I’m happy these days: spring has come, after more than a few false starts; my tulips and daffodils are about to burst; I am parenting an adorable, dynamic little almost-five-month old full-time; I’m reading good poetry, and now that said infant naps, getting ready to write some more about it; extended family relations are currently excellent; the dogs are at least predictable if not well-behaved, and given that Lenny spent his first year with us never, never napping, I am well pleased (thank you, dear pooch, for preparing me for the Snapper); adoption is a future endeavor so I can afford to contemplate from afar, which is far less damaging on schoolwork than preparing for an actual adoption; tonight we’re meeting with someone to pre-qualify for a mortgage, and within three months will most likely be home-owners for the first time; did I mention the sun is shining??
Notes on sleep-training:
-we’ve not made it a science. The Snapper is not on a set schedule; I merely put him down when he rubs his eyes and acts fed up with the world. Teething has thrown us for a major loop, but on bad nights I get up as much as he wants and nurse as much as he wishes.
-it’s made us waaaaaay more adept at interpreting his cries. We can now distinguish I’m Trying to Go To Sleep from I Need You Right Now, and the thousand variations therein.
-despite letting him cry for about 20 minutes total (3 naps + one bedtime of 5 min each), the Snapper’s overall crying has decreased rapidly and dramatically. He’s also smiling and laughing a lot more. Now don’t shoot me–I know it’s correlative only but it does mean the overall picture is good.
-sleeping babies are good for both marriages and dissertations.
-I know all sorts of things can change sleep (and already have in this case) but now we have more tools for the toolbox, and I don’t just mean super-modified CIO but stuff like the cry-interpretation and the detaily business of timing (nursing, car rides, noise, elimination).
-well-rested mama=sane, patient, calm, stable mama
-usual disclaimer: this worked for US and applies only to us. Other people can do it how they please.
Man is he beautiful! What a little sweetheart!