Patrick is now about two and a half months old!! It's hard to believe how fast time rolls by. We are having a lot of fun together, and it's true that babies change constantly. Just when I think I've got things figured out, he throws a curve ball at me. He definitely keeps me on my toes, which is a good thing. Lately we've been working on sleep patterns. I have to admit that although I've been following doctor's orders by putting Patrick into his bed content yet awake at night so that he can get himself to sleep, I've been letting him take all of his daily naps in my arms. Honestly, it's something I've loved doing, first because I love holding him, and second, because many of those naps are for both of us. I will fall asleep sitting up on the couch as I'm holding him. Not the best thing to do, I know but it's the truth. So lately I've been wondering if Patrick sleeps too much during the day, as he will often fall asleep in his car seat while we're out, and the same goes for if he's in his stroller. Last week I devoted a few days to just staying home to see what his natural rhythms were, and it seemed to go as follows: eat, be awake/play for about 45-60 minutes, sleep for 45-60 minutes, then start all over again. So, I know I've got to start planning my day around his natural schedule. I'm just not sure how. I mean, it would make sense to let him sleep at home during his natural nap time, then pack him up for errands during his awake time. Thus, he'll be getting quality sleep at home, in a quiet space, as part of a nap time routine. My fear is that if I do that, he'll sleep during his nap time, then end up falling asleep MORE when we're out, as the movement of the car and stroller seem to lull him back to sleep. I don't want him to sleep TOO much during the day, because I'm afraid it will affect how much and how well he sleeps at night. This being a mom stuff is hard!! Any advice? We're also working on transitioning nap time from mommy's arms to Patrick's bed. I'm glad we're working on it now, because after one day of it, I think it's going to be kind of difficult. He falls asleep SO much faster in my arms than in his bed during the day, which is nice, but I don't want to have a 10 month old who still needs me to hold him for his day time naps. I figure, the longer we keep going with him napping in my arms, the harder it will be to break the habit. Tomorrow and Wednesday are also going to be spent solely at home so I can continue to work on this. The last thing I'm trying to do is to skip his late afternoon/early evening nap (which happens about 6 or 7ish each day) and instead start a bed time routine with a bath, diaper change, book reading, nursing, then an earlier bed time. Otherwise, sometimes it's almost 10 pm before he gets to sleep since he's wired from his evening nap. Tonight's the first night of trying this, and he's currently (fingers crossed!) asleep. We'll see how long he stays down for before his next feeding, and if the nights go smoother this way. Wish us luck!
The pictures are all pretty recent. I love the one in his bouncy seat. I haven't used it in a while because he pretty much hated it when he was younger. He loves being outside, though, and I decided to put him in it outside so he could check out his surroundings. Instead, it was obvious that he was seeing the little hanging animals on the bouncy seat for the first time, and he just stared at them and giggled. It was wonderful!
We're working on tummy time, which neither of us like. Patrick doesn't like it because, well, it's probably just not comfortable, so he whines and fusses. I don't like it because he doesn't like it. But, we're determined to strengthen that neck and arms, so we continue to do it.
Things Patrick is doing these days:
Laughing, cooing, "talking" and squealing with delight when he's awake and happy.
Smiling
Noticing hanging toys and objects more
Many nights he'll sleep for one stretch of up to 4-5 hours, which is wonderful for mommy!
Spending more time awake
Practicing holding his head up during tummy time
That's all this sleep deprived brain can think of for now!
My best piece of advice (as hard as it is to actually do) is just relax, don't over think these things and don't stress. I found that things seemed to work themselves out and we always managed to get into a groove that worked for us. Some things take time, so don't rush yourselves. Good luck!
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