My life – Page 4

Jet Lag and Babies // How to Cope

November 21, 2013 by lauren.anvari@gmail.com Leave a Comment

Anyone who has traveled across multiple time zones knows full well that jet lag is a rough state to be in. You’re exhausted, your internal clock is all out of whack, you find your self wide awake at 2 a.m. and yet struggle to make it through lunch without your face flopping into your bowl of soup. All that is bad enough, but when you have a jet lagged baby on your hands, it is down right brutal.

In my experience, young children are either completely immune to jet lag or completely derailed by it and you can never be quite sure which outcome will occur. Having a baby that is jet lagged is no picnic, particularly because this usually means that you, yourself will also be jet lagged which only compounds the situation. The rule of thumb is that it takes 1 day per time zone to get over jet lag, but that time frame can be quite a bit extended if you don’t actively try to help your child adjust to the time change. You see, when adults are wide awake at 2 a.m. they can be disciplined enough to lie in bed quietly in the dark and try to rest but when a little one is wide awake at 2 a.m. it’s time to PLAY and EAT!

So I share with you some of my tips to help get your tiny tot back on track.

Firstly, stay hydrated.

Next, try as best as possible to stick to your regular nap and sleeping schedule, even if this means that you have to wake them up. Raf and I found that when Asher was awake in the middle of the night, the ONLY thing that would get him to sleep was to put him into our Beco Gemini baby carrier and wear him. This of course meant that one of us had to be awake, so we took turns, but honestly, being awake in the dark with a sleeping baby was preferable to chasing an active baby around from 2 a.m – 6 a.m. Just saying.

Lastly, sleep when they sleep! And be lenient.

Asher was hit super hard with jet lag both going to and coming back from China. It was awful. I literally could not keep him awake during the day no matter what I did, after days of struggling to stick to his 2 hour naps I decided to just let him sleep as much as he wanted (not to mention I was really tired too). So we both slept from 8 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. at which point I bolted out of bed and woke Asher up (who was still sleeping like a log), we ate lunch and 1 hour later Asher fell asleep sitting up in the middle of the living room floor before toppling over onto his face. So, like I said, be lenient, you will only stress yourself out of you are too ridged about getting back on track right away. Do your best, but also gauge the situation and make adjustments where necessary.

Good luck!

Gerber Photo Search 2013 Contest

November 5, 2013 by lauren.anvari@gmail.com Leave a Comment

At the suggestion of a friend we entered Asher into the Gerber Photo Search 2013 contest. Gosh, I know I’m biased but seriously, how cute is that face?!

If you would like to vote for him, just go HERE (or click on the photo above), which will take you to the contest’s Facebook page where you can click on the vote button and feel free to share his entry if you feel so inclined.

Thank you for the support!

Anvari Chronicles // Beijing and Yunnan, China

October 28, 2013 by lauren.anvari@gmail.com 6 Comments

It was so nice to spend two weeks with my family. We spent the first week in Beijing which was nice but the real highlight was the second week that we spent traveling around Yunnan. People were flocking to Asher everywhere we went, countless strangers held my child and even more photographed him. It was quite the adventure, from hiking tiger leaping gorge in Shangri-la to a 6 hour bike ride in Dali, to a horse back ride and boat ride in Lijiang. Here are a few of my favorite shots from our trip:

An Adventure in Solids

September 3, 2013 by lauren.anvari@gmail.com Leave a Comment

We waited until Asher was 6 months old before feeding him solids. I agonized over what to give him first. I wanted it to be something flavorful and with a high nutrient content and the standard rice cereal just wasn’t cutting it. I went back and forth between avocado and egg yolk. Ultimately, egg yolk won out.

So I carefully boiled an egg, removed all the egg white and then blended the yolk with some breast milk. Asher was more than eager for me to feed him this new and exciting concoction. He had been studying us closely whenever we ate anything and was clearly excited to experience this intriguing process for himself.

I scooped out a spoonful of the egg yolk and as the spoon approached his mouth, he leaned forward and opened up as wide as he could. He then closed his mouth on the spoon and a look of sheer befuddlement flashed over his face, to quickly be replaced with one of absolute disgust and indignation as he promptly began gagging in an attempt to expel the vial substance from his mouth.

This was our first introduction into solids. Not to worry though, things steadily improved from there. Although, admittedly, after such a start it could only get better.

As recommended by his pediatrician, we did single introduction, however I didn’t wait 4 days for most foods. If I was giving him something that was more allergenic then I definitely waited longer, but otherwise I’d give him something new every 1-2 days. Since we waited until he was 6 months old to introduce foods to him, his pediatrician assured us that we could give him anything and everything.

I was determined to make my own baby food and since we were gifted with a Baby Bullet by a dear friend it was such a breeze. We used it for a solid 2 months and Asher was sucking food down like he was hollow, so I was using it a lot! Whoever said that a baby will let you know when they are full by pushing food out of their mouth, obviously hadn’t met my son. Asher would eat and eat until he had stuffed himself so much that he vomited all over the place. After this happened once on Raf’s watch and once on mine, we quickly learnt that we couldn’t rely on him to send us any signals and thus adjusted accordingly.

Even though I made the majority of his food, I tended to throw a baby food pouch in my bag for when we were out of the house, because they were SO convenient and easy. I really loved the ones by Plum Organics, but there are lots of different brands and they all come in TONS of flavors. They also made introducing new foods super easy and simple.

When Asher was 7 months old I began tentatively attempting to give him food that was more textured but he flat out refused to eat anything that wasn’t pureed. He even began smelling his food before deciding whether or not to open his mouth, in fact he would only eat certain vegetables if they had been roasted and seasoned (frankly I don’t blame him). Shortly after he turned 8 months old I just decided one day that he was perfectly capable of finger feeding himself (since he was rather adept with the puffs), so I stopped blending his food and simply gave him small chunks of stuff that were on the softer side and lo and behold he happily fed himself!

Some of his first foods: egg, avocado, banana, sweet potato, yam, multi-grain cereal, rice cereal, peas, squash, zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, blueberry, pear, peach, pasta, chicken, beef, cheese, greek yogurt, hummus, black beans, watermelon, plum, quinoa, spinach, kale, asparagus, nectarine, carrot, bread.

He now eats whatever we are eating and pretty much loves it all. We’re so lucky and I can only hope he continues to be such an easy going eater, especially considering that we have adopted a plant based diet, but more on that later.

Sleep Training // Part 2

July 5, 2013 by lauren.anvari@gmail.com 1 Comment

It’s happened. It has finally happened. I night weaned Asher and he now sleeps through the night (for the most part).

I was waiting until Asher turned six months old and started solid foods to see if he would sleep through the night on his own, and well, that kind of happened but he still needed a bit of a nudge. At his 6 month check up, his pediatrician reiterated what I already knew and told me that he didn’t need to eat during the night. However right around this time we had a lot going on, with a bunch of house guests, a wedding, a massive growth spurt and general chaos, so I decided to wait until all the craziness died down to night wean, which was really good, because the aforementioned growth spurt hit which had him waking up every 2 hours during the night demanding to be fed. right. NOW.

So on Monday, June 24th, I told Raf that tonight was the night. I was going cold turkey. I wasn’t going to nurse Asher and he was probably going to be quite upset about it so we should brace ourselves for the sleep loss ahead.

We went about his bedtime routine as normal: bath, bottle, prayers, stories, song and bed by 7pm, but this time I told him that I wasn’t going to nurse him during the night and that it was ‘sleep sleep’ time and that he could nurse again in the morning. He didn’t wake up (well, he did, but it wasn’t a real wake up and he put himself back to sleep before I had even fully awoken). The next morning I was amazed when he woke up at 7am, but I told Raf that this was probably just a fluke and that it was likely just the tale end of his growth spurt so we shouldn’t get too comfortable because surely tonight we would witness his dissatisfaction. Well, Tuesday night the same thing happened. He slept through the night, with only the briefest of wake ups. 12 hours. I couldn’t believe it and was now cautiously optimistic. Maybe, just maybe, he had figured this whole thing out. My little boy, so easy, so happy, so agreeable. Of course he would sleep through the night with little else from me than just explaining to him how things would go down. My sweet angel.

Wednesday night he SCREAMED for over an hour between 3am and 5am. He wasn’t crying, he was screaming. He was MAD. I went in when he first woke up and patted him and told him it was ‘sleep sleep’ time and that I loved him and that everything was okay, then I left. I went back in every 20 minutes after that until he fell asleep. I think it was 3 more times. I felt terrible. It was awful to listen to him screaming like that and thrashing his tiny body about in his crib, but the previous 2 nights had proven to me that he in fact did not need to nurse. So I kept my head down and pushed on through. The next morning he awoke at around 7am and was all smiles and babbles, which definitely helped eased the heart ache I was feeling.

Thursday night I was prepared for a repeat of the night before but instead he legitimately slept through the night without even a peep.

Friday night he woke up screaming around 2am. So I went in and did the whole thing: pat, kiss, sooth but as soon as I left he stuck his thumb in his mouth, rolled over and went to sleep.

And that was that. He now sleeps through the night. Of course, in the past week he has been trying really hard to learn to crawl so there have been several nights when I wake up in the wee hours of the morning to the sounds of him cooing and grunting in his crib as he attempts forward motion. I just go in, put him on his back and tell him it’s time to sleep and he goes right back to sleep. It is amazing.

I’m not sure if it’s because of the night weaning, or because he’s started solids, or simply because of the summer heat, but he seems to want to nurse 1 or 2 more times during the day. I’m not complaining, I get to gaze down into these hazel gray eyes. There isn’t a sweeter view in the whole world.

If you’re interested in reading about how we trained Asher to fall asleep on his own, check out: Sleep Training // Part 1.

Anvari Chronicles // Evan & Rachel’s Wedding

June 21, 2013 by lauren.anvari@gmail.com 1 Comment

Don’t my guys look so dashing in their bow ties! Seriously, swoon! The craziness has died down quite a bit. Evan and Rachel got married and it was a beautiful ceremony and such a fun wedding. I cried my eyes out. Literally, I was a mess. I couldn’t be prouder of the man my younger brother has become. I am just so happy that he has found someone who truly appreciates him for all the special qualities that he processes, and not to mention that I think Rachel is wonderful! They are quite a pair and look how beautiful they are!

Photo credit: Uncle Paul Tubito

A Tribute to My Dad on Father’s Day

June 16, 2013 by lauren.anvari@gmail.com Leave a Comment

Becoming a mom has made me so deeply thankful for my own parents. They are rock stars in my book. I wrote them a letter a few months ago, letting them know how I feel and I share part of it with you all now, to honor the amazing man that is my father and in the hopes of inspiring you to do the same for your own Dads.

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Dear Dad,

While I myself will never be a father, becoming a parent has given me a new found appreciation for you as my dad. You were faced with sacrificing for us in a very different way than mom. You had to sacrifice time with us in order to provide for us and to support us financially. I know now what a burden that must have been for you. I know, I for one never once thanked you for that sacrifice. I know there were times when money must have been tight and you could have easily taken up a job in the private sector or opened up your own practice, but instead you chose to instill in us the value of service. This is something that I am deeply grateful for. Not only were you being of service and doing something you enjoyed but you also came home on your lunch breaks just to be with us. I know a lot of people who can say they never really saw their fathers growing up because of how busy they were and I am so thankful that I am not one of those people. You played an active role in our childhoods. It also fell to you to be the main disciplinarian in the family, which I’m sure is something you must have hated. Thank you for raising us to be responsible and accountable for our actions. You may have had to be the enforcer but you were also able to make us laugh in a way no one else could. I’m the first to admit that I’m a daddy’s girl. I love that I share many of your traits and it made me so happy when grandpa used to tell me that I was the most like you. Our similarities also meant that I wasn’t always the easiest person for you to deal with and I want to tell you how thankful I am to you for walking the line between allowing me to be me while also giving me boundaries and for raising me to the best version of myself. You are the best Dad I could ever ask for. I feel so blessed to be your daughter. I can’t thank you enough for all the life lessons you have taught me and for all the sacrifices you made and still make for us. I will always need you. You are my rock.

I am now and always will be, a Daddy’s girl. I love you.

Happy Father’s Day!

Anvari Chronicles // Maine, June 2013

June 14, 2013 by lauren.anvari@gmail.com 2 Comments

Asher and I spent a lovely week in Maine with my parents, as well as my brother, sister in-law and niece. It was absolutely wonderful and I’ve been trying to convince Rafaan to move to a quaint ocean town ever since. Things have been a bit crazy around these parts, with the approaching nuptials of my younger brother, so I will be back in full force sometime next week, but until then enjoy these photos.

For Your Reading Pleasure // I Read All The Baby Sleep Books

June 1, 2013 by lauren.anvari@gmail.com Leave a Comment

This post by Ava Neyer touches on how confusing and frustrating infant sleep patterns can be and the advice out there isn’t much clearer. You can basically find something to support any field of thought on infant sleep if you dig deep enough. I’ve heard a lot of people say that their babies “just aren’t good sleepers.” While, this may be true in some instances, unless you’re willing to try a lot of different methods, you shouldn’t put the blame on your baby like that. If your baby isn’t responding well to one method, move on to another and if that doesn’t work try something else and so on. There are so many varied methods of sleep training that you should be able to find one that works for you and your baby. Don’t give up.

So read this.

On another note, I am once again going out of town. This time I am heading north to the tiny and lovely town of Eliot, Maine to spend a week with my parents before we all head back to the D.C. area for my younger brother’s wedding. I will be taking Asher with me, but sadly Rafaan, can’t spare the vacation days so it will be my first time flying alone with the babe. While, I’m going to miss my hubs immensely, I’m so thankful to him for understanding my need to spend quality time with my parents and giving me his blessing to take his son away from him for a whole week. I do not think I’d be able to do the same if our roles were reversed. He truly is the better half of us.

Needless to say, posting may be light while I’m away, but I promise to document our trip thoroughly. I have a lot of requested posts that I am currently working on in draft form in the queue. So, if you’ve requested a certain topic, rest assured it’s coming and thank you for your patience.

Anvari Chronicles // Texas Summer 2013

May 29, 2013 by lauren.anvari@gmail.com 2 Comments

We had a blast in Texas and Asher was a huge hit! Raf and I barely held him the whole time we were there, in fact we began to forget that we were parents all together. We went on not 1, not 2 but THREE dates while we were there and it felt so nice to reconnect with the love of my life. We ate a ton of delicious food and spent lots of time with Raf’s extended family which was lovely.

Sorry that this picture is a little blurry, but I had to include it because it highlights the shirt that Rafaan’s mom made for Rafaan when he was a baby and they were living in Pakistan and that has now been gifted to Asher.