Month 2

The Dark Days

This is the period that Bob and I jokingly call the dark days. Ethan has started to boycott daytime naps and also does not sleep well at night. I always just thought that babies would just sleep whenever they are tired, but as it turns out Ethan gets overstimulated by all our play time and can't unwind by himself. For a few days he didn't sleep at all during the day and I thought he was perfectly happy because he was in his quiet alert stage. Then in the evening he would get really fussy and upset because he was so overtired and had a very hard time falling asleep for the night. Our friends sent us a book 'Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child' and after reading it I realized that we had to limit Ethan's awake time to no more than two hours so he won't get overtired. The problem now is how to help him fall asleep. After trying multiple things (we found Ethan hated the swing, bouncer, stroller rides, and like 20 different brands of binkie), I found the best way was to hold Ethan in a cradle hold and walk around at a brisk pace. This however could take upwards an hour before he drifted off. Also in this position he often thought it was time to eat and would start rooting and latching onto our arms. Then after discovering that Ethan loved the sound of running water, we invented what Bob called the 'Crazy Dance' where I would hold him upright in front of the sink which was turned on to full blast and step forwards and backwards rapidly. With all this Ethan would fall asleep within ten minutes. Trying to save natural resources we tried to find a recording that would simulate the running faucet but had no luck. Waterfall, aquarium, rain, static white noise and even actual recordings of the faucet did not work. Ethan could only be soothed by the real thing.

Next we had to hold Ethan while he slept since he would immediately wake up when we laid him on the bed. His moro reflex would kick in even if we just start to lower him down he would startle himself awake. If we placed him down when he was in deep sleep he would likewise startle himself awake within 5 minutes. Bob's parents came to visit for a week during this time and we all took turns just holding Ethan while he slept. After the grandparents left, it was just Bob and myself and I realized that we needed more help. Between nursing, rocking and holding Ethan while he slept I barely had time to eat let alone sleep. So I did what any spoiled daughter would do - I called my mom and asked her for advice. And being the best mom in the world she came back to help us out. Thanks mom!

One Month Stats:
Weight: 8 lbs 10 ou (22%)
Height: 21 in (29%)
Head Circumference: 37 cm (25%)