Argh... transition time!

[abbysmomma]

Hi all

I've previously described my LO as a "champion" sleeper, but not so anymore!!! From what I can tell, she seems to need to transition to a longer EASY, however I have a few questions. Oh, first here's the stats:
LO is 14 weeks old, is approximately 18 pounds (I know!!) and here's her 3hr EASY schedule

E: 7:30am
A: 7:45-8:30
S: 8:30-10:30
E: 10:30
A: 10:45-11:30
S: 11:30-1:30
E: 1:30
A: 1:45-2:30
S: 2:30-4:30
E: 4:30
A: 4:45-5:30
S: 5:30-6
A: 6-7:30
E: 7:30
S: 8

She was really good with this for a while, and at least two of three day naps were 2 hrs long. I know her A time for her age is really short, but I could never seem to extend them. Extending them led to disasterous naps. The only way I could extend them was by going out for walks, but I can't do that for every cycle! Maybe she's bored? Her night sleep was typically 11-12 hours with one or two feeds at night. No dream feed.

But, these days, her naps are getting shorter, she doesn't seem as interested in feeding (much shorter time - more efficient or not hungry? I'm bfing), and she's waking up more at night. Last night for the first time since she was 4 weeks old she woke up three times. I know this might be a growth spurt, but her last growth spurt was at 10 weeks and I definitely knew it since she was feeding from both sides for most feeds for three days. I have a hard enough time getting her to finish feeding one side these last few days! So, my question after this looong spiel:
How do I get to a 3.5 EASY (or more!) if I can't get her to stay awake longer? I know the other option is EASAS but do I only do  this when she wakes up early from her nap? If she happens to take a normal nap, then I'm stuck back at 3hrs again. I know most people are cautioned against overstimulating, but I actually think I'm understimulating her. We read books, go for walks, take baths, she sits in bouncy chair, but is not interested in any other toys. A lot of the time we just walk around the house. Anyways, sorry for the rambling. Any thoughts?

[rebecaq]

Hi there!

How much shorter are her naps? Has she hit any milestones lately? Like rolling over? Has she been through anything to have thrown her off track? Illness, teething etc?

And given by her weight she could be ready for 4 hour EASY mixed in with a growth spurt. I think maybe you can up the acitvity just a tiny bit. When I saw your A time I thought it was a bit short. Maybe she is understimulated and not getting sleepy enough.

- Beca

[abbysmomma]

Her naps can be anywhere from 30min-2hrs. These days, I can get one 2 hr nap, and the other two are struggles. She's definitely still tired if she gets up before 1.5 hours. I'll try doing more stuff with her during the day. I'll look to the activities board to see what others are doing. No milestones that I can tell - when do they start teething? How can you tell? She was a bit sick on Tuesday, maybe after effects of that? 

[rebecaq]

It could be the effects from it, my ds takes a while to get back on track. As for teething, is she showing disinterest in eating? Is she drooling quite a bit?  A low-grade fever and some pretty nasty poos (yuck!) are also signs of teething.

- Beca