Sleep Status

Last week's development and what we assumed was progress seems to be a one-time deal, at least for now.

Each night this past week Cayden woke three times to eat. A couple of times I tried to convince him he didn't need to eat, but his screaming protests assured me otherwise. And that's fine; I'm used to his thrice-nightly feedings, and I've figured out how to get the sleep I need.

However, putting him down for bed has suddenly taken a turn for the worse in the last week. Whereas he used to get very drowsy while nursing, then go down on the first try and stay asleep for four hours at bedtime, he now does none of that. As soon as I put him on my shoulder to burp him after his bedtime snack, he becomes alert and inquisitive again. And now it takes two or three tries to get him to go to sleep: bouncing to drowsy, then in the crib ... fussing ... back out and bouncing to drowsy, then in the crib ... fussing back out and standing and swaying to drowsy, then in the crib ... You get the picture.

And the best part (note the dripping sarcasm), is that now he consistently wakes up every hour between bedtime and his first feeding! So we now do this putting-baby-to-sleep dance three or four times before midnight. Definitely a team effort between Brian and I.

We tried abandoning the swaddle again earlier this week, but we're back to using it. Even if he has almost completely outgrown it's length.

And we tried bumping bedtime up to 7:30, hoping the whole earlier-to-bed, later-to-rise baby sleep pattern would take. But the earlier bedtime did nothing but piss him off and stress us out for an hour, until he fell asleep between 8:30 and 9, like he usually does.

Uggh. All the books say to maintain hope: what seems to be a developmental setback often precedes a real leap forward.

Here's hoping for that leap. And hey -- if it doesn't come, we've only got about another month until we're comfortable with Cayden's ability to handle Ferberizing, which has turned Kyra and Avery into great sleepers, their moms tell me.

Cayden is three months, three weeks and three days old.

A complete 360

Last night (3 months, 3 weeks old), Grammy said Cayden rolled from back to belly, twice. Grandude said he couldn't remember if it was back to belly or belly to back, but Grammy was sure it was back to belly, because he started fussing once he realized his one arm was lodged underneath him.

And then he did the roll for Dad tonight -- twice -- and finally Mama caught the third (or fifth) back-to-belly roll.

So now he can do a complete 360, since he started rolling belly-to-back back in month two. Granted, he doesn't roll all that often, but I wonder when he'll realize that he can go the whole way 'round and start rolling across the living room floor.

And once he gets good at the rolla and figures out how to pull that arm out from underneath him, I think he may start sleeping better, too. Because he really does nap well on his tummy, or so I'm told. Hey, once he puts himself on his tummy, then I'll be ok with him sleeping that way at night.

Melt my heart

This is exactly what I was hoping for from Scott today. He perfectly captured the intimacy Cayden and I share every day when he nurses. I wanted so badly to preserve that face I look down on every day, because all too soon these perfect moments will be gone for good. And I doubt you can see it in this small image, but my face is actually reflected in Cayden's eye in this photo. This one will definitely be a large print in our house.


Edit: Neither of us could decide if we liked the color or b/w version of this best. I chose color for here, and it looks like Scott chose b/w for his site. Check the alternative out. Warning: most of his work is not safe for viewing in most workplaces.

And one more from today's session. We're saving the rest for holiday cards. Hey, it was a visit to Scott's studio; you know somebody is getting naked.

Those parents

You know, the ones who talk about their baby as if he's the only baby to reach certain milestones so early. Whose sarcastic remarks reveal their not-so-thinly veiled delight in their baby's impressive growth and size.

Those parents. The ones who take a bazillion pictures and want to show them all to the world, even though very few people in the world are actually interested in seeing them. Or at least that many of them.

Those parents. The ones who dress their kids up in ridiculous outfits that will surely be cause for great teenage embarrassment and spite someday.

Those parents.

Yeah, we've become those parents that used to annoy me so much. But hey, at least we're fully aware of our dillusions.

Gettin' Stuff Done

Before I returned to work I had become a pro at multi-tasking while pumping. I could pump, nurse the baby, eat a snack and read a magazine all at one time.

Now I've learned to multi-task at work, and I can talk on the phone, e-mail and edit copy, all while pumping. One-handed peck-typing is frustrating, but it's more productive than staring at baby pictures for 15 minutes!

And here are a couple of the great inventions that help us to get things done around the house.

The Bumbo chair, which helps Cayden build muscles while we cook dinner.


And my Baby Balboa sling, which enables me to do dishes, laundry, vacuuming, etc. And it's the recommended mode of transport for Chicken Wing during flu season, so he's not exposed to dirty shopping carts and over-eager baby lovers who feel it's appropriate to touch a baby in a car seat.


Funny, how so many baby gadgets start with the letter "B".

College Football

Mama hates that Cayden is so enthralled with the TV and tries to turn him away from it whenever possible. Dad thinks it's funny that he's already a fan of college football.

An interesting development Re: sleeping and nursing

So last night I had a couple of glasses of wine during Grey's. No big deal, because Cayden went down shortly after 8, so I figured I had until 12:30 for the juice to be out of my system before I fed him.

Then he woke up at 11:30. Damn. So rather than give him a bottle, I decided to try something new: I bounced him for a while to drowsy, then went into the living room with him. Put him in his rocker with the calming vibrations turned on, and I rocked him, while laying on the couch. The goal was to get him to 12:30 or 1 a.m., when I would nurse him.

Worked like a charm. In no time, he was out, and so was I. Then he started fussing a little while later, so I took him back in the nursery to feed him and put him back in his crib. Thought it was a little funny that my right boob was very swollen and a little painful, but I thought -- hey, maybe milk production is just up tonight. When I walked in the door to Cayden's room, the glowing blue light from the clock radio informed me it was 4:15 IN THE MORNING!!!

Lesson learned? That little crapper does NOT need to eat every three hours as he's had me convinced for weeks. Rather, he can apparently go eight hours between feedings at night, and he simply needs to be put back to sleep! What a little fibber. Or maybe a silly Mama, for not trying something different, sooner.

Same thing happened when he woke at 5:55 a.m. I went in the nursery, and instead of putting him to the boob like I have done every morning for weeks, I bounced him back to drowsy, then put him in his swing. Where he slept until 8 a.m., when I had to wake him because I thought my left boob was going to explode.

So last night, at about three and a half months old, Cayden woke three times as usual, but he ate only once. Maybe if he starts learning that he doesn't get food every time he wakes up, he'll just stay sleeping through that 11:30 p.m. and 5 to 6 a.m. waking. Hopefully it's not an aversion to the crib that wakes him up. But we'll address that issue another time, after he learns Mama is not an all-night buffet.