Hayden and I just love our daddy. Even though we may be a little distracted by the Christmas festivities, we have in actuality been looking forward to his birthday for a while. I can’t wait to sing “Happy Birthday to Daddy…” and eat CAKE!

In thinking about dad’s special day, I’ve been trying to figure out how I can make sure he knows that we appreciate everything he does for us. Hopefully he’ll like the little present that mommy helped us make.

We’ve gotten lots of great bonding time in with daddy this year, especially since he started working his new job a few months ago and gets to be home most of the time. I try not to bug him too much when he’s in the office, but sometimes he lets me go in there and watch songs on YouTube while he works on his laptop.

My top 10 favorite memories with daddy this year are:

10. Apple picking in New York, when daddy lifted me super-high to reach the apples on the trees.

9. Daddy coming to my swim class, even though he thinks public swimming pools are gross.

8. Entertaining each other on lots of plane rides.

7. Getting beamed up together at the Star Trek in the San Jose Tech Museum.

6. Daddy carrying me all over the neighborhood because I was too scared to walk myself when we went trick-or-treating.

5. Watching the Yankees win the World Series.

4. Decorating our Christmas tree.

3. Going to my first Syracuse Orange game at the Carrier Dome, and meeting Otto.

2. Daddy introducing me to my little sister Hayden.

1. Daddy introducing me to the movie Annie.

Thanks for being the best daddy in the whole wide world!

- Maddy (and Hayden, if she could talk)

This week was our first legitimate attempt to try to get Hayden to sleep through the night and on a daytime schedule. We’ve half-heartedly tried a couple times before, but never with this much willpower. I give her a solid B. I’m hoping she’ll be up in the A range by next week, so I can feel less sleep deprived.

She’s gone from always eating at some point in the night (sometimes 5 times a night) to not nursing for the past 6 nights in a row, and from having a completely random daytime nap schedule made up of mostly cat naps to a pretty consistent 3 naps a day.

However, she still protests every time I put her down in her crib, wakes up once or twice each night crying for us – sometimes for over an hour – and the length of her daytime naps seem totally random, ranging from 45 minutes to 3.5 hours at a time.

Here’s more than you ever wanted to know about Hayden’s sleep…

- Night 1: slept over 10 hours, but woke 3 times (including from 4:30-6am) and nursed once (I was too weak that 1st night, since then I haven’t given any reinforcement to the night wakings – no nursing, no rocking, no nothing)
- Day 1: 2 2-hr naps at random times

- Night 2: slept 9.5 hs, woke only once briefly
- Day 2: morning, afternoon and evening naps at the right times, but her morning nap was too short and her evening nap was too long

- Night 3: slept 7.5 hrs, woke once for 30 minutes
- Day 3: 3 naps on schedule, but afternoon and evening naps were too short

- Night 4: slept 9.5 hrs, woke twice (including 1 hr at 4am)
- Day 4: 3 good naps on schedule

- Night 5: slept 9 hrs but wouldn’t go back to sleep after waking up at 5am (Helloooo, still dark outside!)
- Day 5: good morning nap, okay afternoon and evening naps

- Night 6: slept over 10 hrs, woke twice briefly in the night
- Day 6: good morning and evening naps, but only an afternoon catnap in the car

- Night 7: slept 9.5 hrs, woke twice (including 1 hr at 2am)
- Day 7: good morning and afternoon naps, but short evening nap

Upon discovering her mommy trying to secretly buy a cupcake for herself:

- Maddy: “This my cupcake, mommy.”
- Meagan: “No, it’s mine, but if you’re a good girl and go on the potty when we get home, maybe I’ll give you a bite.”
- Maddy (thoughtfully): “Hmmm. No, I think I eat it my cupcake. Maybe give you little piece, mommy.”

Upon discussing what she wants for Christmas:

- Meagan: “What do you want for Christmas, Maddy?”
- Maddy: “Christmas wishbox!” (this is from an episode of Little Einsteins in which they receive magic Christmas presents that turn into their wishes)
- Meagan: “Okay, great, what will you wish for?”
- Maddy: “Hmmm. Maddy! And mommy and daddy and Hayden.”
- Meagan: “That’s nice, we will all be together on Christmas.”
- Maddy (to Hayden): “Hayden, you want it wishbox? I share my wishbox with you.”

Upon discussing her sister:

- Maddy: “Hayden’s going to get bigger bigger bigger, like me!”
- Meagan: “Oh yeah? What’s she going do to when she gets bigger?”
- Maddy: “When Hayden gets bigger bigger, she’s going to eat pizza with me! And she’s going to dance with me!”