Ferber Method a Success!

A few months ago, I had written a post about trying out the Ferber Method.  I was a little anxious/nervous that it would be too traumatic for the little man, and was contemplating other ways of getting him to a) sleep in his own bed and b) go to sleep without relying on someone walking/rocking him.  Well, last Monday, I decided to bite the bullet and just go for it.  I had the whole week off of work, so it seemed like a good time to try. 

Guess what?  It TOTALLY worked!  The first day was rough, not gonna lie.  He cried A LOT!  But, I stuck to my guns (with encouragement from fellow mommies who've all gone through it) and noticed a dramatic difference within 2 days.  The first night, he cried for about 30 minutes before giving up.  The second night lasted about 8 minutes.  By the end of the week, the crying only lasted about 2-3 minutes.  And by the 7th day, he wasn't crying at all when I put him down!  Not to mention the fact that he sleeps way longer now.  Christmas night, he slept 11 hours!  The last two nights have been 10 hours each.  Amazing!

I know not all babies react the same, and it might be a total bust with our next baby.  But now I have the confidence to at least try.  If by chance there's anyone reading this post who's going through a similar dilemma, I'd really encourage them to give it a try.  It might not work, but there's a really good chance that your baby (and you) can be sleeping better within a week's time! 

Right Now...

I'm trying to finish up my work...at 10:30 pm.  Working from home has it's perks, but it also means lots of late nights. 

The Christmas tree is up and sparkling.  I'm using the glow from the lights as my lamp tonight.  I'm excited about our annual trip to Stats to pick up a few extra special ornaments.  Maybe a new addition to our ever expanding Christmas village....

Baby and hubby are asleep in the bedroom.  It's so quiet tonight!

I'm looking forward to vacation and a trip up north to the in-laws.  Just.  Need. To. Get. Through.  This. Week. 

Hang in there, Ablla!

Happy Holidays!

Five Things

I like lists...here's one about my favorite musicians/bands of all-time (in case anyone is interested):

1.  Depeche Mode
2.  Morrissey/The Smiths
3.  Ryan Adams
4.  Damien Rice
5.  The Beatles

I could easily add #'s 6 thru 10, but I'll keep it short today.

Happy Monday!

Christmas Cards Ordered!

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So Thankful

I'm fairly certain that the coming week will be SUPER duper busy, which means no time to blog about all the things I'm thankful for this year.  I'm taking this opportunity to do it now:

My wonderful husband, who is supportive, and loving, and ridiculously funny!
My little baby boy, who I love more than life.
My family, the people who I look to for love, laughter, and support.  They are amazing!
My friends.  I'm thankful that I've reconnected with so many of them this year.
My health.  I had a great pregnancy and easy delivery.  Recovery was also smooth, and I know I'm lucky!
My job, specifically, my boss.  She pushes me, and encourages me, and still understands the importance of a home life.
Having a nice place to call home.

All in all, 2010 has been an amazing year.  A whirlwind to say the least!  I'm so very lucky and thank God for all His blessings!

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

New Name

I thought I'd change the name of this blog to something a little more personal.  Simple Gifts was too generic/vague for me.  Anywhay, I think "Say Ablla" is funnier.  Get it?  Say Ablla, as in, Se habla...espanol?

I've been hearing it my whole life, so I figure I might as well put it to good use. 

Adios!

So I Don't Forget

The little man stood up without any help today!  He stood there for about 10 seconds or so...putting it here so I don't forget the date!  Way to go buddy!

Currently Reading

I used to read a TON.  My commute to work is about 90 minutes, and pre-baby, I used to take the train from Pasadena to Irvine every single day.  Needless to say, I had a lot of time to kill and would fly through books.  Since the little man came into our lives, I've been working from home more and more.  When I do come down to the office, I'm driving.  Those big chunks of time that I used to fill with books have up and run out of my life.  So sad.  Lately I've been feeling the itch to do some reading again and have settled on Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. 

I've been thinking a lot lately about the child, and ultimately the man, that my son will become. I want him to be happy.  I want him to thrive.  I want him to grow up healthy, and strong, and kind.  Not too much to ask, right?  I also want him to feel connected to nature.  Not in a forced, granola, yuppy mom kind of way.  Seriously.  I don't want him to be so caught up in video games, and computers, and technology that he forgets how to have fun outdoors.  Getting dirty isn't such a bad thing, is it?

Well that's what this book is about.  I'm only a chapter in and I find myself nodding in agreement to what Mr. Louv has written.  It's really easy to become a germ-a-phobe when you have a kid.  I try my best to keep him clean, but there's a fine line between that and raising the 'boy in the plastic bubble'.  Based on the fact that it's a national bestseller, I'm guessing that I'm not alone.  Hopefully the rest of the book lives up to my expectations.  We're off to a great start so far!

One Last Halloween Thought for 2010

We decided not to take the little man trick-or-treating this year...mainly because he doesn't eat candy yet.  Go figure! We still wanted to take him out though and get some use of his adorable monkey costume.  We ended up delivering cookies to a few relatives who live nearby.  I think it worked out great!  We got to spend some time with family, do something fun for his first Halloween, and eat some delicious cookies along the way!