BIZARRO NIGHTS

NIGHT SIX (TUESDAY)
Bedtime: 7:30 PM
Woke: 2:30 AM (ate 3 ounces)
Awake for the day: 7:30 AM

HE PUT HIMSELF BACK TO SLEEP AFTER ONLY 3 OUNCES, Y'ALL. HE WAS STANDING UP IN HIS CRIB AND THEN WHINED FOR ABOUT 20 SECONDS. AND FELL ASLEEP. UNTIL 7:30.

I was all like, this is working!!!! You see Brett had Night 6-- I really think dads have that magic touch, you know?  But I was so confident last night I could do the same thing. Hehe.

NIGHT SEVEN (WEDNESDAY)
Bedtime: 7:30 PM
Woke: 3:15 AM TO 4:45 AM (ate 4 ounces)
Awake for the day: 7:00 AM

I woke up around 3:15 to Cash talking to himself in his crib. He wasn't upset and he didn't seem bothered/hungry. I let him roll around for about 30 minutes until he was completely silent. I was staring at the monitor like a HAWK thinking that any minute he would stand up and demand the bottle. But then he was silent...for like 15 minutes!! So I got myself back in bed and started to doze off...silly mom...why would you do that? Cue the screaming at 4 AM.  I make the bottle, go up there, and bravely only try to feed him 3 ounces like B had the night before. He was pretty much asleep in my arms by then so I laid him back down and left the room.  Well mom does not have the magic touch apparently...cue screaming again.  Sleep = not happening. I gave him more and he drifted back to sleep around 4:45/5. He only drank 1 more ounce so I'm not sure he was really that hungry either...we'll see what tonight brings.

We had a checkup yesterday and his pediatrician laid it all out for me: we need to completely retrain him. (Which obviously I already knew). She said that we should skip this night weaning and go straight to water. She even suggested just leaving a sippy cup of water in his crib so when he wakes up he can get some and go back to sleep-- but I know my child better than that. He will sit there and play with that sippy cup for HOURS. Drop it over the crib. Cry because he dropped it over the crib. Etc etc. That for us is not an option. Anyways, I want to finish what we started with the night weaning. We have managed to get it down to him waking up only ONE time at night which is more than I thought possible a month ago, so maybe something is working? 

So I told her we want to finish it out and then we will do the sleep training over again. I explained to her that he cried for two hours (and that surely can't be normal) and he HAD to be hungry right!! And she said that the longest she has heard of was FOUR HOURS and that it will be hell for a few nights/weeks but it is doable and we.can.do.this. His body is built to go 12 hours at night without eating. If he eats at 7, he should not be hungry until 7 the next morning. If we feed him between then-- say at like 1 AM-- then his body resets another 12 hours. Which is why he isn't hungry for so long in the morning!!! He is still going on that ''12 hour stretch'' and refusing bottles in the morning.  She also gave me some great reassurance on the amount he should be getting in one day: 16 to 24 ounces.  Stop chasing him around with the bottle. Set strict boundaries. Regain control.  Apparently we have much bigger issues we need to tackle. But for now all I can focus on is night weaning...then we move on. Looks like I'll be blogging this whole journey and lord PLEASE let it take only 5 weeks because that's all the time we have left until baby girl gets here. 

But of course I will be patient with my little man and do whatever I can to make him a healthier and happier baby.

(PS. Shout out to my friend from middle school, Christine, who I ran into at the doctor's office yesterday. She has the CUTEST baby boy and she told me she reads my blog which basically made me freak out and want to hug her ten times)

xoxo,

ryann