Sleep Adventures

HI everyone.....yess......AGES since we've posted anything. There's so much to report that I'm not even going to try and catch everyone up. Instead...I'm changing this blog to posting about our sleep adventures and other adventures we're encountering in this thing called "parenthood." I've been emailing our family members daily to fill them in on the goings on (especially sleep related since that's what we've been struggling with most) and have decided to post these to the blog as well. So if you're wondering how things are going at 546 Shipley Road.....keep reading. Also- if you have any suggestions we will take them!!

Updates from the last 3 days.

March 7
we have a new record folks
Knew it was a bad sign when Ben was up 5 times before 12:00 last night.....
Awake and crying 9 times in 11 hours
Needless to say.....he is not going to church this morning but mommy is on her way out the door on about 2 hours of sleep
Prayers would be appreciated

March 8
Well....I think I might have "figured Ben out" (sort of). We put him down at the normal time but he screamed right when we put him in the crib. Per Emily's suggestion, I rolled up a blanket and propped him up on his side. I put him in the crib and he cried but as soon as I rolled him on his side and put the pacifier in this mouth he was sound asleep. No joke....instantaneous change. Now we have to figure out a way to keep him on his side. Brian went in twice before he went to bed to re-prop him. I went in at 11:30 to feed him and again at like 12:30 to prop him. Each time he fell asleep the second he was propped. At 1:45 I went in and the poor dude had rolled on his stomach and was flopping like a beached whale. I went down to the basement and got those sleep positioner blocks we used to use when he was a newborn but he didn't seem to like having blocks on his front and back. I surrendered at 3:15 after trying for an hour and half and put him in the carseat. Slept until 5:15, ate went back to sleep until 7:15! Brian went in there and he was sitting in his carseat happily staring at his hands. so....now we know that it's not the crib and not even wanting us to be in there with him. He hates being on his back and must be in pain. So we have something to work with at the doctor tomorrow morning. Em- how do you keep Levi on his side?? We don't swaddle Ben now so he moves freely and kept falling off the blanket. How do you do it with Levi? Much better night....at least got some sleep. Feel human today. Babysitter coming at 12 and hopefully I'll be leaving her with a happier baby. Yay for some improvement!

March 9
Update from last night..... Went down around 8ish. The babysitter, Carolyn, put him down for a nap at 5 because he was really cranky so he didn't wake up until around 6:15. Went down after bath and putting down 8.5 oz of milk......trying to out-eat his parents I guess. I bought a sleep wedge from Babies R'us last night....it's pretty much a glorified, expensive foam wedge that I probably could have made myself if I tried hard enough but oh well. I discovered two problems with the wedge... #1- we tried to put him down on his back because he was elevated. He seemed to actually seemed to be ok with this. But he moves so much that he would wiggle down the wedge and end up flat on his back at the bottom of it. I could keep him up on it so the first half of the night was spent moving him up the wedge. #2- I'm really dutch so I left the plastic on the thing (don't worry it's under his cribsheet and mattress pad) so if it doesn't work I can return it. But......whenever he moved it made the sound plastic makes when it's being moved. I think this reminded him of crinkle book and he excitedly squirmed around at first and was fascinated by the sound he was creating. Not only did I hear WHAM from his feet hitting the mattress in the monitor but I heard crinkle crinkle crinkle from the plastic. He was down at 8, up at 11, 12, 2:30-3:15. I heard him at 5 but he was happily singing and cooing in the monitor so I let him be. He carried on with his happy song until about 5:40 and went back to sleep until almost 7. Oh and yes I moved him to the carseat in the 2:30-3:15 window. He's now down for a morning nap already....he's proped up on the wedge and up on his side and looks quite ridiculous but he's sleeping. Too bad I have to wake him up in 15 minutes to go to the pediatrician. Will let you know how that turns out....