Jon Silkowski > Recent Status Updates

Author recommends dad puts the kids down at night since they’re not as emotionally impacted as mom by crying. Twins tune each other out at night and don’t disturb one another. It’s important to differentiate between small squeaks and normal nighttime baby noise and full out crying before rushing to soothe them. A sleep log (bar graph) might be a good idea.

Put down babies when they’re drowsy. Up until 4 months, babies should not be awake for more than 1-2 hours without sleeping. Always synchronize babies within 30-45 minutes. Bedtime methods...quick sooth and comfort (no pick up), five minute crying intervals and then console back to sleep, and letting them cry it out (extinction) when they are 4-6 months. In a week they seem to sleep through the night!

Page 18 details a sleep guideline for the changes that occur in baby sleep patterns. Sleep durations increase at night around 6 weeks old. Light exposure doesn’t really matter. Thank god for cortisol. Sleeping patterns emerge at 6 weeks and body temp gets regulated between 12-16 weeks. Barring sickness, stick to a sleep schedule.

When your child doesn’t sleep during the day, they do not sleep better at night, but worse, because cortisol drops and they are less alert and hyperactive. They key is to start early so that it is a learned behavior and you’re not correcting problems later.

The foreword is intriguing, discussing efforts made to silence him and his experiences in the Air Force/navy. Tough to call his information credible, but how can we ever be certain? So far he has talked about some ufo sightings, government agencies silencing him, con-men, and his family background.

Many men are not re-enlisting when their terms are up and wood and gunpowder are scarce but war fever is renewed once word of King George’s speech to parliament about ending the war reaches shore

Details the indecision and lack of a proper fighting force. Introduced to many of Washington’s generals like Ward, Lee, etc. Some Americans are shifting to fight for independence and hope is lost when it turns out one of Washington’s top men was a traitor. Just got introduced to Knox and his plan to take the canon from Fort Ticonderoga...

Washington was a born leader and led modestly and amicably. The riflemen were skilled but tough to control. Many British deserted their posts.

Army has no discipline or training. Men abusing alcohol and deserting. Can see the spirit these men possessed though, as it shows in their makeup and craft-worthiness. Disease is killing people because of poor sanitation.

Love that the author spends chapter one focusing on the indecisiveness of the British and takes us behind the scenes of the speeches between the House of Commons and House of Lords. Intriguing to learn about the different sides and characters from a different perspective than we’re accustomed to.