Big Day for Dale
June 16, 2011 | by Rachel
If you've ever seen Jared and I with our babies you know that we swaddle them. And we really swaddle them good. We've developed a technique that can keep the arms of a 8 month old firmly secured all night, always. It's one of my life accomplishments. I consider myself in the top .01 percent when it comes to swaddling skills. I've never met anyone who is better swaddler and I honestly doubt that I ever will. I don't even think that the virgin Mary could come close to my swaddling skills. So there! I'll be putting that on my next resume. So the time has come for Dale. Yes, she's almost 9 months old and we are still swaddling her. I know that it's a bit long to use this newborn technique, but we have our reasons. Mainly the bassinet that she's in is really convenient and swaddling keeps her safe in it. Plus she seems to like being swaddled and it acts as a great sleep cue. Anyway, she started to learn how to flip herself, like a fish, and then she'd get stuck on her tummy. So we've introduced her to the sleep sack. It's always a sad day for me. I don't like the things that mark the growing of my children. I really, really, really, want them to SLOW DOWN. I'm the obnoxious mother who doesn't like her kids' birthdays. I digress. Here she is in her bassinet. This is how she has slept for the last 8 months. Swaddled and tucked in this so-awesome bassinet. She doesn't have a bedroom of her own, so she travels. She sleeps in our music room at night and in Jared and my bedroom during the day. This bassinet has been the best baby gear purchase. It looks awesome and it's so super easy to move around the house.
Reason number 2 for the transition. She's growing a bit tall for the bassinet.
I used to walk around the house with my little log of baby. She really liked her swaddle.
Here she is in a sleep sack in a pack-n-play for her first nap. Doesn't she look so vulnerable?! Her arms just flapping in the wind like that!!
A nap WITH fingers. This is a novel idea for Dale.
Apprehensive...
10 Comments
Love your site....your children are so beautiful. So your swaddle is amazing....could you you tube a demo? I have twins 3 months and currently they are sleeping in thier wraps with the velcro but they are getting so big and strong that they are busting out...they are both colicy and not great sleepers and the swaddle is there only hope for a good night sleep..but I suck at doing a good wrap with just any old blanket...we even have a propper swaddle blanket from Nordstrums but my little Houdinis can bust out of those too.... Any suggestions? oh and yes it sucks that they get big so fast...pregnancy was hard and long but child hood is short but sweet! Aloha- Jill
Wow, you are a good swaddler. I thought I was pretty good, but I'm impressed!
Dale is such a sweetie! How did her first nap go without being swaddled? I LOVE your bassinet, and will totally have to look into one of those whenever we have our next little one. In response to your comment about not wanting your children to grow up...I always thought I was the opposite of that. I've wanted Ory to grow up, but I now want him to stop. I can't believe in less than 1 month he'll be a year old. SLOW DOWN clock...
It is hard, but they all grow up :)
holy crap she's so big! (is that not helpful?)
Wow, she is super tall! Can't believe it! We swaddled too, not quite so long though! :-) BTW, Happy B-day Rachel, hope you had a great day. Looking forward to seeing you sometime the last week of July, will you be around then?
oops! I messed that one up....I'm a month early!!! I guess I thought it was already July.....anticipation :-)
hi Rachel, I'd like your photography. They are so beautiful. I thought it is a soft-light box when I saw dale's bassinet. lol
What a cutie!!
Hi Rachel! What an interesting bassinet...i've never seen one like that. When will Dale get her own room? My other comment is on the chosen sleep sack for her first nap-- First of all, we have the same--exact-- one (yes, in pink), even though we have only 2 boys. It is my favorite sleep sack of all time, and when I went back to target to buy another blue one, all they had was pink, so I bought it anyway. Its so thick and cozy--dale is in good hands for her first non-swaddle nap. THey don't make that kind anymore, i'm glad I snagged two while I could. Second, you can feel better about her not getting so big b/c our boys only fit into that particular pink sleep sack until about 6 mo. She's so adorable. I'll have to get some swaddling tips from you next time around..we only make it about 3 months.