One of the questions a couple of people asked is if I’m doing Baby Wise this time with Hayes and how it’s going. Someone also wanted to know if we are using Toddlerwise for Hudson.

We used a combination of Baby Wise, The Baby Whisperer, and Happiest Baby on the Block DVD for Hudson for all different things. Happiest Baby… was great for soothing techniques. The Baby Whisperer was great for knowing your baby’s cues and understanding his cries. We also found that it helped a lot for knowing when our baby was ready for different things like more food, more sleep between meals, and crying it out. (Yes- we are okay with crying it out.) The Baby Whisperer and Baby Wise are similar in their principles about eat first, play second, and sleep next. We did this with Hudson and we’re doing it with Hayes.

So far, Hayes is on a great 3 hour schedule during the day and we’ve just gotten him to a 4 hour schedule for the middle of the night. We are hoping he will extend one of those 4 hour stretches more and more until he is sleeping through the night. He is almost four weeks old and I have to remind myself not to expect too much of him at this point, no matter how tired I am. My friends Callie and Jennifer (both are bloggers) have been great for me to bounce ideas off of and try to figure out if we’re on the right track. It’s always nice to have another mommy to talk to.

Just like we did with Hudson, we started Hayes in his crib from the day we came home from the hospital. He takes all of his naps in his crib and sleeps every night in his crib. This just works well for us and helps us get more sleep when he is sleeping.

Toddlerwise…

I haven’t really used Toddlerwise. But if I have a specific parenting question for parenting a toddler I would definitely consider consulting Toddlerwise. When we were doing the crib to big boy bed transition, I did look at Chronicles of a Baby Wise Mom blog for tips and comments from other moms who have done the transition. It gave me some great ideas.

A book I absolutely love is Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp. I got it for Christmas last year and really believe what it says.

Another question I got was how I’m managing so far with my mom gone and how I find time to do things during the day with two kids.

I’m just being honest, but there’s not a whole lot of time for anything other than parenting. Since we’re working on getting Hayes on a schedule, I’m trying to stick to that schedule. That means we aren’t really leaving the house much, and if we do, we have one outing every day.

I know that this isn’t for everyone and most people (including me) like to be on the go and out and about. It has been four weeks so far and I haven’t felt much like getting both boys out all that much. It’s also my personal philosophy that I’m sacrificing a little bit of fun right now so I can gain many many hours of sleep in the long run!

There is only one time during the day that both boys are asleep. Hudson takes a great 3-4 hour nap every day and Hayes sleeps for about 1.5 hours of that nap.

I have been using that time to either nap, write thank you notes, clean, cook, return emails or  calls, or blog. Today, I’m choosing to blog! And while I blog, I’ve got both video monitors in front of me so I can keep tabs on both boys.

We have the Summer Baby Touch Monitor for Hayes (on the left) and an 2009 Summer video monitor for Hudson. They probably don’t make that one anymore.

The great news is that in a couple of weeks, Hayes will be awake more and going out will get easier and easier as he’s awake.

As far as Hudson goes, he has really been a dream. He is interested in the baby, but doesn’t get in my face or demand to hold the baby. He plays really well in his room and is very easily entertained by books, games, and puzzles. But this is just his personality. He has always been independent and likes to play alone most of the time. I still play with him all day, but when I’m feeding Hayes, it’s great that Hudson is able to play alone for a little while.

He definitely has his share of temper tantrums, jealous moments, and meltdowns, but those are the exception rather than the rule. I think their age difference has a lot to do with how cooperative he has been.

Thanks for all the questions. I’ll be answering questions about c-section recovery, baby registries, toddler toys, and questions about our house!

You have until the end of the month to participate in my Willow House Party! There are some great things for summer entertaining at Willow House and some unbelievable specials!

I am obsessed with home decor and accessories and Willow House has some of the cutest, most unique pieces I’ve seen. My sweet friend, and another mommy to a 2 year old and a brand new baby, Callie from Willow House Mom, has me all set up to host this fun party for my readers.

I think you’ll be impressed!

All of your purchases can be made HERE at Willow House and you must enter my name as the hostess. (Erin Carroll)

* Spend $40, get any item $40 and under at half off!
– To reach the $40, you CAN purchase outlet items and magazines. The $40 item that you will be able to pick at half off can not be an outlet item

There are so many specials for the month of May and the savings are incredible! The items in the two virtual flyers below are up to 50% off. To purchase these, you can visit Callie’s site at Willow House with Callie– they aren’t in the catalog. There is no minimum purchase price AND these items can count toward the show special– with a $40 or more, get any non-outlet item $40 and under at 50% off!

*Remember to list my name, Erin Carroll, as the hostess.

Here’s my favorite part! Willow House also sells your favorite magazines at fabulous prices! This is perfect as summer is coming up and we all need some light, beach or poolside reading as we catch up on Southern Living, Cooking Light, Real Simple and People!

You can get two years of Southern Living for $34.95. Or you can get a year of Southern Living plus 4 monthly issues of Martha Stewart Living for $30. Those are just a couple of my favorites. CLICK HERE to check out the magazine specials!

I thought I’d show y’all some of my favorite items. I have a few Willow House pieces already and really want to add some more to my collection! The Emerson Stemware glasses are absolutely beautiful and I need them in my house! The Gramercy Double Dish stand would make any table display look gorgeous and interesting at a party. I think the embroidered Scrollwork pillow is absolutely beautiful and the Galveston Footed Hurricanes are perfect for flowers on your coffee table or candles on your patio. I love it all!

Of course, most of my absolute favorite items have to do with outdoor entertaining. As we approach the summer, I know we’ll be spending more time outside and hopefully hosting more parties. The Savannah Beverage Server and Nola Party Bucket are two of my absolute must-haves for the summer time! And the Addison tray table is perfect for indoor and outdoor use if you need to move a table outside while you entertain.

Click here to place your order today. These specials run through the end of May. Remember to enter my name as your hostess and you can email Callie at willowhousemom@gmail.com if you have any specific questions about the products.

Once a year I try to do a post like this. I get a lot of emails and comments that ask me to answer questions about the way we do things or advice on various topics. Lately, I’ve gotten questions about c-section recovery and process and baby care, products, and suggestions.

It’s hard for me to answer all the emails- just because I rarely get a chance to actually sit down at the computer. I get overwhelmed trying to answer emails on my iPhone, so maybe I can answer a lot of your questions this way.

So if you have questions about babies, c-sections, pregnancy, or anything else I’ve mentioned or touched on lately, ask away!

Since I’ve blogged about having a newborn before (with Hudson) I’m not sure how much is repetitive, but I know some of you weren’t reading my blog when I had Hudson.

This will also help me get some of my blogging mojo back. I need content! So thank you!

So ask any question you have about stuff I’ve mentioned and I’ll answer them on my blog.

In the mean time, check out this funny video of Hudson. We were watching the American Idol finale and Marc Anthony was singing (while J.Lo provocatively danced next to him). Hudson was trying to dance, but wanted Boudreaux to dance with him. We thought it was pretty cute!