More Sleep Progress

Baby CP's nanny told me today that for the first time ever, Baby CP fell asleep on his own in his crib for a nap!  She left him alone and when she checked in on him after 10 minutes she saw him passed out holding onto his little pound puppy.  I wish she had taken a photo!

44 Weeks Old

I don't have any photos of videos to share today, but I wanted to post so I could remember exactly when it happened....for the past week, Baby CP has been falling asleep on his own in his crib at bedtime!!  He has also done it a few times after waking up early in the morning so that mommy and daddy can get another 1-2 hours of sleep.  After he had recovered from his second cold, we left him in his crib to CiO for about 20 minutes one night at 3:30am.  He cried for a few minutes and whined for the rest of the time.  After that night, I instituted a mini routine (drink milk, sip some water, read a book, turn out the lights, turn on the seahorse and leave) and he whined for about 1-2 minutes the first couple nights, but last night I didn't hear a peep.  The first few nights he still woke up at around 3 or 4, but I only gave him his water to drink and he would take only a couple sips before I left him to go back to sleep (and he did it on his own).  The goal is to teach him that sleeptime is no longer eating time.  The past 2 nights he hasn't woken up until around 6 am, so maybe he's figured it out.  We do feed him if he wakes up at around 5:30 or 6 because by then he's gone about 9 hours without food, so he is probably legitimately hungry. 

Getting Better at Falling Asleep

Last week, we were lazy about the whole sleep training thing because mommy was tired and daddy was preparing for final projects, though I worried that the inconsistency would confuse Baby CP and cause us to have to start all over again.  Luckily, that didn't happen and on the past three nights, Baby CP cried for only about 1 minute before falling asleep.  (I just walked into the room to fix his blankets and woke him up by accident, but instead of taking him out of his crib, I let him cry and he fell back asleep after about 2 minutes.)  Unfortunately, this doesn't mean he's been waking up any less at night.  Eventually, we will have to wean him from his night feedings, but I think he has seemed genuinely hungry the past few nights.  We are hoping that after he learns to swallow his solids, he'll get less hungry at night...my fingers are crossed. 

OMG

Mr. CP put Baby CP down tonight...2-3 minutes of crying (more like whining) tops. UNFAIR! I guess it just means that Baby CP loves mommy best and can't bear to have her leave him alone...

Still Sleep Training

It's been another 5 nights of sleep training...Baby CP still needs to cry for about 7-8 minutes before falling asleep at bedtime.  When he wakes up for his middle of the night feeding, he can sometimes fall back asleep on his own in his crib with the seahorse after about 3 minutes (though once it took more like 15 min).  I was really hoping there would be more progress within a week, but I guess we'll keep trying for at least another week.

Today was the first time I had to put him down for a daytime nap, which I already knew would be harder because of the light.  Somehow, the nanny is able to get him to sleep in his crib during the week without crying.  Other times, we used to rely on things like planning walks with his stroller or the ergo or holding him at naptime.  I will have to have Mr. CP learn the nanny's secrets because Baby CP clearly will not let mommy leave him in his crib without sad eyes, outreaching arms asking to be taken out and eventual crying and screaming.  Today when I went into the room to turn on the seahorse music again he got even louder and angrier, so I ended up turning on our Logitech Squeezebox which plays lullabies through Pandora.

He just fell asleep...it took 6 minutes of whining and another 18 minutes of crying and screaming to get there...sigh...

25 Weeks Old

Today, Baby CP is 25 weeks old.  I had just spoken to Grandpa CP on Sunday and told him that no teeth had yet erupted only to find a bottom front tooth had poked through on Monday morning!  I felt it by sticking my finger in his mouth but it was hard to get a good look, because Baby CP will stick his tongue out if you put things in his mouth.  Mr. CP had the camera ready though and this distracted Baby CP long enough to get a shot, albeit a blurry one.  It looks like the second bottom front tooth will be coming in within the next couple days.  No wonder he's been EXTRA drooly the past few days.

I know it's impossible to see in this photo, but trust me, it's there (his bottom front left)

Ever since Baby CP was little, he's basically been nursed to sleep except when he went through a few short phases where other things would work:  pacifier, holding him, and singing to him.  He will fall asleep in the carseat and the ergo, but that's not something you want to be relying on regularly.  Also, since Baby CP hit 4 months old, he started waking up twice a night instead of once, which is tough to deal with now that I've gone back to work.  So, I decided that Mr. CP should sleep train him come mid-December. 

Despite those plans, Mr. CP decided that two nights ago at 5am was the right time to start training with a little cry it out.  I was not mentally prepared, and we didn't do it "by the book" as Baby CP was in our bed at the time.  Mr. CP wouldn't let me shush him or pat him or anything!  But since he was in our bed, at least he knew we were there and had not totally abandoned him.  I felt bad because Baby CP looked so sad.  He was crying and would reach for me and tried to touch my face and would roll over to me, but after about 15 minutes, he seemed to have tired himself out and fell asleep.

Last night, I put him in his crib and turned on the musical seahorse.  Baby CP cried for about 7 or 8 minutes and then got quiet.  I peeked in through a little crack that I left in the doorway and saw him watching the belly of the growing seahorse (though he did look sad) and when the light faded, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Poor guy doesn't look comfortable here.

In order to stay consistent, I placed Baby CP in his crib again tonight and turned on the seahorse.  He cried for about 6 or 7 minutes, then it got quiet and when I peeked in, he was asleep.

He rolled around a bit more tonight and ended up at the foot of his crib.

Although it took about the same amount of time for him to fall asleep two nights in a row, I think it's working.  I'm grateful that he isn't one of those babies that carries on for hours and I suspect that the fact that the nanny has been able to get him take his naps during the day have eased him into sleeping without me around to feed him.  I hope within a couple more nights, Baby CP can learn to fall asleep on his own so that the tears will be worth it.

He Loves It, He Loves It Not

Baby CP will suck on the pacifier for short periods of time sometimes, but will usually spit it out.  We have to hold it in place for a while before he'll take to it and there is no guarantee that he will.  Sometimes I try to get him to hold his head facing straight up so that I have gravity on my side.  There have been a few times where he has sucked on it until his eyes closed and he has dozed off, but except for one or two instances, once the pacifier pops out of his mouth, he wakes up again.  I wonder if he'll just be one of those babies that doesn't like pacifiers...my poor ears...

Dozing off...

I've been swaddling Baby CP in swaddle blankets, but they tend to get loose, and sometimes he wriggles out of them in a way that looks like a choking hazard.  On the suggestion of a friend, I tried a Halo Sleepsack Swaddle that someone had given to me.  Baby CP didn't like it...he screamed and cried for a long time before settling down.  He did finally fall asleep, but not for long...but that could have been because he was awakened by a poop which made him cry.  The thing with swaddling is...although it helps him sleep longer, when he wakes up, if he can't wriggle out easily, he gets himself worked up trying to get himself out of it.

This past week, Baby CP seems to have learned to have a little patience...he will make little sounds to let you know he's awake rather tan full blown crying, especially if he was wrapped in something he easily got out of.  Perhaps the velcro swaddles are just too much for him.

7 Weeks Old

Yesterday, Baby CP officially reached 7 weeks old.  He weighed in at just under 13 lbs.

You can see that his head is quite large and his thighs quite meaty.

We didn't measure him, but he looks longer than the mat now, so he's probably more than 22.5 inches tall.

Baby CP has had a busy week...
 
On Thursday, Baby CP made a trip to mommy's office for the 9th Floor Summer Relays.  Although it was loud with all the people, the cheering, the running and the cap guns, Baby CP was quiet and even fell asleep for a quick snooze.

On Saturday, Baby CP went with mommy and daddy down to Menlo Park to check out a house with Uncle A and Aunt S.  It was so hot in the South Bay!  Baby CP was quiet for the most part and drank 3.5 oz of cold milk from a bottle for a refreshing drink while enjoying the breeze out on the backyard patio.  He was well behaved at the house, but was fussy in the carseat- he preferred to look out of the window most of the time rather than sleeping like most babies do.

On Sunday, Baby CP went to wish buddy Mini Burrito a happy first birthday.  Baby CP was a little fussy (hungry and tired) and refused to drink from the bottle until he got home where he drank only about 1 oz.

6 Weeks Old

As of yesterday, Baby CP is 6 weeks old.  I don't have any new pictures to share, but we measured Baby CP last night and he's 22.5 inches.  That means he's grown 2 inches since birth.

This past week, Mr. CP was successful in getting Baby CP to drink about 2 oz from a bottle a few times.  The little guy still wants to eat from the source right after, but this is good progress.

Today, I swaddled him before putting him down for 2 naps.  During the first nap, he managed to wiggle his way out of the blanket without making a peep (so I had no idea until about an hour and a half later - sneaky!) and fell back asleep on his own.  During the second nap, I heard him whine a little and I saw him try to wiggle out but I was starving so I ignored him to get a couple bites of my lunch...and what do you know...3 minutes later, he had settled back to sleep on his own again.  Mommy is very impressed!


BTW - He still hates the pacifier.  Oh well.

The More Humane Swaddle

If you read my earlier post on swaddling, you know that I forced Baby CP into a Size S/M SwaddleMe pouch a few days ago that seemed awfully tight.  The next day, I tried to do it again and there was just no way it was going to fit.  The company has failed me...how can you fit a 14 lb baby into that thing??  Baby CP is already too long so the top of the swaddle pouch at best couple go around his shoulders and it is way too tight around the chest area.   Mr. CP found this unsuitable, so until I locate some larger swaddle pouches, it's back to the art of swaddling with receiving blankets which is more humane for 2 reasons - first, it's not so tight that he can barely breathe and secondly, I let his legs dangle free.

A very useful gift from Aunt T

I usually use the soft cotton muslin ones by Aden and Anais that everyone loves, but sometimes a persistent Baby CP is too strong and he can break out of the stretchier material after a bunch of wiggling.  When I need a little more structure, this flannel receiving blanket by Swaddle Designs really does the trick.  Baby CP slept for 6 hours straight!  (No, he doesn't do that consistently yet.  I blame the hibernation phase of a growth spurt.)

Back to Swaddling

In the days after Baby CP was born, the hospital staff showed us how to swaddle our little one up tight.  It seemed to soothe the little guy and you could easily rest him on your chest or up near your shoulder and he could do a little "tummy time" to strengthen his neck muscles.

As time went on during the first month, Baby CP seemed to HATE having his arms bound.  This started rather early and he prefers to sleep in what Mr. CP likes to refer to as the "I surrender" position. 

I surrender!

This was fine during the first couple weeks, because Baby CP was a sleepy one and would basically just fall asleep after each feeding.  All that changed at some point between week 2 and 3 and putting him down without waking him up has become an exercise in extreme patience and a source of frustration.  I walk with him, his eyes droop and he can't hold out anymore...he's asleep...but the moment I put him down in the co-sleeper (or 10 minutes later, which in some ways is even more frustrating), he wakes up.  After putting him down, even when done with the MOST gentle of motions, his legs and body will twist and wiggle and his arms look like they're trying to swat some imaginary flies away from his face.  This of course wakes him up.  I try to wait until he's in a deeper state of sleep, but sometimes my arms or back just get too tired or there are random things that need to get done so I feel rushed. 

Today, I decided to try the Summer Infant Swaddle Me again.  It's the small size, which I believe is for babies up to 14 lbs.  Baby CP is only between 10 and 11 lbs, but the darn thing seems so tight!  But I was in an experimental mood today, so I figured the company must have done adequate research into sizing and I wrapped him up very tight.  He screamed and cried, but after a couple minutes, since he was a little tired, he got quiet and drifted off to sleep.  It's 3 hours later and he hasn't woken up yet.  I'll have to try this a few more times to make sure it's not just a coincidence.

Mommy WHY are you doing this to me?!?

Nighttime Grunting

Starting at about three weeks, Baby CP started having episodes at night during which he would grunt, squeal, kick and twist arms, legs and body all over the place.  The weird thing is, he is asleep while he's doing it.  It started the couple of days that I tried to introduce a bottle, so I blamed this new development on the bottle.  I haven't really used a bottle since then, but last night, the grunts came back.  Some internet research tells me that it's normal behavior that will clear up over time, but when Mr. CP and I watch our little one go through it "this can't be normal" runs through our minds.  Poor thing...