Correlation? No?

I was all set to do a 4 month post for Wyatt, but uh, started counting. And then re-counted. And then spent like, 20 minutes trying to figure out why my dates were off. I was counting weeks, every Tuesday since the Tuesday I had him, and it was off by a month, putting his first birthday in October.

I was baffled. I counted. 4 weeks at a time, put his 12 month mark in October.

I knew I had to be doing something wrong, despite the number of times I counted. It took until Caleb came home and explained some crazy phenomenon, about so many weeks in a year...

And then I realized, 4 weeks, 7 days, that's 28 days. HUH. All those extra little 29th, 30th, and a few 31st's actually add up!

It's the Mommy Brain, that's what it is. First it's the Pregnancy Brain, and then you go straight to Mommy Brain.

Like this morning, for example. I'm taking a nice hot shower, skin-turning-pink hot to thwart the 65 degree house, and I'm standing there, thinking to myself, trying to figure out this whole Sleep Situation, and reach for the conditioner. Rub it all in my hands, thinking about Wyatt's sleep, and then immediately start slathering it under my arms.

And the brain is funny you know, because it takes a second for it to process the Hmm, this is nice. Much smoother and sleeker than the soap normally is, to Woah, Girl. Not where that stuff goes.

(odd transition into Sleep Zone 2009)

So. The Cry It Out. It was terrible. Wyatt crying in his room, me crying in my room, checking on him every 3 minutes, and then 5 minutes.

It lasted exactly 1 hour and 16 minutes.

And let me tell you, the silence that follows over an hour of crying is beautiful. Lovely. Delightful. Insanely guilt-ridden.

I don't know whether it made a difference, he still woke up a few other times other than to eat, and again, I'm just not so sure about all of this. At least this early. So I again spent almost the entire day Googling and searching and reading and thinking, and hemming and hawing, and going back and forth on the issue.

Sigh. I don't think I'm going to continue until he's older. He's not yet 4 months old, he's still swaddled, he still prefers to be cuddled in the carseat, so he can't technically "soothe" himself, he's still exclusively breastfed, which is a huge factor. In a nutshell, for all ya'll who don't eat, sleep, and breathe all things baby, breastmilk is, as they say, the ultimate food for babies in that it's the most easily digestable, less calorie-laden than formula, therefore exclusively breastfed babies eat more often, and tend to not "sleep through the night" as early. I know this, have known this, and am not expecting him to go down until 7:30 in the morning. I just would love to go back to his previous schedule, two feedings before morning. Sleep in between.

Heaven.

(And here's where I document this more for me, than you...)

Today I let him sleep as long as he wanted for his naps. Sleep begets sleep, right? He took a 3 hour nap an hour after he woke up for the day, another hour and a half nap two hours after the first, and then another 45 minute nap two hours after that. And we put him "down for the night" (meaning bath, book, boob, bed) when he started acting tired next, which was an hour and a half after the last nap, at 7:30.

So. Attempt 4,485, take one!

His new finger of choice. The left pointer, or the right thumb.

Comments

[Jessica]

Just send him to me, and I will get some practice "mama" time while you get some sleep.

[Leslie]

I love hearing all about what you guys are experiencing. It brings it all back. It DOES get better. I promise. And then pretty soon they are 3 and you can't remember the last time they crawled,breastfed,drank out of a sippy cup, slept in a crib, etc. Drink it all in my friend.
Have you read "The Baby Whisperer"? If not, I would try it. You sound like you are up to any solutions. This worked for our last 3 kiddos SO well. I didn't do it w/ Cam because it wasn't out yet. I know all kids are different but it may be worth a try.