sleep

Things are falling into place nicely here in our home, regarding sleep in our going-on-5-month old.  Sigh. I am happy to report that Nathaniel has been able to fall asleep on his own (most of the time) for naps and bedtime.  He also is (finally!) starting to stretch out his sleeping time to 4-5 hour blocks at a time.  I thought we would never get here. 


Jacob was a fabulous sleeper, from the very beginning.  He started sleeping through the night around 6 weeks, and taking 2-3 hour long naps during the day...meaning I could nap along with him.  What an amazing way to start out parenthood = rested!


Wyatt came along, and slept through the night only a handful of times by about 8-10 weeks old.  He was a more difficult baby, sleep-wise and not.  By the time he was 3 months old, I was beginning to question my sanity.  Thoughts like, "Why isn't he sleeping throught he night?  Jacob did at this age!" and "why doesn't he nap more than 30 minutes at a time?  how can I make him nap better?"  went through my head on a regular basis.  I read every book under the sun, and researched, and questioned other moms.  All the information I got back was conflicting, and essentially made me want to tear my hair out.  Wyatt continued to scream for hours, and it would be accompanied by back arching, flailing, and wailing.  He would go down screaming and wake up the same.  Nothing seemed to comfort him ~ and it led to utter frustration & exhaustion for all of us, which didn't help matters any.  He was put on Zantac @ 4 months, and almost immediately, his demeanor changed.  But...he still didn't sleep.  We lived in a haze for the first 6-8 months of his life.  And honestly, I don't remember much of his infancy.  I rarely slept more than 3 hour chunks, and had to keep up with an infant and a toddler, as well as work full time ~ and there was no resting for Mama!  In all honesty, I was angry about being so.darn.tired. allofthetime.  So....grumpiness won, mostly.  I wish I could change that about myself.  Hindsight is always 20/20 isn't it?  All I can really do now is seek forgiveness, and learn from my mistakes.


So....


When Nate was born (and even further back, into my pregnancy with him), I made peace with the fact that I would never sleep again.  Literally.  And I was okay with that, as long as I maintained my happiness.  Because, let's face it: a Happy Mama is a Happy Family.  True, no?   The simple fact that I made the choice to be happy despite my utter exhaustion made all of the difference in the world.  Don't get me wrong, it's not all sunshine and roses all of the time, but everything is so much more enjoyable this time around.  I'm loving every moment of Nate's infancy, and Jacob & Wyatt's toddlerhood.  Well, almost every moment.  But that's another post for another day! 
And what MckMama wrote recently was a great reminder that parenting small children all goes by way too quickly. 


I digress. 


Nate is starting to sleep.  On his own!  His sleep habits are forming slowly, but are definitely there.  I'm so grateful that he's getting the rest he needs.  He wakes cheery, cooing, screeching (it's his "happy sound"), and kicking.  I can see a clear pattern of wakefulness, the need to eat, and when to sleep.  We're on a schedule ~ albiet a very flexible one, but something we both need.  He likes a pacifier to soothe to sleep, and sometimes needs a soft blanket or lovey in his hands, so they don't flail and wake him up. 

Here's what a typical day looks like for us ~ if I'm home with the boys during the week, and on the weekend (sorry to bore you; I suppose it's more for me than anyone else):

6:00 AM ~ wake, nurse, nap - usually in our bed
7:30 AM ~ big boys are awake in their room, usually jumping on their beds and laughing
8:00 AM ~ all of us get out of bed
8:15 AM ~ breakfast
8:45 AM ~ play, change clothes, get ready for the day
9:30 AM ~ change Nate, nurse, nap in his crib
10:30 AM ~ awake, play, snack (big boys)
12:00 PM ~ lunch
12:30 PM ~ play, change, read books
1:15 PM ~ all 3 boys down for naps (Jacob in the boys' room, Wyatt in the PNP in the nursery, Nate in his carseat in our bedroom.  I know the carseat is not the most ideal sleeping environment, but for now it works.  He'll sleep for 2-3 hours in his carseat vs. 1 hr flat on his back.  Also I'd love to have the big boys nap in the same room, essentially freeing up our room, but that hasn't worked as well as I'd hoped, so for now, they are much better rested when they nap alone)
3:30 PM ~ wake, snacks, TV or movie
4:00 PM ~ play
5:00 PM -ish ~ Nate nurses & has a short nap, 45 min-1 hr.
5:30 PM ~ dinner as a family
6:30 PM ~ play, clean up, & baths
7:30 - 8:00 PM ~ books & bed
Nate will wake 2-3 times during the night, depending on if he's unable to soothe himself back to sleep, or if he's poopy.  He can now go about 8-9 hours without needing to nurse, usually 8 PM is the last feeding, and he can go until about 4 AM before he eats again.  He will wake between 12 & 2 AM, and again @ 4 AM.

And now that I think I've got it all figured out, it's bound to change again! 

ETA:  Yep, I should have known better than to start cheering.  N barely napped today, and only once in his crib, and now he's up from what I thought was bed for him @ 7:30 PM.  Husband wants to let him cry it out for 15 minutes...which I thought was too long, but now @ minute 11, there is silence....hmmm....we shall see!