Arts N' Crafts

Last year for my birthday, I was pumped to get a Silhouette to aid in all of my crafting needs. The main reason I got the thing was to etch glass, which one of the Stitch N' Bitches taught me (S&B is a very exclusive club my mom belongs too...hey B's!). Up until a few weeks ago, the only thing I had done with my Silhouette was to cut out wall art for Benji's room.

I'm sure you all thought that was the handy work of me and an x-acto knife, but you're wrong. Anyway, here we are nearly a year later and I finally got around to etching.... and I'm obsessed.

Note to self, don't buy orange dish soap. How fun is that though?

This was just a test to see if you could etch colored glass (and to give me a reason to consume a bottle of wine). Yes, colored glass works.

C O E * R * votives, $1 each... personalized to look way more expensive than $6.

Drinking pints got fun (as if it wasn't fun before)! Glass #3 would have been useful in college when "chug chug" was my game of choice. If you forget the rules, see your glass.

All together now. I need more glass before I etch my windows.

This was a shower gift for a friend's "Monograms & Mimosas" bridal shower. Not quite a monogram but this 9x13 + a fun apron, oven mitt and recipes made a cute gift!

Who has things for me to etch? I decided my etching business will be called "Ketchy" (although it looks like Ketchup now that I type it out). But, get it? Katy's catchy, etchy... Ketchy! Yea. enough of that for one blog post.

Since this is an arts n' crafts inspired post~ let's bring it back to baby with some face in hole, made by the Rodfather.

You can be the judge of what's an art and what's a craft.

I'll tell you what is a craft... getting your baby to sleep through the night. I am admitting my first defeat as a parent. Benji will NOT sleep for any significant amount of time. A good night for us means I put him down about 8 or 8:30, he wakes up about every 30-40 minutes 3 or 4 times, about 10:30 or 11 he is out "for good" he wakes up around 2, 4, and then at 6:30 for good. I repeat, that is a GOOD night. I do not feed him each time he wakes up, I do not pick him up each time he wakes up... but he keeps waking up. The kid would sleep 8 hours in my arms if I'd let him but my neck can't take it (and who wants some mommy-issues 3 yr old?).

I have read ALL about different methods and tactics. Don't make eye contact, don't pick him up, pick him up until he stops crying, let him cry it out, feed him a ton before bed, make sure his daily schedule is consistent, don't worry about it until 6 months, he should sleep 12 hours by 4 months.... basically, the internet is full of at least one advocate for every theory you can think of. My theory? Every baby is different and mine prefers his mommy (can you blame him? Actually its any living, breathing human that will snuggle him but my pre-screening requirements nix quite a few out).

We've been doing the cereal thing so I know he's full at night, he breaks out of the swaddle and I tried to wrap his center, but no change, he's in sleep sacks... nothing. I think he wants to be on his tummy because he wedges up against the side of crib in an attempt to get over to his stomach but I'm not going there. Back is best, right?!? I decided to attempt the Super Nanny's version of ferberizing him last night and let me just tell you, it was awful. I have attempted to let him cry it out before and even got as far as 20 minutes but twice I could hear him gagging himself because he was so hysterical so I quit that. Last night was another attempt... at 20 weeks and 1 day.

I put him down, kissed him and left. There was a delayed reaction but he eventually started to cry.. sort of a fakey cry... testing me. 2 minutes and I went back in (instant stop to the crying), did not make eye contact, shushed him, patted his tummy, said goodnight and left. Wait for it, wait for it... boom. Cry for 5 minutes. Back in, pat the tummy, no eye contact, repeat goodnight and out. No delay. Instant scream. 10 minutes on the clock.... go. It subsided for a second around 8 min and I thought he may be spitting up then it came back with a vengeance. 10 minutes was up, and I walked into a nightmare. Vomit everywhere. This was no spit-up. It had the puke smell and I have never seen that much of anything come out of him, and he's had some serious diapers. His poor little head was sitting in a puddle, hair soaked, face soaked, arm soaked, pjs soaked,sheet and mattress pad soaked.... it was awful. He was sobbing, I started sobbing and I swooped him up and hugged him until he got it together. Puke in his hair, in his ear, in my hair, all over both of our clothes.... I repeat, it. was. awful.

I don't care what worked for your kid, this will not be how Benji learns to sleep. I had to wash the sheets, give him a bath, change both of our clothes and feel horrible that he could not comprehend my apology for doing that too him. And to top it off, he barfed up a day's worth of food so of course, he was hungry again. I'd rather put him to sleep my way and wake up every 2 hours than that puking nightmare. Maybe he's still too young, maybe eventually he'd learn but come on, in 3 timed attempts to "let him cry" he has make himself puke every time, with this being the most extreme. Forget it. I rock him until he's drowsy, put him into the crib (where he immediately wakes up), and stand there until he goes to sleep. This is what I signed up for, right?

Screaming Sleep Monster - looks sooo innocent

Matt is probably fearing the resentment with every word he reads. I don't resent him although I do think ferberizing may be a team sport. We will see how things go the next few months. I keep praying that after a month+ of the same routine, he will get tired enough to just fall into it (he doesn't really nap either) but so far, it hasn't happened. He definitely doesn't have my sleeping genes. I'm an 8 hours + kind of person. Matt is more like 5. Hmmm... mini-matt has another resemblance to dad.

The good news is, as tired as I am, I trudge into the nursery to find this...

Now that's my best arts n' craft work yet.