I have a boy. His name is Jack. He is quick to smile and has a hole in his cheek.
Last week he was less quick to smile and so we got to see said hole less and less. I thought maybe he was getting sick, especially because there were several instances where he would scream as if in pain with no instigator. But he was actually LESS congested then usual and there were no runny noses or fevers.
Then came the symptom that tipped me off. It became harder and harder for him to fall asleep or be soothed at all (even while nursing).
Then I remembered my “baby bible”. This is the one book that, through thick and thin, has held the answer to my baby problems!
Well, except what to do when they get sick, or what or when to start them on solids, or ….
Ok fine, it’s only helped with sleeping.
But that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth it’s weight in gold… which it is.
I dusted it off and reread the section on 10 to 12 week olds. Sure enough, babies around Jack’s age start to fight off sleep in order to spend time with Mom, Dad and sibs. They are starting to realize that there is life beyond nursing and are eager to explore it (the fact that they can’t control their limbs yet doesn’t appear to be a deterrent.) To top it off, that is about the time when they start needing an earlier bedtime (or in our case, an actual bed).
It’s also harder for babies at this age to stay asleep while moving in strollers or swings or being held. It’s perfect for newborns, but as their brains develop, they become more sensitive to movement and sounds while they sleep.
Remember how I said Jack is too old to go to the movies with us? Yeah, that. He can’t sleep through anything anymore.
BUT they are still young enough that they can’t stay awake for more than one or two hours (Jack falls under the one hour limit).
So yesterday morning, about an hour after we woke up, he started showing signs of sleepiness (smiling less, and he has this coughing cry when he is getting a bit cranky.) I wrapped him up fed him laid him in his crib. 10 minutes of mild protesting and a few whines later he was asleep. Having my babies cry is always hard on me, but his whining protesting wasn’t nearly as painful to listen to as the piercing screams I had been hearing over the last few days while trying to nurse or rock him to sleep.
He slept for an hour and a half. Woke up for an hour and then slept for more than two hours (less then five minutes of whining). Woke up for two hours and then slept from 5 pm until 6:30 this morning waking up only to eat (no I’m not that lucky).
This morning his nap was nearly three hours long and his second nap was about that long as well. NO crying or whining at all.
He’ll probably go down for third nap in soon (since he’s been up for an hour and is turning into a crank.
And he has been an absolute delight during his wakeful times. The cheek crater a near permanent fixture.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book!!
