00, which makes for a much happier baby.
I think the hardest part of all of her sleep issues has been that we feel incredibly helpless. We don't know how to fix this or make it better. We've read and heard that she will grow out of this regression, but it can take a couple months sometimes. Meanwhile, our days in quarantine with an over-tired, fussy toddler are sometimes pretty awful. I consider myself a fairly patient person, but some days I have to tap out when Michael gets off work just so I can have a breather. I love Isla so much and I just want her to be happy and healthy. I know that when she gets good sleep, she's her best self. So if you're the praying type, we would love prayers for her little body to figure out what it needs. And for the very tired parents to have patience with each other and the situation. Hopefully, we get back to sleeping great soon! Those 2 months were bliss.
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