Well, I guess I can't keep putting it off any longer. I need to stop thinking about how cute his feet are and how his little laugh touches my soul. I need to stop thinking about how I feel so weak and deflated when I hear babies cry for more than 45 seconds.
It's funny how when you start praying that he will improve his sleep habits they get worse. Just bad enough that you have the strength to put him in the crib and let him wail.
Have I done it yet? No. But I am getting closer and closer. He has never slept more than 4 hours in a row, and that has only happened a few times. The average is 2-3. He is well fed I think, as I look at the folds of skin around his thighs. He should sleep longer!
But darn it. He is so cute....
Just pretend this is a picture of Sammy and his Dad instead of Olivia. This is all I had on my computer and I am too lazy to go take feet pictures of Sam. There is resemblance, no?
Night #1: put him down. Mesmerized by musical and bubbly crib toy for about 30 minutes. Went in twice to insert paci. He fell asleep! Woke up 1 hour and a half later. Debated whether to let him cry this time or feed. Opted to feed. Fell asleep well, woke up 1 1/2 hours later. Should we let him cry? After unsuccessful paci-insertion, we decide I'll take him to bed with me, where he slept 3 hours before waking. First night a success, because he did sleep in his crib!
Night #2: put him down cold turkey, he cried for 15 minutes. I went in, insert paci, he starts spitting and cooing to me. How can I resist? I pick him up, feed him to sleep, put him down. Wakes up 15 minutes later to cry, we let him. He cries for at least 30 minutes but I fall asleep with my pillow over my ears. (It is after 11 after all!) Success. He sleeps about 3 1/2 hours. I think we're on to something here?
Friday, June 13, 2008
Realization
Posted by cold cocoa at 10:38 PM
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6 comments:
enough of a resemblance that I had to wonder why you had poor Sammy in pink pants - and then when I realized that it was Olivia I wondered if I was supposed to comment and agree how cute Russell is... but yes, Samuel's a doll - and he's a healthy kind of chubby and if it makes you happy to sit and admire his cuteness while other people are sleeping - go right ahead!
Why would your soul deflate to hear your boy sharing his feelings in a cry? Buck up sista and know that he ain't going to die from crying.
I never think my kids are darling when they should be sleeping and are not. So maybe you just need to visualize them as someone else's crying child and it will make you tougher.
I'll buy you a candybar if you can make it a whole half hour. Not a king size though. And it will have to be one on sale for 3 for a dollar.
Maybe you want sympathy more than advice so I'll give you a little of both--it's tough for sure. The babywise book says to not let baby sleep more than 3 hrs at a time during the day. You wake him up and feed him then let him have some "awake time" before the next nap. That is supposed to make them more tired at night so they won't even want to wake up and cry.
I hope something works. You seem to function amazingly well on so little sleep--especially if you are thinking about how cute the little guy is in the midnight hours. I turn into the roaring lioness when I don't get enough...like last night but that was Adrie's fault.
Laura, thanks for the advice. My problem is cat-nappers/easily awake babies. All of my kids have had 4-6 30-45 minute naps a day on me until I sleep train 'em. I usually don't do that until about 6 months. My schedule is eat, awake, eat, sleep, then repeat. So I'd need to train them first before setting them on a schedule. But most infant "experts" don't suggest doing that until about 4 months. I sure like the idea of babywise though.
And Megan- I want KING SIZE TWIX. I don't do Nestle 3 for $ specials.
Okay, everyone says "wait until you have a real baby" (not quite sure what that means- I'm pretty sure he is real) but I thought swaddling worked really well- do you do that? When we started swaddling more tightly, he seemed to sleep better.
That's my beginner thoughts.
Megan- I do believe in swaddling, especially when they are brand-new. Sammy started fighting his swaddling until he was free. The tighter the swaddle, the longer the struggle to be loose! Do you still swaddle Jack? That would be very fun to see a swaddled big Jack.
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