Dad Stuff

January 12, 2012April 5, 2017 Matt Dad Stuff, Sleep, The Domestic Specialist

SLEEP TIME CHALLENGE: DAY FOUR, THE COMEBACK

I awoke to happy giggles and a warm sounding “Dada!” through the baby monitor. It was 8:30am. I did a double take. 8:30am!? She slept through the whole night? There was no visit from the Midnight Monster!? Yes! I managed to do the impossible, and in only three days! I happily got out of bed and was ready to tackle the day. Day three ended up being a piece of cake, so all I had to do today was repeat it and seal the deal. I was back! Back in charge and back on top! Watch out Ellie, I’m feeling fierce today! Rawr!

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January 11, 2012April 5, 2017 Matt Dad Stuff, Sleep, The Domestic Specialist

SLEEP TIME CHALLENGE: DAY THREE, THE BABY WHISPERER

The last two days proved to be productive, but I needed to make another big step forward. The score was tied but I needed to pull ahead in a big way. Today would really decide the series winner. If I could maintain the same progress from the past two days, or even better, I would be on my way to sweet victory. A fifth day might not even be needed. But if she turned the tables and pulled some new tricks, it could be disastrous to my strategy.

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January 10, 2012April 5, 2017 Matt Dad Stuff, Sleep, The Domestic Specialist

SLEEP TIME CHALLENGE: DAY TWO, MIDNIGHT MONSTER

After making it through day one of our sleep time challenge, I was more confident in starting day two. I now had a framework to follow. I didn’t need Rocky, The Office, ninja mind tricks, or Yoda’s advice anymore. I knew what to continue with and what to fix. Sleep well, you will.

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January 9, 2012April 5, 2017 Matt Dad Stuff, Sleep, The Domestic Specialist

SLEEP TIME CHALLENGE: DAY ONE, GAINING CONTROL

We had been accommodating Ellie and her unreasonable night time demands for too long. Aya was exhausted from putting her down, and I was exhausted from handling the middle of the night cry sessions, which always ended with me sleeping with her on the floor. It was time for a change. To reclaim our evenings and get our good night’s sleep back! The plan was to survive through the Holidays, but as soon as Aya went back to work, it was time for me to make a stand. There was no more pretending it was just a “phase.” I have to face this head on. It was to be the biggest challenge of my life. I had to do it, and I had to do it alone.

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January 6, 2012April 5, 2017 Matt Dad Stuff, Feeding, Food

MILK, IT DOES A BODY GOOD?

Ellie used to drink about 18 ounces of milk a day. Six in the morning, six in the afternoon, and six before bedtime. That went down to 12 ounces, and by the time we left for Japan, it was maybe 6 ounces. And when we were in Japan, it went down to zero. Well, apparently the milk is processed differently in Japan because it tastes different. Aya said she had a hard time adjusting to Japanese milk in the beginning when she first moved from the States to Japan. So sure enough, Ellie wanted no part of it. Not even just a little bit. She was completely turned off. So after trying for five days and wasting milk (I sure didn’t want it, it tasted funny!), we decided to let it go. She would be without milk for just a few weeks, it’d be okay. She would be excited for milk when we got back. At least that’s what we were thinking.