Does this strike you as odd?

[Wei]

Oops sorry Becca, just reread the post.... didn't realize you said house-sitting the iL's house!!

I told you I was dopey today!! LOL 

I think I need a nap!! 

Wei

[rebecaq]

Hi again

If she handled 2.5 hours without an overtired baby meltdown then that's a cue she might be ready for 4 hour EASY    Usually as the day goes on their awake time seems to get tougher and tougher. With my ds I had to make each awake time more low key than the last. So ther afternoon consisted of a walk in his stroller, reading or watching a Baby Einstein together, and the evening was really just us sitting and hanging out, singing songs, him sitting in his bouncy while I made dinner...etc  You could also try to have a low key time from last nap to bedtime to see how she does 

- Beca

[Wei]

Thanks Beca.  I started 4 Hr EASY right after I read your note.  She seems happy and content.  I'd put her in the swing to relax her and keep her entertained there so she seems to be okay being kept there while extending her nap times.  I wanted to go out in the stroller but it's really bad weather outside so not today!

We'll see how this goes!

Wei

[Wei]

Ok oops... I'm still dopey it seems.  I just re-read my last post and low and behold I made a typo.  I meant to say that I put her in the swing to extend her awake times and to relax her so she wasn't fussy.

Okay, it may be premature but LO just went to bed for the night and wasn't overtired.  I went cold turkey and did 4 HR right away and other than a bit of fussiness after her catnap...she was okay!  She spent a good 10 min or 15 min talking away to her mobile and then fell asleep.

So let's hope this works!!!  I posted on another topic that LO was waking up during dreamfeeds too (no matter how much earlier or later I did it to try and stop that...she's been okay until recently) but I wasn't sure if it was b/c she was just not sleepy enough by bedtime or it was the dreamfeed itself.  So, if LO manages to do 4 HRs okay, and no night wakings...then waking up during dreamfeed is not affecting her at all.

Yay!!  I know it's really early to tell but today was the first time 4 HR EASY worked well and LO was not overtired.   

Now, I think I deserve that big bucket of ice-cream in the fridge. Yummm!

Wei

[sue]

So glad to hear things are going well for you Wei!

[Wei]

Thanks Sue.

That was just one day, today is a little bit out of whack again LOL!! 
She woke up really early and wouldn't go back to sleep so our day is starting off rather off.  I'll probably stick in a 10 min catnap for her.  However, she didn't wake up at night.

I shoulda known it was just too early to celebrate.   

Wei

[Wei]

So, I thought I might stick this in in case anybody viewing this might be in the same boat.

I just realized...FINALLY... that the reason LO isn't napping well today is not b/c she's overtired or overstimulated but b/c she's hungry.  DUH me.  I just didn't understand why she kept waking up from her naps so early and not happy... she'd suck her fingers and then spit it out and cry from frustration.  She needed food!

However, I seem to be on a low supply here so I'm gonna have to pump starting tomorrow to increase it a bit.  I use to have so much more extra milk but lately it's kinda dwindled a bit I've noticed.  I really hate pumping, it truly makes me feel like a moo-cow and is so much work it is almost tiring

Anyway, maybe this will help someone who is struggling with 4 HR EASY too.

Wei

[rebecaq]

Wei,

I'm so happy to hear that she did well and that you discovered your supply trouble. I know pumping sucks, I HATED it!! But after a few days your supply should go up. Be sure to get lots of rest and water and most importantly to eat properly! 

As for having a hectic day, remeber they take 3 steps forward and 1 step back when going through a routine change. Give her time 

- Beca

[sue]

Hey Wei!  I think you might've solved my problem too!  Today I tried feeding dd more for each feed and so far she's doing great!  She's extended her awake time AND her naptime!!  I hope I haven't jinxed it, but so far so good!
Thank you so much for posting your discovery!
(hope things are still going well for you!)

[Wei]

That's awesome Sue!!!!!!  I'm so glad it helped your DD!!!

Yeap, things are still going good on this side.  We still have some small things to iron out but that will hopefully work out soon enough.  We have a messy day today but to be expected as we went out for Remembrance day and she missed out on her nappy!

Okay...better go.  She is needing some mommy intervention!!

Wei

[Wei]

Hey Sue, just wanted to know how your DD is doing now?  Is she back on track?

My DD is doing not too bad...we are weaning from swaddle and it's going better than expected with only a few minor set-backs.  We are on 4 HR EASY but boy, it's tough when you've got 2 infants!!  I am taking care of a 6 mos old this week and next week so when they both cry for naps, it gets real interesting 

I have to admit, I had to use the swing to give DD a quick cat-nap while I put the other one to bed before I can put DD to bed.  And if DD is having problems napping, there is no time for me to help her transition so we use the swing again. I know it's bad, but what else can I do?    Hopefully, we will be back on track in a couple weeks.  surely she won't forget all about her routine so soon will she?    ACK! LOL

Wei

[sue]

Hi Wei.  We've all been sick here (ds brought home a virus from school ) but despite that, we've been doing pretty well.  I think because I've been sick, my supply was down and she was not eating enough.  I've been offering her the other breast when she is done eating at each feed and sometimes she takes it, sometimes she doesn't.  But it seems that when she is full, she sleeps better for the next nap and therefore stays awake longer for her next A time.  She still doesn't do more than about 1.5 hours of awake time, but my doctor reassured me when Evie was just a few weeks old saying, "some babies just need more sleep".  So we do sort of a rough EASY routine of 1.5 hours awake then 45 mins-1hour of sleep with the occasional 2 hour nap thrown in.  It actually works out ok for us since I get lots of one on one time with Noah while she naps.  I don't dare try to take a nap while she's sleeping though because that's just torture when she wakes up right when I've finally dozed off!  I don't really have many opportunities to try to nap anyway with Noah around.
You're lucky you can use a swing with your dd!  I was using our swing for exactly the same reasons you are and then suddenly, she decided she hated it.  Now I'm often rushing through Noah's dinner/bath/bed routine with a crying baby in my arms.  I guess the good thing is she really prefers her crib which is where she spends most of her sleep time anyway.  As for ruining their routines, I always remember Tracy saying something along the lines of multiplying the length of time it took for the habit to form by 3 to get how long it could take to correct it.  She also said, that habits don't form overnight.  So keeping those two thoughts in mind, you might want to be careful of the swing use (I think you're safe if the majority of the time she's in her crib) and remember that if you do unintentionally cause some habits you don't like, if it took a week to form them, it might take about 3 weeks to correct it.  It sounds like a long time, but at least if you are working on it, you will remain consistant and keep at it knowing an approx time frame, rather than giving up in frustration.  But honestly, I don't think you have to worry about any of that anyway with just a bit of swing use here and there.
Thanks for asking and good luck juggling two infants!