Sleep Study Night One

Although Caden did not sleep in his room all night last night it was still a better night. He went to bed at 8:30pm and did not wake up until 12:45am! That is just over 4 hours, which was great! I only got about 3 hours because I didn't go to bed right away, but it was a start.

I ended up bringing him to my room because the hand held monitor light was yellow, which meant the batteries were dying. Of course, the night I decide to keep him in his room I have no extra batteries. I nursed him and he was sleeping again by 1am. He woke up at 3:15am and again at 5:45am. Both times I think he was just restless and wanted to nurse again. He did wake up at 6:30am to eat and we stayed up.

He took 3 really good naps today, which allowed me to clean house and do laundry. I even took a 2 hour nap with him.

I have new batteries, so we will try again tonight.

Sleep Journal 8/29

TNS = total (hours) nighttime sleep - 9 hours and 15 minutes
NOW = Number of night wakings - 3
LSS = Longest stretch of (uninterrupted) sleep - 4 hours and 15 minutes
TDS = total (hours) daytime sleep - 4 hour and 15 minutes
T24 = total (hours) sleep in a 24 hour period - 13 1/2 hours

Information a-holic

I think I am an information junkie. Why do I feel the need to research everything? Well, not everything, but anything baby related. I've been this way since I found out I was pregnant and it hasn't stopped. My most recent adventure in research is all about getting Caden to sleep through the night. I cannot just wait for this happen any longer. I'm a zombie. By the afternoon I can barely focus or see straight. My eyes cross and I cannot concentrate on anything. That doesn't go well with my job.

In my opinion, there is no reason Caden should be getting up as much as he does during the night. He gets cereal twice a day, plenty of naps, a strict bedtime routine with bedtime nursing and formula to top him off. I really believe he finds comfort in nursing throughout the night. I want him to feel comfort, but we need to find a new comfy for him.
Back to my research. I've been looking into different CIO methods and different viewpoints. I know some people are against CIO and others say it works like a charm. Every parent has something that works for them, and that's great. I have no judgement. I would say that I lean towards attachment-parenting, but not 100%. I guess I am just somewhere in the middle.
I've come across 3 different methods and I'm falling towards the Ferber method. However, knowing myself I'll end up doing the no-cry method:

Ferber - Ferber believes you should follow a strict bedtime routine (as they all do) and when it is time for bed, you put your baby in his crib whether they are awake or half asleep. If your baby fusses/cries whatever,don't go in right away. Hold off at least 5 minutes or so before going back into this room. He strongly believes in not picking up your child, but rather pat them and shhh them softly. When your baby fusses again, wait longer than 5 minutes before going back in again. Each time you have to go in the room you are supposed to make the wait time in longer intervals.

No-cry method: This method is very similar to the Ferber method, but I believe they recommend soothing your baby so they are 1/2 asleep. The main difference is when your baby cries you immediately pick your baby up and soothe them and put them back in their crib. You keep doing this all night until they fall back asleep. (Sounds so vary exhausting).
Weissbluth: Then you have the Weissbluth method. He believes in the extinction method where at bedtime you put your child in the crib, leave the room and do not go back.

I can say that the Weissbluth/extinction method is not for us. I do believe that a baby needs the comfort of their parents as a sense of security and I could not deny that to Caden.

Once again, another trial begins tonight.

I almost forgot - I am going to be keeping a sleep journal for Caden. Feel free to ignore as I post them.

TNS = total (hours) nighttime sleep
NOW = Number of night wakings
LSS = Longest stretch of (uninterrupted) sleep
TDS = total (hours) daytime sleepT24 = total (hours) sleep in a 24 hour period

I'll start with tonight and update tomorrow.

Look what I found!!

My little boy has FINALLY found his feet! I've been waiting for this to happen and it happened out of nowhere. I was feeding him, but he was way more interested in his feetsies. Now he never lets go of them and diaper changes are becoming a challenge. Haha!

Visit with Grandma and 4th Month Appt

We had a GREAT visit with Grandma this last week. She flew home early this morning :( I love seeing my mom - it's just so hard when she leaves. I get so emotional and on the verge of tears until they finally break the lid. It's funny how when my parents first moved to SC and my mom would be sobbing when I left and I would comfort her - now the tables are turned. I wished my parents lived closer. Having a baby makes even harder to be away from them. I am planning a trip with Caden October 1st to fly out to see my parents :) Then we'll all be going back for Christmas.

My mom was in 7th heaven seeing Caden. She fed him his cereal every night and read him a book before bed. I felt really bad because Caden is in this phase of just wanting Mommy and Daddy, so he cried a lot when we weren't around. He did give his Grandma some big smiles and lots of coos last night. This phase literally came out of nowhere. He is going to Tammy's tomorrow and Friday, so hopefully he is good for her. My mom's flight was delayed Wednesday night, so my Aunt graciously picked her up from the airport around 2am. They visited my Grandpa the next morning and drove out from Canton to my house in the afternoon. We mostly stuck around house, but we did do a little shopping and went back out to see my Grandpa on Sunday. He looked good and LOVED seeing his great grandson.

***

Caden had his 4 month appointment today. He weighed 15lbs even! He has pretty much doubled his birth weight (7lb 7oz). He was last weighed one month ago today and he is up 1lb 9oz. He is 24.5 inches long; a 5 inch growth since birth. His head is measuring 16 3/4. The doctor said he is average for his weight and just under average for his length. She wasn't worried and said he is well proportioned. When the doctor came in Caden thought he would show off and roll over. I've mentioned before that he can only roll from back to belly and the ped said that is the hardest part - rolling from tummy to back is easy. She was very impressed and said he is developing VERY well. She gave us the go ahead to start solids by giving him cereal twice a day. After a few weeks we can introduce a veggie. We have been giving him cereal (when he'll take it) once a day, but we are going to start upping it to twice a day starting tomorrow.

We also discussed Caden's sleeping habits; or lack there of. She basically said I was crazy to expect a 4 month old to sleep through the night. Haha! I'm not crazy - I know lots of moms whose babies are sleeping through the night. She said that sometimes he probably just wakes up because he is thirsty or just wants his mama's touch and told me to patient. (I think I have been more patient since I found out I was pregnant than I have in my entire life). Guess I should just keep expecting these sleepless nights until Caden decides to surprise his Mommy. **Sigh**

He only got one shot, that had 5 vaccines :( He did handle it rather well. He screamed when they poked him, but as soon as I picked him up he settled down and ate. He goes back next month for 2 more shots and an oral vaccine.

Now for some pictures from our week with Grandma!

Mommy's funny...

Last night my mom and I were eating dinner and had Caden on the table in his bouncer. That we he didn't feel alone while we ate :) I was eating and just talking with my mom and all the sudden Caden started laughing. Not just his little half laugh - all out laughing. You would have thought I food all over my face. I am so glad I had my camera handy take this video!

In Loving Memory of Zachary Rodger

Zachary Rodger of our April Playroom said goodbye suddenly to his time on earth yesterday after a hard fight trying to battle his heart condition. He was able to spend two precious weeks at home with his mother, father and sister Jassie. My heart is just aching for Zac's family. No words can describe the sadness I feel. Our playroom is just devastated.

Please say a prayer for Mellie, Rodger, Jassie and baby Zac. They need everyone's thoughts and prayers to help them through the days, weeks, months and years ahead.

You will never be forgotten Zac. You have touched so many of us and we love you so very much.

Exciting weekend...

I should be in bed sleeping since Caden just went down for the night, but I wanted to post a few updates. My little man is getting too big so fast. Although my pregnancy feels like a distant memory it feels like I just gave birth yesterday.

Caden has been able to roll over from belly to back only when laying on the couch or bed. He needed a soft cushion to get moving. This past Sunday we were playing on the floor, and I got up to do a few things in the kitchen. He was laying on his back when I got up and when I looked over the counter I saw this:

I couldn't believe it! He is still trying to figure out how to get from his belly to back. Every time I turned him over to his back he kept rolling over. He didn't even mind being on his tummy. He was actually screaming in delight (now that he has discovered his voice).

So we played a little more....

We also tried cereal this weekend. He wasn't so sure about it. I made it way to thin. He was probably wondering why Mommy was trying to feed him milk from a spoon. Today he did a little better. He kept opening his mouth for more, but than made a look of disgust when I got it in his mouth.

Poor little guy is teething pretty bad. He had his cranky pants on all evening. His hands are constantly in his mouth and the drool - he could swim in it! I gave him some Tylenol and helped him chew on his teething rings. I feel so bad for him right now. Just a couple of days ago he was the happiest baby. Hopefully they come through quick so we can get past this. My mom is flying in this week to see Caden :) but I hope he keeps his cranky pants in the closet while she is here.

We also had fun in the exersaucer. He is still too small for it, so I had to put blankets behind and in front of him. He LOVED it! Once he can reach the toys he'll probably want to stay in it for days. It will be nice to have new toys to occupy him every now and then, so Mommy can get some things done around the house.

One year ago today...

One year ago today we got our BFP!! (Big Fat Positive).. I remember waking up at 4ish in the morning because I just couldn't wait to pee on that stick. It came back with 2 red lines and I started to cry. It was a Wednesday morning, so Ryan was off work that day. I went running into the bedroom jumping on the bed to wake him and share the news. He was just as happy as I was, but he was quick to fall back to sleep. (He never has a hard time falling back to sleep) I couldn't sleep, so I just got ready for work. I don't think I accomplished one thing that day. I didn't want to tell anyone right away - I wanted to wait until I was 12 weeks. We told our parents and a couple close friends sooner, but I kept it from everyone at work until about 10 weeks. I just can't believe how fast the last year went. I can't imagine how fast this year will go by now having Caden here in our arms.

***

Caden has learned to make this loud pitched noise. It almost sounds like a bird and he won't stop! I'll be feeding him and he just stops, gurgles the milk in the back of his throat and starts making his noise. Once he gets going - watch out. It is SO cute! Ryan and I can't help but laugh. I think he forgets about eating because Mommy and Daddy are gooing over him. Today he started to make raspberries. He made quite a mess with all his spit and drool. We took him to BRU to pick up his 3 month pictures and they came out great. I am really impressed. I just need a few more frames, so Ryan can hang them up. We still have to hang up his 1 month pictures too.

Caden has a sweetheart in our playroom on-line. She is actually my due date buddy's daughter, Alexa. We had a new siggy made and it turned out so stinkin cute! (Thanks again Christa!).. Christa has actually inspired me to learn to make these - it's almost like digital scrap booking. I downloaded a trial version of Paint Pro Shop, but if I could only figure out how to use it. I just ordered PPS for Dummies, so I hope it comes soon.

The Crib Cont....

It's been almost a week and we are still working on the crib saga. Every night I lay him down to sleep, but only lasts 2-3 hours. He wakes up crying to be fed and refuses to go back to sleep until he is upstairs in his playard. I even tried cereal in his bottle, but that didn't help so I stopped. I guess we can only keep working at it and see what happens. We have been putting him in his crib for naps all week and he does great. If only he would sleep through the night.. I can dream can't I?

My mom is flying in a week from today for a visit. I'm looking forward to her visit more than ever! I'm hoping to sneak in a few naps when she is here. I've been deprived of sleep since April ;) Some days are worse than others with the lack of sleep. We'll be trying cereal to help him get used to using a spoon next Thursday. Soon after we'll introduce his first veggie. Maybe once he is on solids he'll start sleeping through the night. Ah,, there I go dreaming again.

Caden is still working on rolling over. He does roll from side to side all the time and occasionally to his belly. He just has a hard time getting from his belly to his back. He is starting to belly laugh when Mommy and Daddy tickle him or blow raspberries on his neck and belly. He has the cutest laugh ever! You can't help but smile.

His gas is SO much better too! I don't think I've heard him cry from gas in over 2 weeks. TG! I sure hope those days are over. I hated seeing him in so much pain. I even ate a piece of pizza and it had no affects on him. (I had to cut out all tomato sauce from my diet). I'm still not overdoing it, but 1 slice here or there won't hurt. Not anymore at least.

Ryan and I are trying to work on letting Caden fall asleep on his own at bedtime. I've heard that rocking your baby to sleep is a hard habit to break later on. We still have to help soothe him for naps most of the time. He has himself on a good night time routine. It's like clockwork (for now that is). On the nights he gets a bath we start at 7pm. By the time he is done with this bath, dressed and everything is cleaned up he is ready for his bottle at 7:30pm. You better be preparing his bottle 5 minutes before or he is going to let you have it. After he eats there is a little play time before he is swaddled for bed. He pretty much falls asleep right after he is swaddled by 8pm. I'm sure next week he'll have a different routine. My sister-in-law always warned me.. just when you learn his schedule and get it down pat - they go and change it on you. She couldn't have been more right!

Night Two...

Thursday night did not work out so well with Caden sleeping in his room. I fell asleep nursing him and when I woke up I just had no energy to bring him downstairs. He woke up several times during the night as usual. I managed to get through Friday. Looking back.. I'm not sure how. I was exhausted beyond belief!

Friday evening roles around and I decided to give him a bottle of formula and gave in to adding a few pinches of cereal. I brought him upstairs to read a book and have some play time. He actually wanted to nurse even after drinking a 4 oz bottle. He nursed for about 20 minutes and he was out cold. I had such a good feeling that he would sleep for at least 4-5 hours. So off to his crib he went. Sleeping like a little angel. I went up to bed around 9:30pm shortly after I put him in his crib.

I woke up hearing him over the monitor crying at 10:30!!! Not even an hour and he was awake. I rocked him back to sleep and gave him his binkie. I did manage to fall asleep, but was awoken by Ryan setting the house alarm as he was walking out the door at 11:30pm. Again, I fell back asleep but woke to Caden crying at 12:30am. I nursed him thinking he was hungry and put him back to sleep in his crib. He woke up again every hour on the hour. I was desperate for sleep, so I brought him upstairs at 2:30am. Didn't work! He still continued to wake up every hour on the hour.

What am I doing wrong? Why won't he sleep? I don't even feel like myself during the day anymore. I'm just too tired....

I'm going to try it again tonight, so we'll see what happens. Wish me luck again!