Baby In Training

When it comes to baby ESK, SK and I consider ourselves to be lucky. We had a very smooth pregnancy, comparatively easy delivery, and a quick recovery. And we've heard over and over again that ESK is a good baby -- easy-going and docile.

For the most part, I agree that she is an easy baby. She sleeps well during the day, has no problem with eating, talks (baby talk that is) a lot, smiles, laughs...

But between the hours of 10 p.m. and 1 a.m., she turns into another baby -- a crying, fussing, hyperactive, cranky baby. Arms go a-flailin', cries are piercing and loud, tears are a-flowin'. Once she falls asleep, she's out for a good six hours at least. Which is great, but not good enough. This has been going on for about two or three weeks now.

So starting yesterday, we are putting ESK into sleep training. Our arms and backs can't take it anymore and now that she's 3 months (!!!) we think she's ready to really start sleeping through the night. I talked to my sister yesterday and found out her cousin GMK slept from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. when she was this age.

This means more work for me since I'll need to start logging her sleep/waking hours in spreadsheet-style manner and really start watching her for her sleep cues. But ultimately, I'm hoping this will mean more relaxation time in the evenings for both SK and me! We need it!

ESK Survives The Rock
Our days in the Bay Area are limited, so SK and I are trying to do as many touristy things as possible before we leave. Last week, SK had some days off, so we finally made a trip out to Alcatraz Island (immortalized in the cinema classic "The Rock", starring Nic Cage and Sean Connery).

Sight-seeing with a baby isn't that easy. Gone are the days when we could just grab our jackets and go out the door. We made sure we had an extra bottle of milk, plenty of diapers, change of clothing, extra blanket, etc. And even though we gave ourselves an extra cushion of time, we hustled to make our scheduled ferry trip across the bay and made it just as it was boarding.

All the effort was worth it. It was an interesting tour and made me glad that I did not choose a life of crime! So depressing! This jail in particular seemed especially cruel because the prisoners could see sparkling San Francisco and its free and fair denizens from their jail every day.

Here's a photo of lil' ESK being scared straight. We figured a few moments in a dark jail cell would keep her on the straight and narrow. Alas... she slept through the entire tour!