So This is What Sleep Feels Like...

I really hesitate to write this down or say it aloud (because of the whole "jinx" thing), but Adelyn slept through the night last night!!! I put her down at 7:30 really easily and then she woke at 10:48 to feed. So I fed her, put her back down and then didn't hear from her again until 6:16 am!!! That's seven and a half hours! Woohoo!!!
Now, let me see... what did I do differently? Oh yeah, I wasn't home... my mom fed her, gave her her bath and got her ready for bed. All I did was feed her and put her in the crib. So, it looks like my mom's the golden ticket!
I'll try the whole bed-time routine again tonight and if it doesn't work, well, I'm going to have to bring my mom in full time on bed-time duty!
Ahh... I can still remember how glorious last nights sleep was!
Wish us luck, let's hope this continues!!!

Cheers,
a very well rested A, M & A

6 Months Already!

Six months have come and gone already! I can't believe it. What's even crazier is up until not too long ago new moms were back to work already. I honestly have no idea how I could work full time right now... I need my extra six months!
So Adelyn had her six month shots the other day and was an absolute SUPERSTAR!!! She cried while getting the shot, but as soon as the nurse was done and she could turn around and hug me she stopped crying instantly. It was great! And I felt so good :) She did cry when I put her in her car seat, but that's old news. That night she slept really, really well and I was so excited that maybe we were on to a new sleep habit, but no, it was just the Tylenol that made her sleep so well. That reminds me of my friends husband (who shall remain nameless)... when their baby would get fussy he would say "Shouldn't we give him some Tylenol? I think he needs some Tylenol." Too funny, because I've been there...
So Adelyn is still plotting off the charts when it comes to her growth. At least she's consistent, right? She's 27 inches long and a whopping (yes whopping) 19 lbs, 6 oz.! Wowza. No wonder my arms are getting so tired lugging her around in that car seat (yes, I'm still doing that.)
We also went to the doctor today for Adelyn's six-month check up. It was the first time meeting our new doctor, Julia Bright, and it is kind of weird having a doctor that's so young! She's 26 and even went to elementary school with Andrew. But she seems very nice and Adelyn seemed to like her as well.
So I talked to Dr. Bright about solid foods, and a few other things, but the main thing I was interested in was getting some advice on how to get Adelyn to sleep through the night. So, the magical straight-out-of-med-school-she's-got-no-kids-but-this-is-what-she's-taught advice is... let her CRY IT OUT! I'm sad to hear it, I must say, but that's now the new plan. Dr. Bright said we might be in for a few hard weeks, but this is the best thing to do in the long run as Adelyn's obviously getting enough food and isn't hungry during (most of) those night wakings. She said Adelyn's old enough to learn and know that if she can't fall back asleep herself that if she cries Mom will come and help her get back to sleep. So we have to now teach her that Mom won't come and help her get back to sleep. Yikes, this isn't going to be fun, especially when we go away in a couple of weeks and will be sleeping in the same hotel room as her. But, alas, it must be done. It's for the greater good.
So, letting Adelyn cry it out (save the two night feedings for a week, and then one night feeding after that for a while) is the new plan. Wish us luck! And try not to pursue any intelligent conversation with us for the next couple weeks, because chances are we (well, I anyway) won't be able to hold up our end.
Have a good nights sleep :) (you lucky, lucky you)

A, M & A

Ready, Set, SLEEP!

I'm tired. Ok, I'm very tired! Adelyn has suddenly started to cry every hour to an hour and a half throughout the night. It's exhausting and frustrating because I know she can sleep longer than that, and I know nothing's wrong (aside from banging her head on the end of the crib that is).
Anyway, while I was reading some friends baby blogs, looking for some advice on how to curb these middle of the night wakings I stumbled upon the following. It's from my friend Kristy's blog, and it's pretty funny. It's giving a little insight into what's going on in Adelyn's head...
Enjoy!

A, M & A

Sleep Training...

OK, here's my situation. My Mommy has had me for almost 7 months. The first few months were great-- I cried, she picked me up and fed me, anytime, day or night. Then something happened.
Over the last few weeks, she has been trying to STTN (sleep thru the night). At first, I thought it was just a phase, but it is only getting worse.
I've talked to other babies, and it seems like it's pretty common after Mommies have had us for around 6 months. Here's the thing: these Mommies don't really need to sleep. It's just a habit. Many of them have had some 30 years to sleep--they just don't need it anymore.
So I am implementing a plan. I call it the Crybaby Shuffle.
It goes like this:
Night 1--cry every 3 hours until you get fed.I know, it's hard. It's hard to see your Mommy upset over your crying.Just keep reminding yourself, it's for her own good.
Night 2--cry every 2 hours until you get fed.
Night 3--every hour.
Most Mommies will start to respond more quickly after about 3 nights. Some Mommies are more alert, and may resist the change longer. These Mommies may stand in your doorway for hours, shhhh-ing. Don't give in. I cannot stress this enough: CONSISTENCY IS KEY!! If you let her STTN (sleep through the night), just once, she will expect it every night. I KNOW IT'S HARD! But she really does not need the sleep, she is just resisting the change.
If you have an especially alert Mommy, you can stop crying for about 10 minutes, just long enough for her to go back to bed and start to fall asleep.Then cry again. It WILL eventually work. My Mommy once stayed awake for 10 hours straight, so I know she can do it.
Last night, I cried every hour. You just have to decide to stick to it and just go for it. BE CONSISTENT! I cried for any reason I could come up with. My sleep sack tickled my foot. I felt a wrinkle under the sheet. My mobile made a shadow on the wall. I burped, and it tasted like pears. I hadn't eaten pears since lunch,what's up with that? The cat said "meow". I should know. My Mommy reminds me of this about 20 times a day. LOL. Once I cried just because I liked how it sounded when it echoed on the monitor in the other room. Too hot, too cold, just right--doesn't matter! Keep crying!!
It took awhile, but it worked. She fed me at 4am.Tomorrow night, my goal is 3:30am. You need to slowly shorten the intervals between feedings in order to reset your Mommies' internal clocks.
P.S. Don't let those rubber things fool you, no matter how long you suck on them, no milk will come out. Trust me.