I can't say it enough, "Time Flies!" It's absolutely hard to believe that I've been in the thick of motherhood for 6 months. Where did the time go? In past posts you have read me complain about oodles, from breastfeeding complications to baby gas.
Since then though, I must say things are definitely on the up swing. For the last 2 months Edward has really come into his own. His personality is truly shining, especially after a good nap! At most times of the day you'll find him smiling away revealing his darling dimples and his sparkling brown eyes.
Things turned around during our road trip to lala land. We spent a week with our darling friends who opened their home to us. They too are the proud parents of sweet baby Isla who was 2 months old during our visit. My friend Lana is blessed to be surrounded by fellow mommies; family, friends, co-workers, who shower her with an abundance of first-hand knowledge. So you can imagine how excited I was to get her advice on all things baby. Especially sleep, and does she know sleep. Her little angel was sleeping through the night while I was still waking for nighttime feeds and at least 2 bouts of a crying baby. So I put my envy aside and got to learning. It was amazing. I either grew lots of confidence or my baby realized he needed to shape-up and get to sleeping. Within 2 days, he was napping 3x's/day and waking 1/night for a dropped pacifier.
What did we do different, you wonder? Let me tell you:
*During the day, I wouldn't let Edward stay up for more than 2 hours. Even thought he didn't show signs of sleep, I would set him in his crib with his pacifier and after a little tossing and whining he was out like a light.
*Feed, feed, feed. I would stock him up during the day by increasing his intake by 1-2 ounces/ feeding. Then a final dream feed between 10-11pm (diaper change too!)
*White noise; we pump his room with either beach waves or heavy rain; Bonus puts us to sleep too!
Sounds easy, right? And it really is. The only issue is his sleep is on a schedule, so it doesn't lend to much flexibility when out and about. He still falls asleep but doesn't stay asleep for the full 2 hours. And if that applies to both afternoon naps, all it means is a baby who is ready for bed at 6 or 6:30pm. Another down to a sleep schedule is trying to go out for dinner. We've now joined the seniors at 5pm if we go out. It's hard when you have friends and family who work or don't eat until much later. So we're hosting lots of dinner and gatherings.
One other interesting thing was that both babies were on the same cycle for everything, from feeding to pooping and even sleeping. Not sure why but it was fascinating.
Edward's newest thing is his babble. He's a real talker. Loves it a lot but doesn't like showing off when around others. It's actually very cute how shy he gets around babies. Maybe he's just being a gentleman and letting them get in their 2 cents. Another achievement is he's sitting up and grabbing things. However, he's not rolling over just yet. I'm not worried, but elated since that's one less thing I have to worry about. Especially, while he is on the floor. With all our computer wires and "things", I'm just not prepared for him to become a mover.
We've also been doing more classes. We attend a weekly play class at
Day One, summer reading at the
library and swim at
Le Petite Baleen. It's busy but fun especially getting to know other moms.
I'd love to hear what your baby is doing and other ways to keep busy.
Love Lots,
Mommy SF
