Originally written in early December 2009.
He is awake
again.
He wants to nurse
again.
I root around my pillow
searching for sleep
as the baby roots around my
breast searching for my nipple.
His wakefulness and fussing
trump my desire for
just one
more
minute
of sleep.
I unwillingly let go of the last
threads of unconsciousness. Tired,
frustrated, I swallow my yells,
my curse words. He senses that I am
awake. His fussing becomes coos. He looks
up at me, his round eyes wide.
He smiles.
His entire
toothless
mouth is wide,
his entire
face
lights up. His nose and eyes crinkle,
his round cheeks become even rounder. His
happiness at seeing me looking at him
is undeniable.
I melt.
I smile
back at him. I help him
find my nipple, get his comfort. This time is
fleeting in the overall span of my
life. For now, he needs
me more than I need
sleep. The love, the smiles make it
worth every missed minute of rest.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Mornings with Two Kids
In our family, I've got the morning shift. I have ever since the Pumpkin was born. Londo has a long commute to work that goes much better if he leaves by 6:30, so he's usually gone or leaving right as we get up. So just about every weekday morning, it's me getting the two kiddos and myself ready for the day, fed breakfast, the Pumpkin to school and myself to work.
A few weeks ago, I had started writing a post about the fun mornings we were having. I wanted to record some of thetricks games I use to get us moving, including "racing crocodiles" when we are in a hurry. (I would tell the Pumpkin that we had to hurry and she would say, "Before the crocodiles get us!" So we played that on many mornings to get her moving along.) The Pumpkin also became a little minnie-me for a while, wanting to do everything I was doing from brushing our teeth together to pretending to put on makeup. Meanwhile, the Pookie would hang out in his swing in the bathroom or the bassinet part of the cosleeper where he would watch the mobile or play with toys. And often, the Pumpkin would play with the Pookie by swinging him, reading him book, handing him toys or making silly faces while I finished up one thing or another.*
But before I could finish writing the post and publish it, the good times came to a screeching halt. The regression that the Pumpkin was just kind of in came on full force. The sleeping through the night stopped (of course it did). The steps towards getting her on the potty in the mornings turned into complete meltdowns just trying to change her diaper. Her getting herself dressed in the mornings became frustrated struggles for her and tantrums when I had to end up helping because she just couldn't do it herself anymore. Breakfast was almost always miserable because this wasn't just right or she wanted something we didn't have, and she was unconsolable. The contrariness and meltdowns were constants throughout our mornings from the times we woke up to the times I tried to leave her at school. There were many times I carried her screaming into the car just to get to school, although once I left her at school she had a great time.
Meanwhile, the Pookie was still hanging out in the swing or the bassinet. He did/does have some issues. He was getting too big and heavy for the swing, but he didn't like not being with us in the bathroom. Also, although he is fine hanging out on his own for a good while, he can go only so long before he needs attention and to be held and/or nursed. But during the thick of the Pumpkin's regression, it takes all my energy and focus to get her ready for the day, not to mention I still have to get myself ready.
So mornings were tough again, but we got through them. In addition, the Pumpkin was hard pretty much at all times of the day. It is not limited to mornings, so Londo had his share of frustrations in the afternoons. By evenings and bedtimes, we were all pretty frustrated.
But now? I can see that the Pumpkin is starting to come out of this regression. Even Londo commented that he saw it too. Things are all rainbows and unicorns, but there are significantly less meltdowns.
In addition to her simply moving out of this tough stage, we also did a project this weekend in which we made a chart for her morning routine and bedtime routine. We went through magazines to find pictures to represent each main step of those routines and glued those pictures onto some big paper under the right step. Now, each morning and night, we check the chart to see what we do next, and that has seemed to really help.
The past three mornings, things have gone relatively smoothly (I'm totally jinxing myself, I know). Although she still protests the diaper changes ("I want the pee pee in my diaper!), she's been letting me do them with much fuss once I tell her that she can either scream while I do it and it will take longer or she can cooperate and we can do it fast, but either way I'm going to change her diaper. With some coaxing, she is washing her hands, brushing her teeth (and mommy gets a turn), and washing her face. I have given her the option of two outfits, and she actually picks one of the ones I offer! She has gotten herself dressed and didn't freak out because she had it backwards and needed guidance on turning it around. Breakfasts, getting shoes and coats on, and getting in the car are all much easier.
The Pookie is happier when I am able to focus some attention on him, too. It's pretty easy to change his diaper and get him dressed. He's enjoying breakfasts of oatmeal or rice cereal with toast or waffles as finger foods. Most of all, he loves to watch his sister and laugh when she's being silly.
I'm hoping things stay easier and continue to improve, but I am trying to steal myself in case there is one more set back before true improvement. With better sleep for the Pookie and I (thanks to the sleep training), I think I can handle it. It would be even better if the Pumpkin would start sleeping through the night again, but at least she's stopped having middle-of-the-night meltdowns/screamfests.
Of course, she'll probably get to the other side of this regression just in time for the Pookie to go through one! Ah, parenthood.
*Well, that paragraph sums up my other post, so I guess I can delete it now. It apparently didn't need to be a whole post.
A few weeks ago, I had started writing a post about the fun mornings we were having. I wanted to record some of the
But before I could finish writing the post and publish it, the good times came to a screeching halt. The regression that the Pumpkin was just kind of in came on full force. The sleeping through the night stopped (of course it did). The steps towards getting her on the potty in the mornings turned into complete meltdowns just trying to change her diaper. Her getting herself dressed in the mornings became frustrated struggles for her and tantrums when I had to end up helping because she just couldn't do it herself anymore. Breakfast was almost always miserable because this wasn't just right or she wanted something we didn't have, and she was unconsolable. The contrariness and meltdowns were constants throughout our mornings from the times we woke up to the times I tried to leave her at school. There were many times I carried her screaming into the car just to get to school, although once I left her at school she had a great time.
Meanwhile, the Pookie was still hanging out in the swing or the bassinet. He did/does have some issues. He was getting too big and heavy for the swing, but he didn't like not being with us in the bathroom. Also, although he is fine hanging out on his own for a good while, he can go only so long before he needs attention and to be held and/or nursed. But during the thick of the Pumpkin's regression, it takes all my energy and focus to get her ready for the day, not to mention I still have to get myself ready.
So mornings were tough again, but we got through them. In addition, the Pumpkin was hard pretty much at all times of the day. It is not limited to mornings, so Londo had his share of frustrations in the afternoons. By evenings and bedtimes, we were all pretty frustrated.
But now? I can see that the Pumpkin is starting to come out of this regression. Even Londo commented that he saw it too. Things are all rainbows and unicorns, but there are significantly less meltdowns.
In addition to her simply moving out of this tough stage, we also did a project this weekend in which we made a chart for her morning routine and bedtime routine. We went through magazines to find pictures to represent each main step of those routines and glued those pictures onto some big paper under the right step. Now, each morning and night, we check the chart to see what we do next, and that has seemed to really help.
The past three mornings, things have gone relatively smoothly (I'm totally jinxing myself, I know). Although she still protests the diaper changes ("I want the pee pee in my diaper!), she's been letting me do them with much fuss once I tell her that she can either scream while I do it and it will take longer or she can cooperate and we can do it fast, but either way I'm going to change her diaper. With some coaxing, she is washing her hands, brushing her teeth (and mommy gets a turn), and washing her face. I have given her the option of two outfits, and she actually picks one of the ones I offer! She has gotten herself dressed and didn't freak out because she had it backwards and needed guidance on turning it around. Breakfasts, getting shoes and coats on, and getting in the car are all much easier.
The Pookie is happier when I am able to focus some attention on him, too. It's pretty easy to change his diaper and get him dressed. He's enjoying breakfasts of oatmeal or rice cereal with toast or waffles as finger foods. Most of all, he loves to watch his sister and laugh when she's being silly.
I'm hoping things stay easier and continue to improve, but I am trying to steal myself in case there is one more set back before true improvement. With better sleep for the Pookie and I (thanks to the sleep training), I think I can handle it. It would be even better if the Pumpkin would start sleeping through the night again, but at least she's stopped having middle-of-the-night meltdowns/screamfests.
Of course, she'll probably get to the other side of this regression just in time for the Pookie to go through one! Ah, parenthood.
*Well, that paragraph sums up my other post, so I guess I can delete it now. It apparently didn't need to be a whole post.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Question of the Week - Parenting Style
I took one of those little quizzes on Facebook the other day. It was What Is Your Parenting Style? It was pretty limited in the questions and answers, but it's just a fun little quiz.
I didn't need to take it, because I pretty much know what my parenting style is. The answer it gave was right on. But it also got me thinking if other people even bother to name their parenting style or can figure out how to describe themselves.
So this week's question of the week is:
What's your parenting style?
My answer to the quiz was Kinda Crunchy. That's pretty much where'd I'd put myself. I tend to fall on the attachment parenting (AP) side of the spectrum, and I am also more of a relaxed parent than a worrier or helicopter parent.
What about you? What would you call yourself? Where on the parenting style spectrum do you fall?
I didn't need to take it, because I pretty much know what my parenting style is. The answer it gave was right on. But it also got me thinking if other people even bother to name their parenting style or can figure out how to describe themselves.
So this week's question of the week is:
What's your parenting style?
My answer to the quiz was Kinda Crunchy. That's pretty much where'd I'd put myself. I tend to fall on the attachment parenting (AP) side of the spectrum, and I am also more of a relaxed parent than a worrier or helicopter parent.
What about you? What would you call yourself? Where on the parenting style spectrum do you fall?
Friday, January 15, 2010
Good Things Going On Shorts
Yoga
After reading this post, I realized that I didn't need a DVD or class to do yoga with my daughter. I've been doing yoga for YEARS, and I know poses and sun salutations. I could just show her how to do some!
So the other morning, when she had a meltdown because daddy was going to work and she didn't want him to leave, I told her I had a fun activity for her and I to do. (She of course screamed no, leave her alone. I responded that when she was ready to hear about the activity, I would be in the other room. After a minute, she came in all curious.) I told her we were going to do Yoga!
I showed her some moves that I put together basically as a sun salutation, most of which she generally did. When I did the plank pose (think: when you are a top of a push-up), she tried to climb on my back. We laughed and had fun. It was so awesome to be able to share some poses with her.
And yesterday evening, I check our On Demand based on a tip that MommyEm gave me. Sure enough, under the Activity TV section of the kids programming, there was yoga for kids! We watched on and even did some of it. She is loving it, and I'm loving it!
--------------------------
Teeth
I don't know if I mentioned this, but the Pookie's first tooth came in two weekends ago. It was the bottom right one. This week, the bottom left one broke through, but then it receded. Apparently, that can happen. But yesterday morning it poked back out. So he has two adorable teeth coming up on the bottom.
--------------------------
Rolling and Physical Advancements
Over the last few weeks, the Pookie (who is 7 months old as of yesterday) has been rolling over like crazy. When I put him down on his blanket, he will roll across the whole of the living room floor! He also scoots around on his belly a lot. Not crawling, not even the army crawl, but moving and shifting around.
He also loves being in the exersaucer. He streches his legs and pushes up. He sits in it and leans forward. He turns himself around in it to play with all the toys.
He doesn't sit up on his own too much. He seems to have a lot of stomach and back control when he's in the exersaucer or the highchair, but he doesn't stay upright for long when we put him in the sitting position on the floor. Also, when you pull him up by his hands, he never wants you to pull him to the sitting position. He wants to go straight into the standing position.
--------------------------
Playdate
I have a playdate tomorrow! Months ago, I had talked with one of moms of a school friend of the Pumpkin about doing a playdate. She actually brought it up. But it never happened. Then last week, she called me and told me that her daughter is no longer going to the pre-school with the Pumpkin, but she got my full name before she left because she still wanted to do a playdate. So I invited her and her daughter over for tomorrow morning!
This is how we make new friends as adults, isn't it? Our kids get along, so let's hang out while they play? I'm really excited!
After reading this post, I realized that I didn't need a DVD or class to do yoga with my daughter. I've been doing yoga for YEARS, and I know poses and sun salutations. I could just show her how to do some!
So the other morning, when she had a meltdown because daddy was going to work and she didn't want him to leave, I told her I had a fun activity for her and I to do. (She of course screamed no, leave her alone. I responded that when she was ready to hear about the activity, I would be in the other room. After a minute, she came in all curious.) I told her we were going to do Yoga!
I showed her some moves that I put together basically as a sun salutation, most of which she generally did. When I did the plank pose (think: when you are a top of a push-up), she tried to climb on my back. We laughed and had fun. It was so awesome to be able to share some poses with her.
And yesterday evening, I check our On Demand based on a tip that MommyEm gave me. Sure enough, under the Activity TV section of the kids programming, there was yoga for kids! We watched on and even did some of it. She is loving it, and I'm loving it!
--------------------------
Teeth
I don't know if I mentioned this, but the Pookie's first tooth came in two weekends ago. It was the bottom right one. This week, the bottom left one broke through, but then it receded. Apparently, that can happen. But yesterday morning it poked back out. So he has two adorable teeth coming up on the bottom.
--------------------------
Rolling and Physical Advancements
Over the last few weeks, the Pookie (who is 7 months old as of yesterday) has been rolling over like crazy. When I put him down on his blanket, he will roll across the whole of the living room floor! He also scoots around on his belly a lot. Not crawling, not even the army crawl, but moving and shifting around.
He also loves being in the exersaucer. He streches his legs and pushes up. He sits in it and leans forward. He turns himself around in it to play with all the toys.
He doesn't sit up on his own too much. He seems to have a lot of stomach and back control when he's in the exersaucer or the highchair, but he doesn't stay upright for long when we put him in the sitting position on the floor. Also, when you pull him up by his hands, he never wants you to pull him to the sitting position. He wants to go straight into the standing position.
--------------------------
Playdate
I have a playdate tomorrow! Months ago, I had talked with one of moms of a school friend of the Pumpkin about doing a playdate. She actually brought it up. But it never happened. Then last week, she called me and told me that her daughter is no longer going to the pre-school with the Pumpkin, but she got my full name before she left because she still wanted to do a playdate. So I invited her and her daughter over for tomorrow morning!
This is how we make new friends as adults, isn't it? Our kids get along, so let's hang out while they play? I'm really excited!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Baby Sleep Boot Camp, Part II
My first Baby Sleep Boot Camp post was really all about our preparation for doing Baby Sleep Boot Camp.
But I have to say that by Friday night, I was exhausted and unsure of what we were doing. I felt like the baby was crying a lot, even though we were holding him and physically giving him comfort. I was uncomfortable in this new paradigm. The Pookie is such a different baby than the Pumpkin was, and I was just so confused about what was best for him.
So Friday night, when he woke up the first time, I just went to bed with him in the guest room and coslept with him all night. Which was miserable. He nursed all night long again, I didn't get any good sleep, and it felt like we were moving in the wrong direction. This just wasn't right for him or me anymore. I was back on board with doing Baby Sleep Boot Camp.
In order for both Londo and me to concentrate on the Pookie and his sleep, as well as our sleep, we set up a sleepover for the Pumpkin at my parents house Saturday night and Sunday night. This was especially important because the Pumpkin has been going through (yet another) sleep regression. I know it's the regression right before the next developmental leap around her 3rd birthday, but it's been a tough one in many ways. During the regressions, her sleep always goes totally out the window. So she's waking up crying and having fits and needing us, and that wakes the baby up. Or we've been trying to keep the baby quiet so he doesn't wake the Pumpkin up! Either way, we needed her sleeping elsewhere so we could focus on him.
Saturday night, after Londo dropped the Pumpkin off at my parents and I had put the Pookie to bed by walking him (he fell asleep within 5 minutes of walking with really no crying for the second night in a row!), my SIL came over to spend the night and help us out. She is planning to do this once a week for a while. We are eternally grateful!
When my SIL got to our house, we sat down with her and talked to her about what we had done in preparation for the night, from how we've been putting him to bed to how long we want to wait between feedings to the bottles of expressed milk we had set up (in a cooler in the bathroom across from the nursery, along with the bottle warmer) to when to come get me.
Because with the Pumpkin out of the house and someone taking night duty with the Pookie? We were going into the basement to sleep on the couches down there, far enough so that we wouldn't hear any crying. This was my SIL's intent: to give us a full night of sleep! We wanted, make that NEEDED to take her up on it. My plan was to set an alarm and wake up twice to pump, and otherwise sleep!
At this point, my SIL suggested that after giving him a bottle, she put him down awake and check in on him every 5 minutes or so if he was crying. Instinctively, I did not feel ready for this. But as the three of us talked it out, I realized that he was screaming when we were just holding him. Let me remind you that unless I was nursing him or sleeping with him, he has almost never soothed himself and gone to sleep. We've been trying to rock, bounce, walk, etc. with him, and the walking had just started working, but only when I first put him to bed. So if he's screaming in our arms for an hour, why not try and be there for him verbally and with physical closeness but not holding him?
We agreed to let my SIL try this method of controlled crying/fussing. We tried something similar with the Pumpkin, and it REALLY didn't work. But the Pookie doesn't not ramp up with crying the way she did. So maybe it would work for him. And if it didn't, it was only one night. One night of someone else willing to care for him and listen to him cry and be there for him and give us a night to sleep.
It worked. It wasn't perfect, no crying, sleeping through the night. But it worked!
The first time she put him down, he cried/fussed on and off for about 30-40 minutes. We had said if he was crying/fussing for an hour, then feed him again/pick him up/get us--whichever felt right to her. But it didn't make it to that point, and he was not getting really worked up. The second time she put him down awake, he didn't even fuss but fell asleep. The third time was the same as the first, except way more on the fussing side than the crying side. The fourth time he woke up, it was almost 6:00 and Londo and I were dying to know how the night went, so we all just got up then (although my SIL took a nap before leaving later that morning).
As for my night, I slept 4 HOURS IN A ROW before waking to pump the first time. And actually, I woke up just before my alarm when I heard walking above me, which would mean that my SIL was in the kitchen. So after I pumped, I went up to see what was up. My SIL had left the cooler and a note in the kitchen saying that she was out of bottles, so if I had more milk, please put it in bottles in the cooler and bring back up to the bathroom. Which I did. Then I slept for another 3.5 HOURS IN A ROW!!! I woke up at 5:30 to pump again, and like I said previously, Londo and I went upstairs around 6:00 to see how it went. Londo slept like a log all night long!
Not only was the night of sleep fantastic, but we had two major Doh discoveries:
1. The Pookie really is hungry during the night! He's not just nursing for comfort or to fall back asleep. He drank ALL the bottles I made for him. That was 10 ounces by 1:00 alone! So no wondering my feeding him one side and then trying to put him back to bed or going back to sleep with him next to me was not working. He was waking up still hungry in an hour or less. So now I know to feed him both sides when he wakes up. And that we needed to be giving him something more to help fill him up, since I can make only so much milk.
2. This method of sleep training really will work well for him. In fact, it will likely work better than holding him, since that seemed to be working him up more than leaving him in the crib.
So Sunday night, we continued this method, in addition to my being sure to feed him on both sides when he woke up and it was time to eat. It worked even better the second night than it had the first night! There was only one time I had to go in because he cried/fussed more than 5 minutes, and then he went to sleep just after that! And one time, he feel right asleep with no fussing at all! And he has been sleeping for 2 hours or longer since I've been feeding him both sides when he wakes. We are amazed!
Also, on Sunday night we started him on rice cereal at dinner time (which is usually an hour or less before bedtime). While I prefer the baby-led weaning/feeding method that worked great for the Pumpkin, it was becoming apparent that it wasn't working as well for the Pookie. We had noticed how frustrated he would get when he had to work to put the food in his mouth. He seemed hungry and upset that he couldn't get faster satisfaction. Add that to the fact that I haven't been pumping enough milk to keep up with his daytime demands, none to provide any nighttime bottles and my freezer stash was almost completely gone--well, it was time to either supplement with formula (which I didn't want to have to do) or try feeding him some cereal. This has been working really well, and he now eats the rice cereal or cream of wheat with some finger foods 2-3 times a day and seems very pleased about this.
So Baby Sleep Boot Camp went really well. We have found a way to work with the Pookie in getting to sleep and sleeping better that works for him. Although it is just outside of my comfort zone, I totally realize that this is best for him, me, Londo and our family. And having a "boot camp" where we focused just on him for two nights in a row was so perfect for our situation!
We've continued this method all this week, and it's been going well. There has been really only one bout of his crying/fussing for about 20 minutes, but most of the time he fusses for maybe a minute and then either falls asleep or babbles to himself for a few minutes before falling asleep. He's even been breaking out of his swaddle and still sleeping! And he's been waking up less often, usually about 3 times a night with the first time being before I go to sleep. Which means I'm only getting up 2 TIMES A NIGHT!
I'm getting more and better quality sleep than I have in over 7 months. I'm not worrying about the Pumpkin waking up the baby or worrying about both of them in our bed together. The Pookie seems to be sleeping better. It's been great.
I fully expect there to be sleep regressions and set backs. That's the norm with kids. But figuring out what works for him and seeing how well it works is going to be an important tool in our parenting toolbox. And now that the Pumpkin is almost 3 and starting to understand more, we (mostly Londo, who is really in charge of her at night) are beginning to work with her on her sleep. She might need a boot camp (although using a method that will work for her) soon, too, but it will be easier to work with her when we've got the other kid sleeping/going to sleep so much better!
But I have to say that by Friday night, I was exhausted and unsure of what we were doing. I felt like the baby was crying a lot, even though we were holding him and physically giving him comfort. I was uncomfortable in this new paradigm. The Pookie is such a different baby than the Pumpkin was, and I was just so confused about what was best for him.
So Friday night, when he woke up the first time, I just went to bed with him in the guest room and coslept with him all night. Which was miserable. He nursed all night long again, I didn't get any good sleep, and it felt like we were moving in the wrong direction. This just wasn't right for him or me anymore. I was back on board with doing Baby Sleep Boot Camp.
In order for both Londo and me to concentrate on the Pookie and his sleep, as well as our sleep, we set up a sleepover for the Pumpkin at my parents house Saturday night and Sunday night. This was especially important because the Pumpkin has been going through (yet another) sleep regression. I know it's the regression right before the next developmental leap around her 3rd birthday, but it's been a tough one in many ways. During the regressions, her sleep always goes totally out the window. So she's waking up crying and having fits and needing us, and that wakes the baby up. Or we've been trying to keep the baby quiet so he doesn't wake the Pumpkin up! Either way, we needed her sleeping elsewhere so we could focus on him.
Saturday night, after Londo dropped the Pumpkin off at my parents and I had put the Pookie to bed by walking him (he fell asleep within 5 minutes of walking with really no crying for the second night in a row!), my SIL came over to spend the night and help us out. She is planning to do this once a week for a while. We are eternally grateful!
When my SIL got to our house, we sat down with her and talked to her about what we had done in preparation for the night, from how we've been putting him to bed to how long we want to wait between feedings to the bottles of expressed milk we had set up (in a cooler in the bathroom across from the nursery, along with the bottle warmer) to when to come get me.
Because with the Pumpkin out of the house and someone taking night duty with the Pookie? We were going into the basement to sleep on the couches down there, far enough so that we wouldn't hear any crying. This was my SIL's intent: to give us a full night of sleep! We wanted, make that NEEDED to take her up on it. My plan was to set an alarm and wake up twice to pump, and otherwise sleep!
At this point, my SIL suggested that after giving him a bottle, she put him down awake and check in on him every 5 minutes or so if he was crying. Instinctively, I did not feel ready for this. But as the three of us talked it out, I realized that he was screaming when we were just holding him. Let me remind you that unless I was nursing him or sleeping with him, he has almost never soothed himself and gone to sleep. We've been trying to rock, bounce, walk, etc. with him, and the walking had just started working, but only when I first put him to bed. So if he's screaming in our arms for an hour, why not try and be there for him verbally and with physical closeness but not holding him?
We agreed to let my SIL try this method of controlled crying/fussing. We tried something similar with the Pumpkin, and it REALLY didn't work. But the Pookie doesn't not ramp up with crying the way she did. So maybe it would work for him. And if it didn't, it was only one night. One night of someone else willing to care for him and listen to him cry and be there for him and give us a night to sleep.
It worked. It wasn't perfect, no crying, sleeping through the night. But it worked!
The first time she put him down, he cried/fussed on and off for about 30-40 minutes. We had said if he was crying/fussing for an hour, then feed him again/pick him up/get us--whichever felt right to her. But it didn't make it to that point, and he was not getting really worked up. The second time she put him down awake, he didn't even fuss but fell asleep. The third time was the same as the first, except way more on the fussing side than the crying side. The fourth time he woke up, it was almost 6:00 and Londo and I were dying to know how the night went, so we all just got up then (although my SIL took a nap before leaving later that morning).
As for my night, I slept 4 HOURS IN A ROW before waking to pump the first time. And actually, I woke up just before my alarm when I heard walking above me, which would mean that my SIL was in the kitchen. So after I pumped, I went up to see what was up. My SIL had left the cooler and a note in the kitchen saying that she was out of bottles, so if I had more milk, please put it in bottles in the cooler and bring back up to the bathroom. Which I did. Then I slept for another 3.5 HOURS IN A ROW!!! I woke up at 5:30 to pump again, and like I said previously, Londo and I went upstairs around 6:00 to see how it went. Londo slept like a log all night long!
Not only was the night of sleep fantastic, but we had two major Doh discoveries:
1. The Pookie really is hungry during the night! He's not just nursing for comfort or to fall back asleep. He drank ALL the bottles I made for him. That was 10 ounces by 1:00 alone! So no wondering my feeding him one side and then trying to put him back to bed or going back to sleep with him next to me was not working. He was waking up still hungry in an hour or less. So now I know to feed him both sides when he wakes up. And that we needed to be giving him something more to help fill him up, since I can make only so much milk.
2. This method of sleep training really will work well for him. In fact, it will likely work better than holding him, since that seemed to be working him up more than leaving him in the crib.
So Sunday night, we continued this method, in addition to my being sure to feed him on both sides when he woke up and it was time to eat. It worked even better the second night than it had the first night! There was only one time I had to go in because he cried/fussed more than 5 minutes, and then he went to sleep just after that! And one time, he feel right asleep with no fussing at all! And he has been sleeping for 2 hours or longer since I've been feeding him both sides when he wakes. We are amazed!
Also, on Sunday night we started him on rice cereal at dinner time (which is usually an hour or less before bedtime). While I prefer the baby-led weaning/feeding method that worked great for the Pumpkin, it was becoming apparent that it wasn't working as well for the Pookie. We had noticed how frustrated he would get when he had to work to put the food in his mouth. He seemed hungry and upset that he couldn't get faster satisfaction. Add that to the fact that I haven't been pumping enough milk to keep up with his daytime demands, none to provide any nighttime bottles and my freezer stash was almost completely gone--well, it was time to either supplement with formula (which I didn't want to have to do) or try feeding him some cereal. This has been working really well, and he now eats the rice cereal or cream of wheat with some finger foods 2-3 times a day and seems very pleased about this.
So Baby Sleep Boot Camp went really well. We have found a way to work with the Pookie in getting to sleep and sleeping better that works for him. Although it is just outside of my comfort zone, I totally realize that this is best for him, me, Londo and our family. And having a "boot camp" where we focused just on him for two nights in a row was so perfect for our situation!
We've continued this method all this week, and it's been going well. There has been really only one bout of his crying/fussing for about 20 minutes, but most of the time he fusses for maybe a minute and then either falls asleep or babbles to himself for a few minutes before falling asleep. He's even been breaking out of his swaddle and still sleeping! And he's been waking up less often, usually about 3 times a night with the first time being before I go to sleep. Which means I'm only getting up 2 TIMES A NIGHT!
I'm getting more and better quality sleep than I have in over 7 months. I'm not worrying about the Pumpkin waking up the baby or worrying about both of them in our bed together. The Pookie seems to be sleeping better. It's been great.
I fully expect there to be sleep regressions and set backs. That's the norm with kids. But figuring out what works for him and seeing how well it works is going to be an important tool in our parenting toolbox. And now that the Pumpkin is almost 3 and starting to understand more, we (mostly Londo, who is really in charge of her at night) are beginning to work with her on her sleep. She might need a boot camp (although using a method that will work for her) soon, too, but it will be easier to work with her when we've got the other kid sleeping/going to sleep so much better!
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