it's been a looooong week. work has been hectic and i was on call overnight on tuesday and ended up not going to bed until almost 4:00am. this, after lots of nights in a row of monkey butt getting up several times and being very difficult to go back to sleep in his crib. on our chests? oh, yes. he'll sleep upon us. but in his very own bed where there is white noise and music and all sorts of pro-sleep devices designed specifically for tiny men? not so much. i think he likes the thread count in our bed.
and so we ponder how to help him sleep. i turn to my friends, the intertubes, the books. and you weigh the research over your instinct. of course, you get a handful of different answers. feed him! a full tummy helps a baby sleep. but the literature doesn't really support that and we wanted to wait 'til 6 months to add anything beyond breast milk...swaddle him! don't swaddle him! let him sleep on his belly! back is best! he should be having regular naps right now, not all willy nilly sleeping like he is!
argh. are we ruining his tiny life by not being more regimented? too regimented? i don't think so. but all these little decisions seem huge when you're making them for this little dependent bean. i try to stick to my guns with the decisions i've made, but i admit that i am swayed with what my friends are doing with their babies. and i get weirdly paranoid and competitive over silly things. (how much milk are you producing? oh, i only made this much/how long does he sleep without waking up? oh, mine only goes this long...etc, etc). it's rough. and God forbid one of my friend's kids hits a developmental milestone sooner than hankenstein. as positive as i am that he's healthy and perfect, i always worry briefly that somehow he's behind....
the things i'm trying to remember are that 1) every baby is different, most a variant of normal and 2) everything is a phase. he's teething and had a cold last week AND we were out of town for the weekend where he slept in my bed pretty much the whole time cuz he had to be quiet for the room full of people...consequently, his sleep has been off this week. but last night was a good night and maybe we'll turn a positive corner now. we'll see.
we haven't done much of the 'crying it out' thing. it may be inevitable some day, but i just haven't had the fortitude to do it yet. and i don't feel like i've done enough research (ack! there it is again!) to feel totally confident in doing it. and i know it will not only be painful, but also it will fail if i'm not 100% behind it.
so...we're just kind of winging it. he turns 6 months in a few weeks and i think we'll start some oat cereal then. or possibly start with veggies instead. unsure on that so far. even that little debate- although in the grand scheme of things, whether the kid first 'The Exorcist-style' spits up oatmeal or squash, it really doesn't matter, but because it's a FIRST, it seems critical.
argh. are we ruining his tiny life by not being more regimented? too regimented? i don't think so. but all these little decisions seem huge when you're making them for this little dependent bean. i try to stick to my guns with the decisions i've made, but i admit that i am swayed with what my friends are doing with their babies. and i get weirdly paranoid and competitive over silly things. (how much milk are you producing? oh, i only made this much/how long does he sleep without waking up? oh, mine only goes this long...etc, etc). it's rough. and God forbid one of my friend's kids hits a developmental milestone sooner than hankenstein. as positive as i am that he's healthy and perfect, i always worry briefly that somehow he's behind....
the things i'm trying to remember are that 1) every baby is different, most a variant of normal and 2) everything is a phase. he's teething and had a cold last week AND we were out of town for the weekend where he slept in my bed pretty much the whole time cuz he had to be quiet for the room full of people...consequently, his sleep has been off this week. but last night was a good night and maybe we'll turn a positive corner now. we'll see.
we haven't done much of the 'crying it out' thing. it may be inevitable some day, but i just haven't had the fortitude to do it yet. and i don't feel like i've done enough research (ack! there it is again!) to feel totally confident in doing it. and i know it will not only be painful, but also it will fail if i'm not 100% behind it.
so...we're just kind of winging it. he turns 6 months in a few weeks and i think we'll start some oat cereal then. or possibly start with veggies instead. unsure on that so far. even that little debate- although in the grand scheme of things, whether the kid first 'The Exorcist-style' spits up oatmeal or squash, it really doesn't matter, but because it's a FIRST, it seems critical.
anyway...we have this weekend to relax and regroup. and henry is happy and sweet through all of these "issues," so, really? how stressful can any of this be?
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