Little Sleep

I was so thrilled when I found out that I was having a baby boy! I couldn't wait to see him and play with him:) He was born in May, just beat the heat of the summer! I thought things would be easy going since I was now a work at home mom. I didn't have to leave at the same time every day and rush home at night. Little did I know that even a hectic schedule was better than no schedule.

After 10 weeks of being up every two to three hours around the clock I started wondering what was wrong. My other three kids NEVER did this. They slept soundly for hours from day one and by 3 months they slept all night. Not Nikki! He didn't want to sleep. I went to the library to see what books I could read on getting him to sleep better. I found one called Baby Wise. The first thing I really needed to do was start a schedule. Ok, great! I also discovered that he slept better in his swing or carseat than in his crib. At the first sign of sleepiness one evening I put him in the carseat and set it in the bassinet in my bedroom. He would cry and cry and cry. I would go in every 10 min to check on him and give him the pacifier. After about 30 min the first time he feel asleep and slept for 7 hours! I was so happy:) He took a bottle and went right back to sleep for another 4 hours.

Well, this new sleep habit lasted about 3 days:( He started teething almost the same time I had him up to 8 hours. Now the most I can get is 6 hours at a time but he screams all day every day for hours. ( I may have exaggerated but that's how it feels some days) We tried oralgel, whiskey (yes I did it), teething tablets and feeding him a bottle with rice before bed. He is 15 weeks old today. My husband likes to hold him all the time when he is home. I understand that he doesn't get to spend much time with him but I think he is becoming spoiled. Our other 3 kids entertain him throughout the day. Don't get me wrong he does smile and laugh. It's just not for very long.

We bought the swing that you can take the chair off and set it on the floor. This is a great invention! I can carry him into the bedroom at night or into the living room while I work during the day. He will scream and cry because I am not paying full attention to him while I work. But eventually ( I hope) he will get the idea that mommy loves him but will not pick him up every time he cries. It's hard to not feel guilty about letting him cry. I know it's for the best. I just hope it doesn't last much longer!