Sleep Follies
So Chalupa is a great baby. He's always been very mellow and happy. Keep him fed, let him sleep and he's been aohkay doing just about whatever.
Enter Daddy's surgery and a couple weeks of everyone being off their rocker, and he turned into sullen, colicky, screaming baby I don't even recognize.
Today I decided we were going to play by the rules. We were going to wake up, eat, play, eat, sleep (my routine, not recommended by anyone) and we were going to try to sort out the fussies. So far, I have to say it's worked/ing. He woke up happy and was restful for about 45 minutes. He even did about a minute of tummy time without screaming. He took about an hour nap this morning, and woke up calmly and cooing. He was awake while we went to the mall so G could play with the train table and at the activity area, and he screamed on the way home (tired) but fell asleep and was okay. He came home and had lunch, and is napping. So is G, for the record.
But the reason I started this ... during his two weeks of off the rocker ... he was sleeping like a terrorist. Or how I assume a terrorist sleeps. Every two hours, he'd wake up screaming. The first night Lewis was home, G was sick, I was sick, the baby was up every two hours. Lewis was awake and in pain. G threw up. Sandwhiched on either end of this the baby was up. I felt like a dead person. The next night Chalupa was no better, but the other two were. It was horrible. I thought I was entering some strange phase of torture, and I hoped it was short lived.
In the light of day, looking at his behavior, I think he was over tired. I have often maintained there is not a child behavioral problem that can not be fixed with either sleep or food. So I'm hoping we're on a path to sleep for all.
However ... I'm doing something bad. My child is four months old and still swaddled. He loves it. I had started to try to wean him off of it earlier this month, one arm out at naps, one arm out at bed. But as of yesterday, after him being up every two hours and me bringing him to bed with me at 4AM, I decided last night to hell with it. I'll swaddle him. It's not like it's tight. It's not like he can't break out (he does). I did talk to the doctor at his 4 month appointment about it, and the doctor said if he likes it, he likes it. You won't be able to do it much longer he's too big anyway.
I hope he's right. I'm hoping increasing our tummy time and working on sitting up right will increase muscle control in his arms and make swaddling less necessary. But it's not like he startles anymore, not really. He just really likes being all bundled up.
Ugh. He's going to be 5 months old and still swaddling. I can't remember when I got rid of swaddling with G. But I'm pretty sure it was just before four months; because I didn't want to have to bring him to his 4 month appointment still swaddling him (they told me at two months to try to wean him).
But Chalupa is a different baby. And maybe in a week or so I can try again. Right now I'm just glad he's smiling again. He really wasn't himself. And Lord help me I got so frustrated with him.
Also - gasp - stay tuned for first foods! It's time to start some oatmeal or something crazy. Can you believe that? Where is the time going?
Enter Daddy's surgery and a couple weeks of everyone being off their rocker, and he turned into sullen, colicky, screaming baby I don't even recognize.
Today I decided we were going to play by the rules. We were going to wake up, eat, play, eat, sleep (my routine, not recommended by anyone) and we were going to try to sort out the fussies. So far, I have to say it's worked/ing. He woke up happy and was restful for about 45 minutes. He even did about a minute of tummy time without screaming. He took about an hour nap this morning, and woke up calmly and cooing. He was awake while we went to the mall so G could play with the train table and at the activity area, and he screamed on the way home (tired) but fell asleep and was okay. He came home and had lunch, and is napping. So is G, for the record.
But the reason I started this ... during his two weeks of off the rocker ... he was sleeping like a terrorist. Or how I assume a terrorist sleeps. Every two hours, he'd wake up screaming. The first night Lewis was home, G was sick, I was sick, the baby was up every two hours. Lewis was awake and in pain. G threw up. Sandwhiched on either end of this the baby was up. I felt like a dead person. The next night Chalupa was no better, but the other two were. It was horrible. I thought I was entering some strange phase of torture, and I hoped it was short lived.
In the light of day, looking at his behavior, I think he was over tired. I have often maintained there is not a child behavioral problem that can not be fixed with either sleep or food. So I'm hoping we're on a path to sleep for all.
However ... I'm doing something bad. My child is four months old and still swaddled. He loves it. I had started to try to wean him off of it earlier this month, one arm out at naps, one arm out at bed. But as of yesterday, after him being up every two hours and me bringing him to bed with me at 4AM, I decided last night to hell with it. I'll swaddle him. It's not like it's tight. It's not like he can't break out (he does). I did talk to the doctor at his 4 month appointment about it, and the doctor said if he likes it, he likes it. You won't be able to do it much longer he's too big anyway.
I hope he's right. I'm hoping increasing our tummy time and working on sitting up right will increase muscle control in his arms and make swaddling less necessary. But it's not like he startles anymore, not really. He just really likes being all bundled up.
Ugh. He's going to be 5 months old and still swaddling. I can't remember when I got rid of swaddling with G. But I'm pretty sure it was just before four months; because I didn't want to have to bring him to his 4 month appointment still swaddling him (they told me at two months to try to wean him).
But Chalupa is a different baby. And maybe in a week or so I can try again. Right now I'm just glad he's smiling again. He really wasn't himself. And Lord help me I got so frustrated with him.
Also - gasp - stay tuned for first foods! It's time to start some oatmeal or something crazy. Can you believe that? Where is the time going?
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