Sleep Training - Settling in to a routine...

I know I know ... I'm going to write a wonderful post about how wonderful our schedule is -- and then something is going to throw it off and we're going to start all over. But I must share my joy and the sense of peace I have right now with you!

Henry handled the time change like a champ. I - however - battling a cold - did not. Another story - another time.

He's doing better with Crying It Out (CIO) -- down to about 15 minutes per nap - sometimes real crying, sometimes just fussy moaning. I think he's the type of child who just needs to release that extra energy before he can relax and nap. Bedtime CIO is almost non existent - and he still usually falls asleep while nursing for that last evening feed.

Since I wrote last week about our Swing After Nap victory - I've been using this method every day. But not for every nap. I'm finding it works best in our schedule to only make sure the middle nap is longer. So, here's our sample schedule:

7:30 wake, nurse
9:00 nap
9:45 wake
10:30 nurse
11:15 nap
12:00 wake, straight into swing
12:30 sleep
2:00 wake (I usually have to stop the swing here to wake him up), nurse
3:30 nap
4:15 wake
4:45 nurse
7:00 nurse
7:15 prayers, swaddle, bed
12:30 wake, nurse, straight back to bed

Henry has been hit with the "wake and talk" syndrome that I've read is popular around this age. Sometime around 4-5am I hear him over the monitor just babbling away. Since there's no tears - I just let it soothe myself back to sleep! He ends up falling back asleep!

I don't mind getting up once a night for him to eat still -- I tried squeezing in another daytime feeding to combat this - but he's just not hungry enough then to take full feedings.

I do mind having to get up a couple times a night because of poop! This little boy often gets his days/nights mixed up when it comes to when he's supposed to do a bowel movement. Last night was the first night in a long time that there was no pooping - and I was a much happier mom because of it. Something about how he lays at night - he almost always poops out the back. This never happens with his big poops during the day, only at nighttime. Weird right? He's already in size 3 diapers - so I can't really go up a size for night time yet.

Here's his 16 week picture! I think he looks smaller than last week... probably due to frog placement, lighting, zoom, etc.


And from visiting the Butterfly Exhibit this weekend:


We're getting Easter pics done this weekend, too!