7 month old taking forever to go to sleep

[JKL]

Hi!  I know I need to tweak my routine, but my lo is giving me mixed signals, and i need a fresh pair of eyes to look at this (please!)  This has been our routine for the past month (I left the A out for simplicity)
**wake at 6:30
E  7:00 BF
E  7:45ish solids
S  8:30--lately, sleeps between 30 and 50 min
E  11:00  BF
S 2.5 hours after wakes up.  If last nap was 30, usually goes at least 2 hrs before sleepy signs.  Usually sleeps 1.25 hrs
E  3:00  BF
E  4:15 (solids)
E 6:00  BF
S  6:30/7:00

***Wakes in the night once or twice between bedtime and 3, and goes back to sleep with pats, and then wakes to eat between 3 and 5 (lately, 4:50 exactly)

     I know the A times are all crazy, but, until this week, his sleep has been so wonderful that I left it.  Now, things are starting to go downhill..  Now, I know I need to extend his A times, and that will probably help that first nap.  But, he is taking forever to fall asleep for that second nap (over an hour today!!), even with almost 3 hours of A time, and a good morning nap?  And, he often takes a long time to fall asleep at night, but I think that's because he's overtired because the last A time is so long (I gave up on the catnap cause he never falls asleep for it!)  Do I try and extend both the first and second A times at the same time? 
     Also, when he wakes between 3 and 5 to eat, he is starving.  I feed him and he goes back to sleep within 30 minutes, and then is up at 6:30.  But, I need to feed him again at 7 to keep on our routine (otherwise, he's due for a feed in the middle of naps, etc.)  Since I breastfeed, I have to trust him to take in only what he needs at this time, since he just ate 2 or so hours before.  But, I think he is trying to take a full feed, and then spitting the extra up and getting super full--which makes it hard for him to eat again in an hour for solids!  Any ideas?  Thanks!

Jen

[JKL]

OK--help!  Extending his A times seems to be backfiring; now, instead of taking forever to fall asleep for his afternoon nap, and at night, now he's also taking forever to fall asleep for his morning nap too.  Here's what happens:  I put him down, and he rolls and plays for about 5 min.  Then the crying starts.  I go in when it sounds like real crying (I used to be able to tell!), and when I start patting him, he stops cryingg and smiles at me, wide awake.  So I walk out, and he starts that crying again, etc. Until, finally, I go in and he's ready to sleep--I give him a few pats, and stop when he is drifting off (though, we've been doing this for months--should he still need my pats?)  Then, at night, he wakes up exactly an hour after he's gone to sleep and cries and screams, inconsolably, tossing and turning like he's trying to sleep but can't!  Last night, it was so bad, I thought he might be in pain or something.  I picked him up--and he immediately got quiet, and tried to snuggle into my shoulder and go to sleep!  He hasn't done that in months!  Any ideas??  Thanks!

Jen

[JKL]

No way is it teething; the kid has 6 (!) teeth, and they are all the whole way through the gum line.  Today, he had one 70 minute nap, and one 90 minute nap that I had to wake him from, so, today, yes, he slept fine once he got to sleep.  But he is waking up at night more, and crying his head off!  I'll continue to stretch his A time, but what should I do about the waking up right after he's gone to sleep at night (thought that meant overtired!)  And what about the crying he does when I put him down, that turns into a game when I go in during naps?  Thank you for your help!!!!!

[JKL]

Well, it's been a week, and now, my lo is not only taking forever to go to sleep, but he's also having 25 minute naps--last good nap was 3 days ago.  Here is what our schedule is like now.
  **up at 6 am
E  6:30/7:00BF
E  7:30/8:00  Solids
S  8:30/8:45--sleeps 25-30 minutes and is wide awake--on hands and knees in crib, smiling and playing.  I try and pat him back to sleep, but it doesn't work.
E  10:30  BF
Then, I've been trying to put him back to bed within 1.5-2 hrs from when he woke last, since I know he can't go on less than 30 minutes sleep--although he doesn't act at all tired.  for this second nap, he's taking an hour or so to finally go to sleep (alternates screaming and playing), then sleeps 25 minutes, and is wide awake again.
E  2:30 BF, then I try and get him down again, but he will not fall asleep at all for this one.  Just lays in the crib screaming/playing.
E  4:30 solids
In bed at 6:30, where he screams when I leave, and smiles and plays when I come back in.  Will fall asleep in 30-45 minutes, but he fights it the whole way!

He has been sleeping really well at night (last night 6:45 till 5:30 this morning!!!!!!), so maybe he does not need as much daytime sleep, but i can tell he's tired during the day; yesterday, kept trying to fall asleep at his 2:30 BF, and he actually nodded off in his stroller on a walk at 5:30--2 things he never, ever does!!!!

Advice?  Thanks!

Jen

[JKL]

**Forgot to put in his feed at 6 BF

I added awake time--this is how it all started.  He was taking forever to sleep, so i started extending A time. He was up to 2.5 (almost) in the AM and 2.75 in the pm, but the taking forever to sleep continued, and then he started with the short naps too.  Should I still be trying to extend that first A time even more?   

[JKL]

Sorry to keep whining!  I'm just getting frustrated!  A few specific questions:

1.  We are now up to 2.75 hrs awake time in the morning, then takes about 20 min to fall asleep, then sleeps 25-35 minutes and is wide awake.  So, now he's up--how long do I wait till I put him down again?  (When he has these short naps, he never shows any sleepy signs at all after this. ) I have tried putting him down again in 1.5 hrs or less, and I've tried letting him do his usual A time; both result in a scream fest when I do put him down, and a second 30 minute nap--after he takes 45 or so minutes to finally go to sleep.

2.  When I put him in the room and walk out, he screams and cries.  When I walk back in, he smiles--till I walk out again.  What should I be doing?  Just keep walking in and out? 

I don't know if this is important, but we don't do pu/pd (way too overstimulating--he gets more and more hyper).  I just do the pat (no shh).
I am feeling stressed because I can't get to stretching his afternoon A time, since his first nap is always 30 minutes!  Now, his nightime sleep is starting to go downhill as well....  Thanks in advance!

Jen