5 weeks old and SLEEP!

We're good over here!  The newborn fog is lifting and I am feeling a bit more normal with each passing day.

Chase turned 5 weeks old this past Wednesday and he's getting bigger and bigger.  He's such a sweet boy.  He's so sweet in fact, that all he wants to do is do this....sleep ON you.  

He is such a cuddle bug.  When he was first born, I could not catch a minute of night time sleep if he didn't sleep on my chest.  So I was desperate and that's what we did.  I have a little wedge thing that I put on my stomach so he can't fall to either side and he and I slept almost horizontal-chest to chest every night.  It was very sweet and I actually slept ok, but it wasn't great sleep.  We have a queen bed so having him in the middle of us just freaked us both out.  Slowly I kept trying to put him in the bassinet to the side of the bed.  Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't.  After shushing him to sleep and thinking he was down after being up for the feeding then the getting back to sleep, sometimes I'd just put him back on me after being up for 2+ hours.

BUT, we've made great progress, and he sleeps all on his own now!  And yesterday (8/31) we moved him to his own room and crib at 5 weeks 2 days.  We moved Ethan over about 7 weeks or so. 

But naps have been awful during the day!  I have been "demand" feeding him.  So when he wakes up I feed him and around and around.  That was fine for a while but he still would prefer to sleep on me.  And just when I think he's asleep and I transfer him to the bouncer, swing, bassinet he wakes 5-15 minutes later.  I was going crazy.  Then I'd feed him and get him down again and again and again.  I was going mad.  I was holding him all day long and feeding him all day long and I was going batty.  I was becoming a psycho mom with no time for myself.  I hated it and was wishing that these sweet newborn days would quickly go by.  The icing on the cake was one day he slept maybe 1 hour ALL day.  That is not healthy for a newborn.  They need good sleep day and night.  Something had to change. 

So I reread my BabyWise book.  I kind of attempted this with Ethan around 6 weeks but I didn't really read the book fully and wasn't committed.  I gave up and carried on.  But with one child you can continue to do that.  But with Ethan AND Chase I just couldn't nap when I wanted (especially because Ethan had half days last week and no school the week before). 

So on Monday I started tracking him and started the 'cry it out' a little bit.  But I REALLY was committed and did day 1 on Friday 8/31 (really the evening of Thursday 8/30).  Today 9/1 is day 2 and it's going great!  The key is to get in good full feedings during the day.  He eats every 3 hours at 7:30a, 10:30a, 1:30p, 4:30p, and 7:30p.  And 1-2 middle of the night feedings.  If he wakes earlier or I think he needs to eat sooner, I adjust the schedule accordingly.  I feel like I'm getting my life back with this predictability.  I'm too much of a type A control freak to not know if I'll be in the middle of the grocery store and he'll wake up hungry.  I love schedules!  It does involve lots of crying at the beginning which is the controversial part.  Many say he's too young to self soothe and fall asleep on his own and that crying this much at such a small age is too traumatic.  Well, having a crazy mother is just as traumatic! 

On Thursday night/Friday morning he slept from 9-3 and last night he slept 9-4:30!  I'm kind of shocked that he can go that long but I got this baby scale delivered yesterday and he's 10lb 8oz so I know he's doing ok!  I'm so glad I got this scale.  I've been weighing him before I feed him and then after to know if he's getting enough milk.  I was questioning "is he crying because he's hungry or because he just wants to be held".   Well, I make sure he's well fed, clean diaper, drowsy etc. 

Last night he cried for 30 minutes off and on and tonight 15 minutes and was out.  Naps are a bit more challenging but he's figuring it out.

An outtake...whoops! 

Sweet love

  

Eric and Ethan at a work event

Ethan pretending Eric's calculator is a cell phone. 

Mr. Sassy Pants is still at it.  He's regressing with the potty training big time but we're working on it.  He's such a sweet little monkey though when he wants to be.  He's so sweet with Chase too!  I can't wait to see them together when they get older!