BabyWhispererForums.com
SLEEP => Night Wakings => Topic started by: krisfred6 on August 02, 2010, 00:22:00 am
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Hi, my 4 month old LO started STTN about 3 and half months. He did it for about a week. Prior to this he used to sleep really well, only waking once (about 4am) for a feed and then going back to sleep. Over the last couple of weeks he has been waking nearly every hour from about 2am. He doesn't always cry during this time, but he calls out, grunts, cries, moves around in his cot. He has been able to put himself back to sleep by sucking on his fingers. Some nights I feed him (he only takes one side) and other nights I go in and resettle. I don't go in straight away and listen to see if he will only resettle. I go in when his cries become more than a mantra cry. About 3 weeks ago I started introducing Farex (cereal) to my LO as he was showing all the signs that he was ready. Now I don't know if this is interfering with his sleeping and if I should stop for awhile until he is a little older. Please help me get my my dream sleeper back!
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Do you think he might be teething?
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It is a possibility, he chews everything and dripples so much I have to change his bibs 3 times a day, but he has been doing this for the past 2 months and I can't feel anything. But it is definately a possiblity. I also forgot to mention that I am currently in the process of changing my LO from a 3-hour EASY routine to a 4-hour routine.
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I'm working on the same thing. Today was day 1, and it went really well. I guess we'll see how the night goes? He had one less feed today, so I hope that giving him more at each feed will be enough to get him through the night. He has been a good sleeper, like your LO (he is totally adorable, btw).
Has your LO's poop schedule changed at all since you introduced the cereal? Could it be gas or constipation that's keeping him up?
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That's what I was thinking too...his tummy might be upset from the cereal? Did your ped recommend starting cereal 3 weeks ago? I didn't bf, so forgive me if I'm wrong...just trying to troubleshoot for you...but bf babies I thought didn't start ceral til 6 months? Could it be a little soon for him? :-\
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Definitely agree that it would be worth stopping the cereal. If he was a great sleeper, and the only thing that has changed is the solids introduction, then I would stop for a week or so and see if that makes a difference. Recommendations for solids vary from country to country (and even doctor to doctor ::)) but the WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding whenever possible until 6mo of age. Some babies are ready for solids sooner (and there is a list of the signs here http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=36922.0) but in general it's best to wait if you can.
Cereals in general are also difficult to digest (not sure what type of cereal Farex is?). Rice cereal is recommended as a first food because of its low potential for allergic reactions, but it is very tough on the digestive system, causing gas and constipation in many babies. My ds got horrible, horrible gas from it when he was younger. Other cereals can be tough too. If your lo is showing all the signs of readiness for solids you could always try offering pears. Tracy recommended them as a first food because they are mild flavoured, easy to digest, and also have a low potential for allergic reaction.
Could you post your EASY? Just in case anything jumps out that might impact your nights. Keep in mind too that there is a big growth spurt at 4mo (not sure your ds' exact age?) which might be changing your feeding routine. Teething could be a factor too, like pp suggested, have you tried meds or orajel?
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I just said to my DH that I will drop the cereal until LO is a little older and then see what happens and everyone else thought the same thing ;D. Our Easy routine at the moment is:
E 7.00
A 7.20-8.45
S 8.45-10.20
E 10.20
A 10.20-12.05
S 12.05-1.40
E 1.40
A 1.40-3.20
S 3.20-5.00
E 5.00
A 5.00-6.30
Bath and wind down
7.00-7.30 Top up and bed
DF 10.30
I know that there is a long time between his last sleep and bed, but I think that is because I am in the middle of move to a 4-hour easy and the cat nap is dropped for a little while (following the routine in the book.
I am also not sure how to give him more food if he is hungry as I am BF. Thanks everyone for your assistance. ;D
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I'm happy to hear that you'll be stopping the cereal...maybe it was just too much on his belly! My dd had major issues with rice cereal (she was 5 months old) to the point that if God ever blesses us with another lo, I would not even offer it. :P But that's just me!
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What a night :o - Lo woke up every 2 hours from when I put him to bed. Sometimes it was even every hour. I am really concerned as even as a newborn he could sleep longer than this. This is what my night looked like:
7.30 - Bed
8.30 - Woke - resettled quickly
10.22 - Woke - DH gave DF
12.12 - Woke - Resettled
2.15 - Woke - Resettled
4.00 - Woke - Feed - one side went back to sleep
5.12 - Woke - Self settled
6.30- Woke
7.00 - Feed
All through the day yesterday after feeds he looked like he was still looking for feed (pulling at my shirt) Sucking on everything. Please help me with this as it is driving me crazy.
Just a little info about our little family. We live in a very small community (200 people) in a very remote area 2000km from our family. This is my first child and my mum died about 9 years ago. The nearest dr and hospital is about 150km. My husband and a I have been trying to do this on our own (and we have been doing great) but this has really stumped me and is upsetting all of us. Please Help!
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I dont know if this will make you feel better, but my LO, almost 5 months, was waking up every 2 hours for about a 2 week period. I think we are finally over the hump and she is back to sleeping a little better (crossing fingers). It may just be that gs that others are talking about. Hopefully you get it sorted out soon.
Are you in Canada?
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Mamat, thanks for the little inspiration that this is only a phase. No, I am in Australia.
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when you said you are in a little community so far away from others, that reminded me of areas around here.
As far as over the hump, not so much. We were up every hour after 1am last night. Not such a good night. I am thinking though, that it is a result of not enough calories throughout the day yesterday. I am going to try to get more into her today to see if it makes a difference in her sleep tonight.
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I'm sorry that you didn't have a better night last night. We didn't really either. I also thought that it might have been calories, but I feed him all day yesterday (before and after each sleep and then every hour from 5pm until bed). My LO also woke up every hour. I even gave him a feed at 2am (has been sleeping through the night) but he didn't really seem to take it. I am also at my wits end. I have gotten to the point where I hate bedtime because I know I am going to be up again soon and I sleeping really poorly because I just lay there waiting for him to wake up again! Good luck with increasing your cals today. I hope that this is the answer for you.
Re: my location. I live in Far North Queensland which is very close to the tip of Australia. I was sent up here to do my teaching job, and now I can't get my husband to move back - he loves his job as a Park Ranger. Sometimes I get really frustrated with the isolation as I have no options for support apart from the internet. Will think of you during the day and hope you have a great night.
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Maybe it's developmental? My LO is just over 4 months, and he has been an amazing sleeper, until this past week. He is waking every night, for an hour to two hours, just cooing and laughing in his crib. He's not hungry, and if I go in to give him his paci he just smiles at me like he wants to play. It's cute but exhausting. I'm told that his STTN was a phase, so hopefully this is too!!!
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My lo also will do that occasionally where she will wake up and just talk to herself. When she does this, she will put herself back to sleep on her own which is nice.
Sounds like you live in a beautiful, peaceful place! The things we do for jobs hey? I am also a teacher but in a not so remote area!
I always felt so sorry for people that had babies that didnt sleep well and now here we are, those moms who dont sleep! My lo's habit is to nurse back to sleep so I believe a lot of her problem (if its not the calories) may be related to teaching her to settle back down with out laying down to nurse. As much as I love all of the moments together, I dont much enjoy them 4 times a night!
Good luck tonight!
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Good morning, how did everyone's night go. We had a little bit of a better night. LO only woke up at 12am (resettled self) and 5am (was wet through from all the extra calories I have been pouring into him). Woke at 6.40am ready for the day - very happy and cheerful. I am also wondering if it could be developmental. When you search this issue on the internet there are hundred of thousands of other posts from parents of 4 month olds going through the same thing. I was thinking that I had done something to develop a sleep issue, but I think that some of it may be because they are going through a growth spurt, don't feed as well because they are alert, and also spending time awake thinking about all the new things they have learned during the day. I know that this info doesn't help us to deal with the issue, but at least I know that I probably didn't do anything wrong - and eventually he might grow out of it!
Mamat - what ages do you teach? I teach (or used to) in a two teacher school - and I taught the 9 years - 12 year olds. There were 35 students in the school. Most of the time it is pretty cool, but a lot of extra planning (Four grades to plan for). There is also a high majority of Aboriginal students in the school who nearly all have learning difficulties. The things we do for our jobs - I agree ;D
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I also usually teach multiple grades. I have also taught in a small school of 3 teachers. My classroom was grade 4-7. I only did that one year though and then moved on to a bigger school. 2 Years ago I had 3 grades so I definately have my share of multiple grades. It is so much work!
That is wonderful that you had a good night! Ours was ok, but not great. She woke up at 10 and was happy and playing for about 45 minutes. The only way I finally settled her down was to nurse her to sleep. She then woke up around 2, nursed for a while and then I decided to give her bottle to her. After that, she was WIDE awake again. Yesterday she learned how to roll completly over though so maybe she was having problems sleeping because of that? Who knows but at least she wasnt crying and she did eventually settle on her own and sleep until 6:30. Again today, she is not taking much for supplement after bf so I am hoping that she is eating enough.
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Morning check in. How did you go? Last night was a little better. Only woke at 4.30 (he was very wet and soiled - so I changed him and put back to bed - no feed) but took about 1 hour to resettle self to sleep. He wasn't crying - just talking to himself! Then woke at 6.40am for the day. Hope everyone else had good nights last night. I'm sure this can't last forever :o
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We had a HORRIBLE night! It started off with a df at 11 that resulted in a wake up and not settling self for some time. Then, I dont really know what happened after that but she was basically up every half hour -hour for most of the night. She did eat a few times so Idont know if she is hungry or just waking up and eating because I feed her. Tonight we are going to get started with not offering to feed until 2am and then I will go from there. SO SO tired today, me that is :)
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Mamat, Im really sorry you had a horrible night. I am tired today too, but not as much as you I can imagine. Are you able to sleep during the day? (I think I saw that you had other littles as well, is that right?) Even though the LO slept a little better I was still awake waiting for him to wake up ::) . My DH is talking about starting for another one, but I think I need to get some more sleep first. I will think of you guys tonight and hope that you have a better night :)
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Hi Mamat,
How did your night go last night? We had a little bit of a win. LO only woke at 5.15am. I was unsure whether to feed him or not (so didn't) and he went back to sleep about 6am. I think I just need to feed him when he wakes at these early times and then put him back to sleep. But I feel that it is a step backwards as he was able to sleep through without needing a sleep. I wonder if he needs a feed then. Hope things are going a little better for you and your LO.
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I'm not sure if this is helpful or not but I found my LO (who is also a dream sleeper) woke a lot around that age, for nothing at all really. If he's resettling at least you know it's not a prop (like boob addiction) or hunger that's waking him (assuming you don't use a dummy or anything?). Is he in the room with you? Totally up to you but this was the time I moved our LO into her own room cos she was sleeping fitfully but ok really, and it was keeping us up unnecessarily! It might be that he's OK, just learning about moving around a bit and about ways to settle himself, and you're noticing it a bit more cos he's becoming more obvious in it? If he's not crying out a lot then he's probably fine.
My only other thought would be to up his A time a little bit but I'm not so good at the A time vs nap thing so I might be wrong in thinking that! If I remember correctly, Lilys third nap was quite short at that age so maybe you could try upping A times a little (5/10 minutes?) and see how it goes? If someone else thinks differently though then go with them as I'm pretty new to all this! :)
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The last 2 nights have been a little bit better and also, the last 2 days, we have gotten 1 better nap through the day (1.5 one day and 2 hours the other day). I am not bringing her into bed with me before 5:30 but will get up and feed her a few times. (last night and the night before at midnight, 3 and 6 ish). She does use a pacifier and so I will give her that when she wakes up and it seems to help. Last night though, she only woke up on the 3 hour marks so that was better than it has been.
IF I up the A time, she still only seems to sleep a short amount of time but I am working on extending naps and A time and hopefully over a bit of time, things will sort themselves out!
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Thanks LovelyLily,
We had two good nights (when LO only woke once) and then last night was a bit of a terror again (awake at 11pm - before DF, 1.30, 2.30, 5.30 (BF), 6.15, woke at 7.00am. I'm really confused as he doesn't really seem to need anything when he wakes. I go in, put his dummy in (which he generally spits back out) and he goes back to sleep. When I feed him he doesn't really seem to take very much. He did have a bit of a cough last night (and today) which has been waking him a little so maybe this was the answer last night. It is really annoying because you feel like you have actually solved the issue (two good nights) and then it all goes to pot again.
Mamat, hope you had another alright night last night.
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mamat - it sounds like things are improving for you - I hope they continue to.
krisfred - how is your LO waking and what does he generally do to resettle? When you go in and give him the dummy does he settle back down again or just spit it out and carry on crying?
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Hi LovelyLily,
When he is waking he generally has a grizzle cry (he very rarely has a real cry, with tears - maybe once a week) I wait for awhile to see if he will go back to sleep and if it gets louder I go in. When I go in I put his dummy in (which sometimes stays in and sometimes doesn't) and ocassionally hold his hands (he seems to like this). Then he shuts his eyes and seems to go back to sleep. Other times he can be awake for up to an hour, not really crying so I don't go in but playing, turning around in his cot or sucking his toes. I generally don't feed him as he was STTN so I have assumed that he could last the night without needing a feed, but last night I feed him at 5am as I thought it might settle him through to 7am but even though he took a feed he was still awake at 6.15am. I know that babies will never be predicable but I thought he was starting to sleep through the night and that we were doing well. Now I feel that we are going backwards and I am scared that we are creating sleep problems that are going to be impossible to fix in the future.
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Sorry to hear that you had another crazy night! It is all SO unpredictable! As for us, M had a good night. She woke up at 1:30 (bf) and then again at 5:30 (BF). She then woke up for the day at 7:30. I couldnt complain about that after the nights she has give me lately! I think so much of it has to do with not pulling her into bed everytime she cries. She is now seeming to sleep through those little restless moments.
It is so hard when they wake up playing through the night hey? There is no way of forcing them back to sleep! M did that for a few nights in a row and hasnt done it now in a few so hopefully she is over that. The timing though, was right when she started rolling consistently. So, who knows, it might be because of her new trick! Could this be the case for your little one?
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Hi Mamat,
I am really pleased that your LO is starting to settle down again. What a clever girl she is to roll over. Our issues could be related to learning new things as Samson has just started to creep. I call it creeping because he moves forward but it is nothing like crawling. He puts his head on the ground, lifts up his bum and pushes forward with his legs. This has made him a little mobile and a little less frustrated.
I get really upset when he wakes as I am not sure what to do...Do I feed him (potentially creating a an accidental parenting moment), do I leave him to go back to sleep (to encourage self settling), do I go in and put his dummy back in (potentially creating a prop). I am so confused with what I should do when he wakes that I dread the sound of him waking in the night.
During the day he is a dream baby...we are currently moving from 3-hour EASY to 4-hour EASY and he takes everything in his stride. He goes down when I put him down and he eats when I feed him. He also such a happy little fella that I don't think he even misses the sleep during the night (I know I do! :o) . My DH is very supportive but as we are both new parents and have never done this before we are both sinking. It is times like these that I really really miss my mum! :'(.
Mamat, I hope that things continue improving for you. I often think of you and hope that your little one is sleeping well.
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I am a fourth time mama and this still leaves me with tonnes of questions so you are not alone! Your little one is how old again? I know that my lo was definately sleeping longer before she started all of her nw and I have been feeding her when she wakes up at midnight or 1. It used to be between 2 and 4 that she would wake. I often wonder if I am doing the accidental parenting thing as well but she just seems so hungry and will eat really well when I get up to feed her. So, for now, I will continue feeding if she wakes up 3 or more hours after being put down. I will see what happens over the next little while.
Last night was a good night again. She woke up at 1:30 and 5:30, the same as the night before. She is down now for her nap and it is likely that will only get 30-45 minutes out of her. I cant seem to get her to sleep any longer!
BTW, the dummy is our friend right now. I will address it later on when things settle down at night!
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Good morning,
We had a much better night last night. Samson only woke at 5am (he had exploded out of his nappy :o) and I changed him and he went back to sleep until 7.15am. I went to see the Child Health nurse yesterday and she has advised me to put him on formula for his dream feed as it appeared that didn't have enough milk - Samson hasn't put on as much weight as he should have. She also said that because he is so active he needs a little help. I still breast feed for all the other feeds.
Mamat I am really pleased that things are starting to settle down. It seems like everyone takes one step forward the 10 steps back with this baby issue ::). Samson is also down for his nap. He is generally a good napper. He tends to wake on the 45min mark but I am normally able to put him back to sleep. I wouldn't worry about the dummy issue. Samson still uses his dummy for sleep times and while it worries me a little, as you said - we can deal with it later :).
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Thats excellent that you had a great night! You almost couldnt ask for a better night than that! Woohoo! As for our the lack of weight gain, we are having issues with that too. Marlee is breast and bottle fed so I feel like I am always at least offering enought food although she sure doesnt take much at a feed.
As for us, Marlee had a short nap in the AM and then I was able to extend nap #2 to 2 hours! Then, she just woke up from her CN of 45 minutes. I am definatly not complaining :)
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Great news Mamat. Marlee is such a beautiful name and I love your profile picture. Is Marlee quite active at the moment? Marlee might just be a very little petite thing who won't have to worry about her weight :D. Maybe she is like Samson and just needs a little extra, although I hate the idea of giving him formula, I think we do what we can to survive. I always swore before I became a mumma that I would never give me baby a dummy - he now uses one. And isn't it funny how people always have to give you their opinion on dummies/nappies/breastfeeding etc ( for example - mine loved them, I don't believe in them, I hate them etc) As if we don't have enough stress on our plates as it is!
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Goodmorining! Our night went ok again...up at 1:30 and 5:30> seems to be a little trend! She had a hard time going beack down though so we were up for an hour after the first feeding. Also, my son has such bad asthma right now and was up 5 or times with major asthma attacks so that wasnt fun!
Thanks for the compliments on the name and the pic! Yes she is rolling all over the place (new trick) and wants to get up and go but of course cant yet! She seems to be taking in more throughout the 24 hour period now so maybe she will catch up on her weight gain. I have no problem with soothers! If they work, give em! THe big difference with my first and Marlee is that when she started waking up for it, I took it away and Marlee wakes up anyways so I will continue to give it!
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Good morning Mamat,
I am sorry that your little son is unwell. I think dealing with a little one that is having sleep issues and an unwell child is quite a handful. Hope you will get the chance to rest during the day. I don't have any problem with dummys either. I have never seen a 21 year old man walking down the street with one so I am sure they grow out of them when they are ready ;D
Last night was a great night - I might be getting my baby back (fingers crossed - it might just have been luck!). I put Samson down at 8pm, DH gave DF at 11pm and I woke Samson at 7.10am. I did hear him awake about 4am but he wasn't crying and he was only sucking his fingers, so I thought he must be ok. Hope you have a good night tonight and that your little son is feeling better soon.
Kristie
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Excellent news! Marlee fell asleep half hour before her normal bedtime and ended up having a catnap! I couldnt keep her awake and then I couldnt keep her asleep once she went down. She is finally down now, only an hour after her normal bedtime so that is better than what I was expecting.
My goal is to get through the next week or so and then move her into her own room. I can handle getting up twice if thats what she continues doing. We will see... :)
My son is doing much better tonight. He is back on heavy meds to control his asthma as well as an everyday allergy med. I am hoping that this helps for him so that he can be a normal kid again. It is so hard on him. I feel so bad. :(
When did your little man start sitting? Mar seems to be just about there. A week ago I wouldnt have even attempted it but now, only such a short time later (5 mo. 1 week), she is doing really really well! I would never leave her unattended but her balance is getting really good now.
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Good morning every one,
Mamat, it sounds as though Marlee is starting to settle down a little for you :D. This is great. I hope you had a good night last night. We moved Samson into his room at about 3 months as he sucks his fingers to self-soothe himself and was keeping me awake all night. I think it came down to me losing my sanity and when he is in his own bedroom he is still only about 4 metres from our bed anyway (but at least I can close the doors). Good luck with moving Marlee into her own room.
Samson started sitting (very wobbly) about 3 months and in the last 2 or three weeks has become quite confident. If I am sitting with him I don't have pillows around him but if I am doing things I put a pillow like a breastfeeding pillow behind him. Our profile shot was taken when Samson was 3 and a half months, but I was sitting just out of shot getting ready to catch him :D. Good girl Marlee on being so clever with your sitting. I think they say between 5 and 6 months is normal, so Marlee is doing really well.
We had another awesome night last night - maybe we are over the worst (fingers crossed). Samson went down at 7.30, DF at 11pm, woke at 4am (changed nappy and went straight back to bed) and I woke him at 7.10am.
Just wondering if you guys wake your LO's if it gets past 7am or do you just start your day from when they wake up on their own? ???
Will speak with you all soon
Kristie
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Hey! We have had a super busy day shopping for wedding shoes for my little girls. Found some at least!
Wow, that is a young age to be sitting! How old is he now? As far as waking, I dont wake Marlee. I find that our schedule is so crazy right now with it being summer and the kids out of school that we are lucky if our bedtime stays consistent. I think in the fall when the kids go back to school, we will be on a little better schedule and I will have to wake her in the morning so that will be good.
I started her on food yesterday and it went really well :)
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Hi Mamat,
Is it your wedding you were shopping for? How exciting. How did you go with the LO when you were shopping?
I know that he has been sitting early. From early on he has been strong and every one always comments on it. Sometimes I worry that there is something wrong with him to be doing these things early. Samson is 4 and a half months now. I always feel bad about waking Samson in the morning, but I am not confident enough to improvise my EASY routine much just yet. I can tweek it a little bit, but if he slept too long I would be confused. When it is summer here I think it will be a lot harder to keep him asleep as the sun starts coming up about 5.30am. I am pleased that starting food went really well yesterday. What did you start her on? Did she pull funny faces when you first put the food in her mouth. Hope you continue to have great nights with gorgeous little Marlee.
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NOT my wedding! haha. In fact, today is my 10th wedding anniversary! :) :)
It is my cousin who is marrying my husbands best friend so the whole family is in the wedding party. It sure adds up fast!
Wow, by the look of Samsons picture, he looks older. I guess it is because he is sitting! Marlee is strong too and just wants to move. She is constantly grabbing and reaching for everything. She is also rolling everywhere so it is hard to keep her in one spot now. I agree that it is hard to tweak the easy routine but what I find is that with having 3 other kids, we are always on the go and it is really hard to have a solid easy routine anyways so I let it be what it is for now! Marlee always is awake anywhere from 7:30 and 8 so its pretty consistent. It will be much easier when the kids go back to school.
So, what season are you in now?