Rough Night

Callum and I had a rough night last night. For some reason, he resorted back to waking up almost every 2 hours to eat. He hasn't done this in weeks. Callum was asleep at 8 p.m. to awaken at 11:40, 1:30, 3:15 and then 6. He normally only wakes up at 1:30 and then 5 or 5:30 for a 30 minute feed. Then he takes a third nap from 6:30-9ish which equates to almost 11 hours of sleep from 8 p.m. until 9 a.m. with two feedings. He was not having it last night. I think it might have been the Jalapeno Pringles I ate- boy that was a mistake! I noticed he had some gas, but I won't be making that mistake again. We haven't had a night like this since I had baked beans with dinner two weeks ago. The next day/night was equally awful for both him and us. When I took a breastfeeding class before Callum was born, I was told repeatedly how great breastfeeding is and how you can eat anything you want because you're burning 500 calories a day. This is SO not true. There are quite a few things I have to avoid other than baked beans and Pringles. Unfortunately I've found that it is trial and error and I usually find out what doesn't work when Callum is miserable with gas and we are miserable from his lack of sleep. I enjoy breastfeeding and am glad to be doing it, but there are some downsides to it. On another note, we are still swaddling Callum because he won't fall asleep with his arms hanging out. I've tried to have him go without the swaddler but he struggles to fall asleep because he jerks his arms and that wakes him up. I bought a new swaddler late last week and am anxiously awaiting its arrival from BabyCenter.com. I decided to buy one a size up because Callum keeps breaking free of the small swaddler although he still fits the weight limit for it. Just too strong I guess. I think that his He-Man like strength has also affected his sleep because each time I checked him last night he was out of the swaddler. But he can't fall asleep without it so I'm not sure what to do? On a positive note, he has started to grab things like toys and bring them to his mouth. This might not seem like a big thing but for 3 months he has just laid there. Now he recognizes things, grabs them and puts them to his mouth. It is very cute. He'd better start doing more cute things if he is going to be keeping me up all night, especially once I am back at work. The best part about last night was when he woke up at 3:15, I fed him and then decided to change his diaper. I normally only change him when he wakes at 5 to keep the feeding as boring and quick as possible. Also thanks to Pampers, he is dry. Currently Callum recognizes Iain and I and gives us huge smiles when he is feeling happy. So it is now 3:45 a.m. (after the feeding) and I am trying to change him quickly, and I get this HUGE gummy baby grin which tells me that he is oh so happy that I am there. It makes it hard to stay upset with the little guy when he does that. Oh well- at least I managed to fall back asleep from 6-7.

Struggling

I am struggling today with the fact that I am back to work one week from now. I look at Callum and cannot believe how big he has gotten in just 12 weeks. I wish I could have done more to enjoy those first two months but to be honest with you, I am just glad that we survived them. Iain and I are going to make a visit to our day care tomorrow to introduce Callum to the staff and finalize everything. I am confident that this day care will be a great place for Callum to spend his days while Mommy and Daddy are at work. I also do not think that I was meant to be a stay at home mom. I truly respect anyone who could commit themselves to this undervalued and underpaid job. But, for myself personally, I like my job. I like going to work and when thinking about everything I need to do before the semester starts, I get excited to return. On the flip side of this, I know that I could and possibly will miss a lot of firsts in Callum's life. His first time rolling over, his first steps, maybe even his first word. This makes me sad. But I know deep down that returning to work was inevitable and happens in just one week. I hope that this helps me cherish the time he and I spend together since it will be considerably less each day.

Playdate

Callum and I were joined by cousins Mindy and A.J. (Andrew James) for a play date yesterday. The boys had fun kicking, drooling, eating and sleeping while Mindy and I caught up on life. It was a fun day and I hope we can do it again sometime soon! The countdown is officially on for my return to work. Eleven days until I return to the "real" world. Well let me say this- my job is CAKE compared to caring for Callum although things at home are getting easier and a lot more fun. I am fortunate enough to have been able to stay home with him on paid leave for the past 13 weeks. Now it is time to return and pick up where I left off, but who knows where that is 13 weeks later! I'm thankful to have had a wonderful replacement handing matters in my absence (Thanks Em!). I am, however, dreading the first day that I have to leave Callum in the care of others. We've been able to find a good daycare which I am hoping will work out. Otherwise the Pack N' Play might be temporarily in my office. I am sure that everything will be just fine. Working (outside of the home) moms have been doing it for years and so can I.

Over the River and Through the Woods

This past weekend Iain and I decided to travel to Pappy Al and Grandma Sloan's house for a weekend visit. This was Callum's first long car ride and first time sleeping somewhere other than home. Callum has some way to go with getting used to the car. On the ride in on Friday, he fell asleep for the first 30 minutes, was awake and pleasant for the next 30 minutes and then screamed/cried for the next 45 minutes. Callum finally fell asleep for almost the remainder of the trip but the descent from Farmington into Uniontown was filled with screams. In fairness to Callum, he had had only two short naps and was probably overtired before the trip even began. I had been hoping he would sleep in the car for the entire trip. Once finally there, our visit was very nice and we got to spend quality time with Pappy Al, Grandma and niece/cousin Gianna. Iain and I managed to get some extra sleep and eat delicious food during our visit. Callum also enjoyed himself and he did quite well sleeping in a new place. The trip back was a repeat of the trip in. Callum managed to sleep a little and to cry a lot. He just couldn't seem to stay comfy in his seat and it kept waking him up. I don't think the fact that he can't completely hold his head up helped much. We also ran into some torrential rain and backed up traffic so it took us 45 minutes longer than normal to get home. I do think that this sort of thing just takes practice so we will have to persevere and keep on visiting! For any of you that we did not manage to see while we were in, we do plan on making another trip in either August or September and hope to see you then.

Two Month Check Up

Callum had his 2 month check up yesterday. It wasn't a great experience but this was partly due to the fact that he hadn't had a proper nap before we went. I also get annoyed when you go to the doctor's office and are admitted into your exam room on time, but then wait to see the doctor for 25 minutes. When it is just me- fine. However, when I am holding my fussy, tired son, it really grates on my nerves. Anyway, Callum was prescribed to be in perfect health, weighing in at 11 pounds even and 22 & 1/2 inches long. He also had his first series of immunizations and I can tell you, I have never seen a baby turn magenta before. It broke my heart to see him in so much pain from three tiny jabs but he definitely let the nurse know that he was not happy with her! But on a positive note, he and I both survived and he'll have no more of those for another two months. Hopefully we'll squeeze a nap in before the next appointment so that he is a little happier going into the situation. We're taking our first road trip this weekend and it will be Callum's first time sleeping away from home (with us of course). We'll keep you posted on this adventure. I have a feeling that we will all end up tired but what else is new? :-)

Staying Asleep

Things are progressing with Callum's sleep but it isn't going exactly as planned. He is falling asleep much easier - on his own without assistance after being laid down. His crying is usually minimal- 5-10 minutes tops. However, he's not staying asleep as long as I'd like him to. The past two nights he has gone to sleep by 8 p.m. to wake up at 12:30 a.m. for a feeding and then again at 3:45 a.m. for second feeding. He is then awake from 3:45 a.m. until 5:30 a.m. when he falls asleep for his first nap of the day. Although this might sound good compared to him waking up every two hours as he did when he was a newborn, this is certainly no way for me to get a decent night's rest. Especially because I am normally wide awake after his 12:30 a.m. feeding and up until about 2 a.m. We are going to try some variations to his nighttime routine tonight to see if we can get him sleeping a bit longer before his first feeding. I realize that it seems as if I am complaining, and I am, but this is really tough! I do get maybe 7-8 hours of sleep each night but when it is broken up over a span of several hours, I definitely do not feel rested! I can see why sleep deprivation is a form of torture. Sorry to scare my friends who are planning to have children or those who are expecting. I would advise that you read up on the following subjects in advance because you likely won't have time to do so once the blessed event occurs:

• Caring for yourself postpartum
• First six weeks of caring for a newborn including bathing, nail clipping and diapers
• Breastfeeding (if you plan to do so)
• Getting an infant to sleep

Also, for those of you thinking, where is Iain?, please note that he is currently working full time outside of the house so I handle Callum at night. Iain greets me first thing at 5 or 6 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday mornings so that I can return to bed for a couple of straight hours of shut eye. I could not still be sane or typing this blog without him. He is a terrific dad. Single parents are a whole new type of saint in my book. Finally, a book on sleep I recommend is called: Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems: Revised Addition by Dr. Richard Ferber (Amazon $10.85). You may have heard of the "Ferber" method and possibly have an opinion on it, but nonetheless, his book is excellent. He explains so many different concepts associated with helping your child sleep that it is worth reading if you plan on having kids and want them to sleep at some point during childhood. He also tackles subjects like nightmares, sleep apnea and bed wetting. Until next time, get some shut eye for me!

Who Needs Sleep?

This refrain is dedicated to all parents out there from the Barenaked Ladies song "Who Needs Sleep?"

• Who needs sleep?
• Well you're never gonna get it.
• Who needs sleep?
• Tell me what's that for.
• Who needs sleep?
• Be happy with what you're getting.
• There's a guy who's been awake since the Second World War.

I haven't slept more than 6 hours in a row in over three months now. During the last month of pregnancy I was awake every night at least twice for the bathroom. I am looking forward to getting a full night's sleep (8 hours maybe) sometime in the next year. I'll have to discuss this with Callum when he wakes up from his nap. Until next time... pray for me and all of those other new parents!

Making Sleeping Progress

We have been making some progress with Callum's sleep. He's definitely going to sleep easier for both naps and at nighttime. Although, he still cries when put in his Pack N Play, more so at naps than bed, he isn't getting as upset about being placed down to go to sleep. The crying has gone from an hour (brutal!) to 15 minutes. Last night at bed, he didn't cry at all and fell asleep in about 5 minutes! We check on him frequently to make sure that he is alright when he is crying and overall I am handling the whole thing a bit better than in the beginning. It is terrible to listen to your baby cry but his sleep and well being is the most important thing. He is now getting several hours of uninterrupted sleep during the day AND at night. The past two nights, he slept a total of 8 hours- five of those consecutively- which means that Mom is also getting 8 hours of sleep. We will keep persevering through this challenge.