Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Bedtime Battles & A Few Cute Pics

Before I blog endlessly about sleeping . . . here are a few precious pics of our rapidly growing Keaton! The kid NEVER stops smiling! It's contagious!





Showing off his fabulous Tummy to Back roll over. We're not clear if his talent is real or due to the tipping of giant noggin'.

The most commonly asked question among mothers of babies is, "Is he/she sleeping through the night?"

Like everything, sleep is 1 part nature and 1 part nurture (with a dash of luck).

I am oh so fortunate to be able to answer YES to the sleeping through the night question. Both boys started sleeping through the night around 3 months. That part is mostly nature.

However, nature plays a naughty little trick on mommies when their babies turn 4 months. I'll never forget Carson's 4 month doctor check-up. Dr. M asked, "Is Carson sleeping through the night?"

With a HUGE grin, I happily nodded yes.

With a twinkle in his eye (and very little sympathy), Dr. M warned me that the majority of babies go through a ROUGH SLEEP PATCH at 4 months.

WHAT?!? Not MY baby!

And literally two nights later, Carson began the longest 3 weeks of his life yet. He woke up every time his pacifier fell out, which was hourly. It was AWFUL.

I could even refer you back to the blog post where I detailed it but in a nutshell, I called a "Sleep Specialist" in California with high hopes, found out she cost $500, and promptly hung up the phone.

Now it's time for Nurture to battle Nature (and win!):

I read every sleep book Barnes & Noble had on its shelves and purchased my SLEEP BIBLE..... Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, by Dr. Weissbluth.

Carson has slept fantastically ever since. "Cry it out" is the simple philosophy, modified slightly from the infamous Ferber method.

Which brings us to the present.

Keaton is sleeping fantastically. His "4 month" Rough Patch has not occurred yet. However, he is technically still an adapted age due to his early arrival. So, do the math and that means it should be occurring any day now since he is 4 months & 3 weeks old.

I'm dreading it. I'm hoping he skips it. I don't want to have to traumatize Carson and my parents (since we are still living with them) with the mighty cries that will accost our ears. Please send good sleep thoughts our way!

Bedtime Battles, is what is currently happening with Carson. He adopted a "Stalling Mechanism". He has thought of every way possible to postpone bedtime. Here are his top 10 favorites in no particular order.

1. I didn't hug/kiss everyone good-night.
2. Just 2 more minutes
3. I forgot to go pee.
4. I forgot to poo.
5. I can't find doggie & lion. (his two bedtime pals)
6. I have a booger.
7. There's something in my sock.
8. My stars turned off (which means he's been lying in bed for 45 minutes).
9. I need a drink.
10. I didn't get my teeth vitamin.

Our bedtime routine has gotten longer and longer and longer. It's ridiculous. And he lies awake for quite awhile before he finally falls asleep. Naptime is similar.

I should probably consult our Sleep Bible to see if it has any great advice about 3.5 year olds!

1 comment:

  1. When Sydney started doing this, I grabbed my laptop and sat outside her room because I was sick of going up and down the stairs taking her back to her room! Needless to say, she stayed in bed but now I'm stuck sitting outside her room. Gotta come up with a new plan :)

    ReplyDelete

How Old is Carson?

How Old is Keaton?