i also wanted to touch on the fact that your baby is touchy and your friends have angel babies--please don't compare even for one second--your baby is very special and i can say that i have an incredible bond with my youngest because she was a touchy baby--i had to read her slightest cues so that i know what she wants sometimes i think even before she does..
I agree totally and feel the same way, I can read Jules so well now. I don't know if it's because she is touchy, but I know I am much more motivated to predict what she will need as a result of her touchiness.
Also, my family-in-law didn't understand about why I was so driven to stay near home, and to protect her sleep schedule...until we went to Sacramento for Easter Sunday, Jules was only about 10-11 weeks old. It was about a 3 hour drive, we arrived at 3:30 pm (Jules goes to bed at 6 - 6:30 pm) By 5 pm I was confined to an aunts darkened bedroom, where I stayed for the remaining 3.5 hours of our visit, and we still had to drive home.
Then I went to my SIL house and we went for a walk in the afternoon. Jules napped in the Bjorn, by 4:45 pm, she was in total meltdown mode, again I was confined to My SIL darkened bedroom for 45 minutes, I finally got her calm enough to put her in her carseat and I hightailed it home.
After witnessing those two episodes that was all it took, they get it now. So while this shower won't be fun for you or your lo, take comfort in the fact that it may earn you some much needed sympathy (and as a result, a break for a few hours) and some understanding, so that next time, things can be done on you turf, whenever possible, so that your LO has all the comforts of home, even if it is crowded with lots of people, it's better than strange place, and lots of people. That way when you need to make your escape, you're not borrowing a bedroom for 1-4 hours.
Also, just take it easy, and realize that this will pass, your LO will need less sleep, and also his brain hasn't fully matured for napping, this doesn't happen until about 4 months...then all of a sudden he will get better and better at taking naps, just keep putting him down for them when he seems tired and help him to get to sleep when you can. Take breaks every 40 minutes and leave the room (with him). Wait 20-30 minutes or until he shows tired signs again and start again. In between, go for walks to expose him to UV rays and daylight, so that his bedroom seems darker when you return and the shift will signal to him that it's time for sleep.
A few times I just put Jules in the carrier and wore my MP3 playerwhile she cried, I couldn't take it anymore, but I held her and shushed her for a 15 minutes walk, she finally settled and fell asleep. Not the best way to achieve a nap, but when you've been in a dark bedroom all day listening to your baby cry, it has to be about your sanity.
Well, I hope that this helps you a bit...also go to the patt/shh board and Stacy and Kelly are great there too, they had lots of tips for me in helping to get Jules to sleep in her bed. She's not at all an independent sleeper, she's just old enough now for pick-up put down, I'm kinda chicken to try it, she didn't respond well to pat/shh...she's easily over stimulated. I'll ask them for help when I've had enough reading aloud to her while she dozes off.
Good luck this weekend.
~Patty
