The Truth About Toning!

SO many people, I mean so, so many people (mainly women), say they want to tone.

“I just want to tone up.”

“If I could just tone my abs I’d be happy.”

“I wish my arms were more tone.”

Little do these people know that they actually have the same goals as most women in the lifting room at the gym.

“Toning” refers to being able to see some muscle definition. It doesn’t matter if you mean a large muscle or a small muscle, women want to see a little skin on muscle. They want to feel and appear tight and toned.

Before I tell you how to achieve it, I will tell you what WON’T work:

• Long, drawn out sessions of cardio
• Lifting light weights for many repetitions
• Restricting your eating

These habits described above may lead to fat loss (keyword - MAY) but they will not get you the desired tone look you are looking for. And even MORE importantly, the attitude leading towards these habits is NOT sustainable or mentally healthy (and that shit’s IMPORTANT).

So now that I’ve told you what won’t work, let me tell you what WILL:

Step 1) Accept and love yourself as you are

I know this does not sound like what you want to hear but it’s important. You can LOVE yourself and APPRECIATE your body and be PROUD of who you are on the inside and the outside while still wanting to change it. I believe this because I live this currently. It took me awhile to get here, and insecurities still pop up (don’t they with everyone though?). It is quite a delicate balance, a walk on a tightrope if you will, but it is possible and doable and sustainable. I promise.

Step 2) Take control of your nutrition

In order for ANY change to happen physically, you must take a look at your diet first. Your body needs a solid blend of macro and micro nutrients in order to function properly and do what you want it to do. Start big and then narrow down. Make sure you are eating a ton of veggies, lean proteins, healthy fats and whole grains. Then, consider getting a professional to do an accurate calorie/macronutrient breakdown for you so you can be sure you’re getting in everything you need without going overboard. Your body can not change if you don't properly fuel it. Eating less and less and less will not work - it will simply slow your metabolism to the point where any fat loss is practically unnoticeable and you eventually give up, eat a ton, and the cycle starts all over.

Step 3) Lift some heavy stuff 2-4 times a week

Women: you will not get bulky. Let me repeat: YOU WILL NOT GET BULKY. Well ok, you will if you eat at an insane surplus and take steroids. My guess is you aren’t going to be doing that. Women are built differently. We don’t pack on muscle as easily as men do. We don’t have the testosterone for it. The reality is lifting weights leads to muscle breakdown and regrowth. You need to eat enough of the right stuff in order to fuel your body for muscle repair. This process naturally speeds up your metabolism, and not just an hour after your workout. 24/7. Like an engine, leading to long-term weight management. It’s AWESOME.

So when you are lifting, shoot for somewhere in the 8-12 rep range per set. And this doesn’t mean that by 12 you stop regardless of how fatigued you are - it means the weight should be heavy enough that doing a 13th rep with proper form just isn’t happening. Yes, you need to lift heavy. Light weight will not cut it - it’s a MYTH that light weight and high reps will “tone”. Your muscles need to be stressed and fatigued in order to grow and change. And by heavy I mean what I just stated above. Its different for everyone - for some, 25lb dumbell bicep curls might get them to 11 MAYBE 12 reps with good form. For others, it might be 10 lbs. It depends on you!

Speaking of bicep curls, sure, do them - but the focus should be on compound movements during your workouts. Compound movements are exercises that work more than one or two muscle groups in your body. Think squats, deadlifts, bench press. Again, consider hiring a professional to walk you through these movements with proper form. I happen to know a few good ones ;)

Another tip: try shortening the time between sets, or even doing an active rest of jumping jacks or kettle bell swings, in between sets to keep your heart rate pumping and calorie burn high. You can hit two birds with one stone using this method (though I don’t recommend it long-term).

Step 4) Get active

This can be intentional cardio a couple times a week - a jog or time on the elliptical. But it doesn’t have to be. If you already have an active lifestyle then there is no need to stress yourself by adding more. You heard me: you don’t need cardio in order to “tone”. Strength training and diet control will give you everything you need. Of course, moving and breathing heavy and sweating is just plain good for your heart health and longevity, and it burns extra calories, so try to find ways to be more active in your daily life. Take your bike to the grocery store, go for a long walk after dinner, stand at your desk while at work, take the stairs...it all adds up.

So that’s it folks! With a healthy mind-set, solid diet, proper strength training utilizing progressive overload (slowly increasing the weight and/or reps over time) and just a little more activity built into your life, you can both build muscle and lose fat to show the muscle you’ve worked hard to build.

Go get strong. And look like a bad-ass while doing it. :)

3 going on 30...

 

  Yesterday our baby girl turned 3. We celebrated exactly how she wanted - papi took off work, pancakes, eggs and sausage for breakfast, extra TV, lots of snuggles, a trip to the pool, and a small dress up tea party at our house with only her cousins and neighbors in attendance (we gave her options of where to have her party - the pool, bowling ally, Rambazamba...she wanted home, with only a few people). We ended by letting her sleep in our bed.

 

 

 

 

 

And now its over, its Saturday and she's three and life is the same but I am still in awe of this little human we created, and the person she is becoming. She is so unique, and I know she will grow and change but it is so fun and amazing to watch.

 

I feel like as much as we want to say we see personality traits in our babies, many times TRUE personality doesn't start showing itself until around age 2, when they show preference for colors and start talking and expressing themselves more. So I feel like this last year, from 2 to 3, has been such a Camila-discovery year. Before I had a daughter I always imagined a little me, but darker skin and hair like Donovan. She could NOT be any more different. She looks nothing like me (some expressions here and there and her lightness but seriously, thats it, she's all Donovan). I assumed a daughter of mine would be extroverted, tomboyish, flighty, distracted, attention-seeking... Camila is none of those things. Many of the traits she's showing are very similar to Donovan. And, well, she's just...HER. I guess that's how it goes, doesn't it?

 

When she was 12 months, I remember so vividly pushing her stroller into a packed elevator and her smiling and waving to everyone and saying, "HI! Hi! Hi!" We laughed with pride of course, but now she couldn't be more different. She's slow to warm up (but when she does let you in, she loves HARD), a little introverted, and very attached to her mami and papi. She doesn't like attention to be on her, prefers small groups and being home many times (though often when we are out and about she asks "Where are we going next?! I don't want to go home yet!") She loves to swing and swim, loves her cousins and her family, loves the colors pink and yellow and sometimes blue because Elsa wears blue. She loves to read and hates going to bed and loves her brother so much she wants to hold him like a baby even though he hates that. She loves to wear dresses and hates ponytails and loves to sing but hates when people look at her. She loves to paint her nails ALL BY HERSELF and loves to snuggle on the couch and watch TV and loves to play soccer but really doesn't like it when we try to get her to practice her balance bike. She's very dramatic when she falls and gets the tiniest scrape but doesn't want anyone to touch it or look at it or react to it in any way. She loves strawberry flavored everything, pasta, fruit, fish and olives and playing with her dolls and hiding from papi when he comes home from work. She has the biggest most intense imagination and she talks and talks and talks and asks why and why and why and we are absolutely obsessed with her.

 

 

 

Here's to going on 4 baby girl... we can't wait to discover who you will be by then, and every year onward.

 

7 Habits of Highly Ineffective Diets

How do you know if you're considering an ineffective diet?

Not all diets are created equal - look out for these 7 clues that a diet will not get you the long-term results you are looking for.

7) It has the word "diet" in the title
As a general rule, anything with the word "diet" in the title is not going to be effective long-term. When you see the word "diet" think "short-term", "drastic" or "buy me". Don't get me wrong, not all "diets" are BAD. Some can be great for short-term jump starts, such as the South Beach Diet or even Keto for a small population of people -  But many are simply dangerous, will crash your metabolism, and a money scam, which brings me to my next point...

6) Anything claiming to cleanse
Did you know that your body is a powerhouse?! EVERYTHING needed to digest, extract nutrients, and yes, CLEANSE, is already contained within the walls of your muscles and bones. The body has been a well-oiled machine for much longer that you or I have been on this planet. Yes, a poor diet can make you sluggish, slow your digestive system, cause you to retain water and make you feel like you need a cleanse. But the best cure for this feeling is to simply clean up your diet. Eat more nutrient-dense foods, drink tons of water, exercise, all that healthy stuff, and I promise your body will take care of you.
Oh but your friend did a cleanse and lost 5 lbs in a week? That's all water weight, not fat loss. It is impossible to lose 5 lbs of fat in that short a time. So yes a cleanse might give you an immediate weight drop, but as soon as you start eating normally again, it will come right back. 

5) Claims to give you results without knowing anything about you
We are all different, We have different body types, metabolisms, heights, weights, exercise intensities and lifestyles, likes and dislikes, mental and emotional battles...this must all be taken into account when making a dietary lifestyle change. Yep, I said it, dietary lifestyle change.

4) Promises desired results in an unreasonably short amount of time
I often see advertisements for diets use before and after pictures that depict the .01% of people who's bodies responded immediately. Or, they use pictures of people that didn't actually do the diet at all and so its a lie. Or, they promise your dream results in a time period of weeks. Guys, it doesn't happen this way. It just doesn't. 

3) Restricts an entire food group
This one is simple - unless you have a medical condition or ethical reason keeping you from eating a certain food group (think: celiac disease, or vegans/vegetarians, in which case you may need to supplement - message me if you need guidance on this) you should steer clear of any diet that restricts an entire food group, such as carbohydrates, which are needed in the body to create energy. Or fats, which the body also uses for energy and hormone regulation. Just...no. You will find yourself vitamin deficient, sluggish and unhappy really fast. If you find yourself feeling like you have to cook separate meals for yourself and your family to accommodate your new diet, something's off. 

2) Restricts or demonizes "bad" foods
Do you have a weakness for ice-cream? Chips? Popcorn? Whatever it is, EAT IT! Mental health is just as important as physical health, and I can guarantee you, labeling foods as "bad" and never eating them is a one-way path to obsession, binging, and self-hate. Don't do it. Of course I'm not telling you to eat those things all day every day - in general many of those fun foods we crave are not nutrient dense and are high calorie. So work them into your diet in small amounts. I like to follow the 80/20 rule - 80% of the food I eat in a day is nutrient dense and fuel for my workouts and my life. 20% is simply fun and enjoyable, like an ice cream bar or a giant soft pretzel.  It'll keep you sane. And agin, this bring me to my most important habit of an ineffective diet...

1) It effects you mentally
This is the most important one, the most raw one. If you are following a new diet and find yourself depressed, obsessing, binging, or in any way feeling messed up mentally, stop. This diet is definitely not for you and most likely, you need to work on eating intuitively before making any physical-results-based changes to  your dietary lifestyle. Like I said, mental and emotional health are just as important as physical health, and I would even say they all tie in and affect each other. 

So there you have it. Pretty simple. Does it seem like I just eliminated any diet you've ever heard of? I probably did. That's because my belief is that your diet (your diet, not a diet) should support and enhance your lifestyle. There are ways to manipulate your food intake to get you physical results without prescribing to many of the fad diets that are out there. Start by eating body-appropriate portions and getting in more greens. 

Stay strong!!!

Still in transition...

So our household shipment got delayed AND our time was up at the hotel. Usually people use lender furniture from the government at this time but we are SO LUCKY to have family here to stay with. Our new official delivery date is the 20th. So we are back with Donovan's brother and his family until then!

It kiiinda feels like we just moved to Germany. Haha. In the hotel apartment we had started to have a rhythm. But now it's kind of up in the air again! 

But we have been trying to fill our time. I got my license and my car (finally!!!!) so the kids and I have some freedom during the day! And that's HUGE!!!

I've been getting some sort of workout in every day, which is huge. 

We spent the day yesterday at the yellow house (that's just what we call it now! 😊) while we had some new furniture delivered... and Camila discovered bubble wrap for the first time:

 

 

We've also done some art projects and games when it's too cold to go outside: 

 

 

 

 

Drawing:

 

Playing outside even though it's effing cold:

 

And of course watching movies 😆

 

Sarahi is in kindergarten so she's in school every day until 3. But Camila and Joaquín and Pablo have been having fun together during the day which is so nice! C

I'll be honest- it looks all glamorous and fun and casual but I'm obviously only posting the highlight real (that's true of all social media isn't it?). I've been so edgy and lazy and impatient the last few weeks and I hate the way that feels. And LOGICALLY i know that this is almost over, we will be settled soon, I'll barely remember this time, yada yada... and it helps to remind myself that. And we try to remind ourselves all the positive things we have going on because there are so, so many. But the weather and the life inconsistency is wearing on both of us (it's been 3 months now without a "home") and I'm definitely not being the mother and wife I want to be. So I really look forward to getting in a rhythm again!

That's it for now! 

(So funny how your life REVOLVES around your kids once you have them- how many pictures of Donovan and me do you count in this post?! 😂)

Its for real been a year?!...

I was just coming on to write about Germany thus far and realized its been a year...A YEAR...since my last post. WHAT IS THAT. Talk about time flying. Ive had the idea of maybe writing a blog in the back of my head for a  year now. Wow.

So my goal is to kickstart this again for a few reasons...
1) my whole point in starting this blog was to promote a fit and healthy lifestyle while pregnant/with kids so I will start making more of those posts.
2) to support and supplement my personal training business
3) to update loved ones and friends on our time here in Germany and force myself to write it all down for memory's sake!

So here goes, month 1 in Germany!

As many know we are so effing lucky because we are here with family and friends. While we were searching for a job position in this city, Donovan's brother, Reno (we also visited them in Bahrain when I was pregnant), called and said he got a job in Wiesbaden. What?! Then our best friends Abhinav and Arushi (we were engaged in India, where we were for their wedding) left for their 3 year stint in Wiesbaden, where we already knew they were going because we had always hoped to PCS together.

So not only do we have our buddies here but our kids get to grow up in Europe with some of  their cousins for a few years. Its crazy!

When we arrived here we went straight to Reno and Paola's house, which is in a town called Hochheim, about 20 minutes outside of Wiesbaden. We stayed there through Christmas and New Years, about 1.5 weeks, which was so great for so many reasons...the kids had their cousins and their cousins' toys there, we had family to welcome us, we were able to get over jet lag comfortably, it was basically like we were home and we needed it those first couple weeks. Now we are at our hotel right in downtown Wiesbaden, and dont let the word "hotel" fool you - our "room" is a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment with 20 foot ceilings and a full kitchen, dining room and living room. We could seriously just live here (if we didnt have two kids and in reality want a bigger space overall...).

So in sum we've been spending this last month sleeping, readjusting, drinking too much beer with our friends and family (adults), eating out all the time, playing non-stop with our cousins (kids), walking to bars and restaurants and grocery stores, getting our drivers licenses (Donovan has his, I'm studying), putting on and taking off lots of winter layers, eating out a LOT, getting the swing of things at work (Donovan), and house hunting.

Did I mention the eating out and drinking beer? That part is definitely taking a toll! The last 2 weeks or so we've been taking advantage of having a kitchen and cooking our meals and getting back into a typical eating routine and right away the scale has shown a difference. Its insane how many calories you can consume when you eat out too often!

We also went in our first trip to Paris. We met my mom and stepdad there, who were on a ski trip in France, for the weekend. They then came back to Wiesbaden for a couple days. We took the train to Paris and the kids did so awesome traveling. 

 

 

I hope to make a separate post about this trip... I hope... 😬

And talking about traveling is reminding me how awesome of a city chick Camila is becoming. When we walk to the grocery store she walks the entire way, helps me shop, and walks all the way home. I've got the stroller with J in it and grocery bags hanging and she's such a trooper. And when we take the bus she is such a good listener and hops on and off at the right times and sits next to strangers while I run up to pay the bus driver and hang out with Joaquín parked in the handicap area 😂 We are so proud of her. 

 

I feel like last week is the first week it started to feel normal. We are starting to get a daily routine down, the kids and I are starting to branch out and meet other people in the area, I am grocery shopping and Joaquín actually took a normal nap today (I think Camila is officially done napping...😐) and the kids might go to bed before 11 tonight. Victory.

We've been looking at houses - we've seen about 10-12 so far, I think? And we found one! It fits almost everything we were looking for.

So going in to house hunting, Camila and all her sass would say she wanted a yellow house. Every house we pulled up to, "Is it yellow?" and I would tell her "No baby but if the house we get isnt yellow (because more than likely it wouldn't be) we can decorate your new room with lots of yellow, ok?"

Guess what? The house is yellow! Total coincidence but we think it was a sign  😆
It's in a suburb of Wiesbaden called Schierstein. Its about a ten minute drive into downtown (where our hotel is and where our friends Abu and Arushi, or Abushi as we call them, are) and about a 20 minute drive to Donovan's work and to Hochheim (where Reno and Paola are).
Its an old barn that was converted into a house. In the courtyard, there is our house, another 2 houses in front which were the original homes of the families, and another white house with a huge tower thats actually a chimney, which was apparently the bakery. So all of them have been renovated into homes that share the courtyard. Its also directly on the Rhein River, and there is a festival every summer right in front of our house on the river so that will be fun. Their are tons of restaurants, bars, and stores all in walking distance, a preschool next door and a huge playground next door to that. And Wiesbaden has a few nice indoor pools that will be within a 10-15 minute drive. It's also huge- like 2700 square feet. 😱 So that will take some getting used to! We've got 4 bedrooms on the 2nd floor plus a separate guest space and full bathroom on the 3rd floor. So bring it on, guests!!! 

 

 

We are supposed to move in on February 6th. We are very excited to settle in and get back in to a routine!

So some more about our experience in general thus far:

~ Lots of FaceTime with Family is great but it's still hard being so far from everyone. We chat with our parents and siblings pretty regularly. We have scheduled chocolate milk hang out with geemom and geepop and every Friday we FaceTime with Aunt Nadya. Of course it's not the same but we can't wait to visit in August. We will go to the beach on the East Coast, go to Donovan's best friends wedding, and meet our niece who is due in May. It will be so much fun to have another cousin!
~ The food is great. We don't always eat German food, but theres a lot of options which is great and everything is so much fresher here. German food is mainly meat and potatoes (potatoes with everything omg) but you can always order a side salad or a side of veggies.
~ Almost everyone speaks English. Its nice but also slightly embarrassing because we are so privileged that it makes me feel bad. As Americans we can travel to almost any country and find people who speak English. I want to learn more German - next on the agenda!
~ The washing machines are tiny.
~ It doesn't matter if its raining, snowing, or cold AF - people still walk everywhere and spend time outside. I love that but seriously hate the cold.
~ Everything is more narrow. Cars, streets, parking lots, hallways, strollers, bike trailers, EVERYTHING is more narrow. And it makes so much sense. Why are we so much about bigger is better?
~ Drip coffee is hard to find. Everything is espresso. And if you want coffee black, its just an Americano, which is espresso with water added.
~ German houses typically do not have closets. Anywhere. Its just a room with walls and you buy wardrobes.
~ Everything is so walkable and public transportation is great. Almost every little neighborhood has a grocery store or market, butcher, bakery and shops within walking distance.

That's it for now! I'll be back! 😂

Today is one of the good ones

Today is one of those good days.
A day where I was up before both my kids, allowing me to make breakfast for my husband and kiss him goodbye before enjoying my cup of coffee slowly, still hot, in front of my DVRed "The Bachelor".
A day where both kids slept until 8:30-9 AM.
A day where we got out to see friends and play but were home with enough time to play, read and relax.
A day where my daughter saw someone playing with her baby and stroller in playgroup, and chose to play with the stroller that WASN'T hers instead of hitting the kid who took her stroller (this is huge).
A day where diapers and clothes got washed, folded AND put away.
A day where both of my kids napped at the same time.
A day where my 19 month old played quietly in the living room while I did the dishes.

A day where said 19 month old ate the food I gave her at lunch and breakfast, and didn't throw any of it on the floor. 
A day where dinner is already halfway prepared and its only 3:00.

A day where I sat down to write a blog.
A day where the sun is shining and Im not feeling the winter blues.
A day where I will go into my workout feeling strong and energized.

These days are great. And they happen often. But so do the not-so-good days.

The days where both kids are up multiple times a night, and then for the day at 6am.
The days where even a pot of coffee won't cure the sticky-tired of my eyes.
The days where clean laundry is piled so high it takes us 1.5 hours to fold and put it away (true...)
The days where I ask my husband to pick up a rotisserie chicken on the way home from work because I have barely thought about dinner.
The days both kids are in disposables because all of the cloth diapers are piled high on the stairs, many with poop still in them.
The days where my infant can't stay asleep and my toddler hits everyone in sight.
The days the house looks like a hurricane hit it because neither of my kids will allow me to put them down.

The days my toddler eats nothing but grapes and throws everything I cook on the floor.
The days where its so cold and or rainy outside that we are all depressed and moody.
The days where I don't do anything physically active, and Im edgy because of it.

On the bad days and the good, I remind myself that "its always just a phase." If theres anything Ive learned so far in my early days of parenting, its that everything, good, bad and mediocre, is always fleeting. So enjoy it - or grin and bear it - because it will be over faster than you can blink.

Sleep regression - ITS REAL (part II)

**update**

She's back!!! Only a day or two after I posted this Camila only woke once. Then the next two nights she slept through until 7:30. She will go down on her own also (Papi still stays with her before bed but she doesn't NEED it). Also, fun realization: our baby monitor has a microphone. I don't know why I hadn't thought to use that before! Well, I do know why. Last time I used it I chose an insanely scary voice to speak in and scared the sh*t out of her (stupid mommy moment...). BUT if you use a normal voice it's brilliant! She responds to me talking through the monitor as if I'm right there with her. Hallelujah! 

Baby becomes toddler. Toddler really GETS sleep. She knows her routine and often says "BYE!" as you walk out of the room. Sometimes it takes her 2 minutes to fall asleep, sometimes 20, but she always does it on her own. She sleeps all night - even noisy friends, a too-loud radio and thunder cease to wake her. She awakes at 8am, happy as can be, playing in her crib. Mama and papi sleep great (despite an over pregnant belly). Even when newborn arrives, nursing very 3 hours around the clock, mom still is able to get a decent nights sleep.

Then, something happens. Toddler starts waking 2x a night screaming bloody murder. OK, a few bad nights, no biggie.

Then, something more happens. Toddler starts waking 3-5 times a night (3 on a GOOD night). She only wants mommy. She wants to nurse. She wants in our bed. She wants mommy in her bed. She wants to sleep but she wants to be awake. Toddler also starts refusing bed time and naps. Every time is a fight and mama and papi revert back to rocking her to sleep. She ALSO decides that 5:30 is an acceptable wake time (FYI its not).

Sound familiar? If you remember my post on the 4 month sleep regression then it probably does.

I kinda saw this one coming. Her 4 month one was pretty intense compared to others I have talked to. Luckily she seemed to skip over the common 8/9 month one, but I had read that almost all kids hit the 18 month one, whether it effects naps, bedtime or both. A good friend who has a daughter 3 months older than Camila went through the 18 month with her daughter, and she also had a newborn son at the time, so I was just waiting for it to hit. And it did, right around 17 months, from one day to the next.

And once again it is most definitely tied to a developmental leap. She's starting to become more sassy and is talking a ton. She has a huge vocabulary but she's now trying to form short sentences and phrases. She's also reached a huge milestone in her language in that she's truly becoming bilingual. If I say, "Quires una manzana?" (do you want an apple) she says, "Apple!" When I say, "Do you want to eat?" she said, "Tengo hambre!" (I'm hungry). She doesn't always respond in a different language, but its fascinating when she does because you can see that she really, really gets the two different ways to say things. So this regression makes SENSE. We SEE it. But its HARD.

The hardest part about this regression? We have a new baby. Yea, he's incredibly chill and easy thus far (knock on wood - he's almost 4 months). But even so, he still eats every 3 hours, and he needs to eat whether or not his sister is currently throwing a fit at 2am. And guess who's on call? Yep, that would be me. Don't get me wrong, Donovan is AMAZING. But he works, and needs to be up and halfway functional at 5:30 am. Even if I get zero sleep, I have the option of lounging on the couch all day or finding time for a nap - he doesn't. Despite that, he of course still wants to help, but as much of a papa's girl as Camila is, in the middle of the night, its mommy or nothing. And unfortunately Donovan isn't lactating, so that leaves me Joaquín also. However, what we ended up resorting to during the hardest few days was relying on pumped milk and mini bottles of formula so Donovan could take over Joaquín's feedings if I wasn't in the room. This is in some ways more inconvenient because then I have to pump in the morning, but with Camila nursing also, its almost like she kind of took over his feedings as horrible as that sounds.

So my philosophy, whether or not its the right one, is generally this: She and her brother are the reason I stay home. I want to be a present, emotionally responsive parent. And so crying it out overall doesn't work for me or Donovan, as effective as it may be. In certain situations yes, but I could tell off the bat she wasn't doing this on purpose. You know those nights where you are forcing your eyes to stay closed because your mind is just racing? Well thats her. All night. Also, especially lately with two babies, we are very much on a "do what works" mind track. So I resorted to comforting her every time she woke, which only took 10 minutes vs letting her cry and dragging it out, and having Joaquín sleep in our bed pretty much the whole night (if I could feed him half asleep, at least I was half asleep and not fully awake). On especially tough nights we would let her sleep with us, but she would still be tossing and turning and waking frequently (this is part of how I knew it wasn't behavioral - if it was, she would have been happy sleeping all night in our bed, but she wasn't. It didn't make it better, it just made access to me more convenient.)

This all started on November 23rd. Yes I remember, and yes its been almost a month. From what Ive read the average is 4-6 weeks. And that they will magically go back to normal just like in other regressions. However after two really bad nights, mainly because it was combined with Camila having a yucky cold, we kind of started to feel that her cries weren't as frantic as they were before...they were more whiney. It seems like she's moved past the worst of it and is now just used to having us there. So for the last few days we've been thinking, ok little chick, you're fine now, you need to SLEEP. We are DONE. So we've been letting her cry more and weaning her off of needing us to sleep (from rocking her to just our hands on her back to us sitting in the rocking chair in her room).

Its already getting better and so fingers crossed this all ends soon. We don't even want to THINK about transitioning J into his crib until she is sleeping through the night again!