Snooze News

This post is probably going to bite me in the ass, but seriously, the joy I feel knowing that Evelina is sleeping well at night again is immense.  She had a rough few months between 9 and 11 months for which she had to sleep in her car seat (in the crib) the majority of nights.  We aren't sure what the exact cause was, but it could have been one of any number of things: cutting 6 teeth in a month, colds and coughing, reflux flare ups, growing pains, or developmental leaps.  Needless to say, I thought she would create a sleep association with the car seat and we would have to battle with her to get her to sleep in the crib again but no battles this time around.  Thank goodness!! 

Over the past 3 weeks she has gone back to sleeping 7pm - 6am, sometimes even waking up around 5:45am and going back to sleep until a little after 7am. Not only does she seem more rested and pleasant during the day, WE feel more rested.  Always a good thing!!   

There does continue to be certain times of the night where she will wake up, do some moaning or drama queen fake crying, but she goes back to sleep on her own without intervention from Mama or Papa.  

Since Evelina is on the move, as soon as she wakes in the morning and finishes stretching, she will sit-up and start "doin' her work" in the crib until we fetch her at 7am. She will suck on Gigi, pull down and play with her small taggie blanket I hang up at the end of the crib, turn on her mobile and watch the projection on the ceiling, shake her soft monkey rattle, lay back down and relax, search for her binkie in the crib (we don't give it to her, we just put it in the crib and she can use it if she wants too) and either put it in her month or bang it on the crib rails, crawl around and/or stand, attempt to pull her Red Sox monkey into the crib that is hanging on the outside.  She has lots of safe options to keep her busy in the crib until her official start of the day, 7am.     

I know that at some point she will wake up again during the night (hopefully not starting tonight!!), but until then, we will continue to enjoy this ideal sleeping schedule for as long as we can.  

Nighty night zzzzzzz

Belly Hell-y

Oh Lord help me!!  I thought we had dodged a bullet when Evelina started rolling and she would stay on her back or side in her crib during naps and night-time sleep.  How naive was I!?!  I can clearly recollect telling family and friends in the last couple of weeks that she hasn't rolled in her crib, that by this age babies typically have chosen their preferred sleep position and that she is definitely a side sleeper. 

Of course, starting last week, all she wants to do as soon as we put her down in the crib is get on her side and then, ultimately, roll to her belly.  At this point, we aren't to concerned that she will suffocate, but the problem is rolling back once she gets irritated from being on her belly.  She cries while doing 360s around the crib and pushing her bum into the air. We know very well that she can roll belly to back but she would rather a visit from her Mama or Papa to *save* her from the wrath of the belly gods.  If she is facing the door as you walk in, she will flash a big smile...oh Lina.  Tonight, I may have to let her cry in an effort to will her to flip back over or just go to sleep peacefully on her belly. 

Just when I thought she couldn't sleep any better, I end up jinxing myself (I should KNOW better!!).  I am NOT looking forward to when she can stand on her own.  That should be even more blissful to tackle during designated sleep times.  

I just have to keep telling myself...this is just another phase in the saga of infant sleep. Sigh... 

Hallelujah!!

The turmoil of month 6, weaning from the binkie and swaddle, followed by wonder week 26, two teeth and a cold, have passed.  Man was it a tough 4ish weeks in the sleep department.  Lina has always been a good -- borderline great -- sleeper (if you would've asked me this when she was a newborn or even a month or so ago, I would've thought differently, but looking back and hearing stories from other moms makes me realize we don't have it so bad...you live and learn), and when she started sleeping 7p-7a straight at 13 weeks, we were stoked and very lucky.  When all of that started going out the window, I got frustrated and wondered if it was all just a fluke...would she ever do it again?  I was beginning to lose hope, but alas, rip van Lina is back... for the time being that is.  

Over the past week she hasn't had any night-time wake-ups and I'm loving it!!  Although, she still loves to wake-up and party around 5:30a, but I can live with that.  Most mornings, after 5:30a, I will pull out the binkie and more times than not, she will go back to sleep.  Hence why I am able to write this post.  She woke up at 5:30 this morning, I gave her the binkie around 6a and she is still sleeping.  Why she doesn't just stay asleep continuously in the morning is a mystery.  Oh babies!!  

This past month has taught me that we have a great night-time sleeper on our hands, but there will always be regressions and set-backs due to development leaps, teeth and illness, so we just have to ride the wave.  I'm also more confident in what the symptoms of teething are, so when she does start waking again during the night, I will have a better idea of what is causing it and I won't always think that the days of her being a good sleeper are doomed. 

AND, I mustn't forget that to successfully make it through the next wave, I have to practice that thing called patience. 

Dear Santa...

Last night was another doozy. Hopefully Santa will hear our  my pleas. 

On another note, Auntie K was over for a visit yesterday and I told her she needed to check out Lina's first tooth.  To my surprise, when she looked, she said there were two!!   Apparently, all Lina wanted for Christmas was her two bottom teeth.

WTF?!?!

I am 1000% fed up with Evelina's current night-time sleep pattern.  Sometimes I think I need to change the name of this blog to "Simply Sleep Ciano" because I feel that sleep is constantly an area of struggle.  Just when we think Rip Van Lina is back, she throws us a curve ball and changes her sleep pattern once again.  I am BEYOND frustrated and just plain tired.  Uggghhhhh......  

After we successfully implemented sayonara soother, Lina was again sleeping like a dream, but then one night she started waking up around 2am and chatting for 45 minutes and then waking up at 5:30a again.  Ever since that day the trend has continued.  The chatting doesn't bother me per se but, what bothers me is that she will sometimes get aggravated and start to fuss a little more and then intervention is required (usually a diaper change since I never know what could be in there).  Over the past nights the one wake-up has turned into 2-3...the only positive is that she actually sleeps past 6am but only because she has been up for almost 2 hours during the night.  We usually only intervene at the first wake-up and if she gets up 2 or more times she is on her own unless crying out in some sort of pain. 

Chris and I have brainstormed as to what may be causing this night-time waking, because we know very well she is sleep trained, and we think it could be a few things.  She is getting another tooth, solids don't agree with her, or she is deep into Wonder Week 26 (she is 28 weeks but 26 weeks past her original due date).  Because she can't talk we are unsure if teeth or gas are bothering her so Ibuprofen and Mylicon are always ready to go if needed.  We also stopped feeding her solids at dinner since this seems to really bother her and it has helped slightly but she is still waking.  WAAAAA.......

And don't even get me started on her shiz naps (but happy to know her friends at school are experiencing the same)!!  I am praying to the high heavens this is all just a phase.

Don't worry Lina, we still love you to pieces!!