Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Sleep, little one...

Getting Baby B to sleep is a tough task...but I think we're winning the battle. (Not necessarily the war, mind you.) Last night, he slept for one stretch of 3.5 hours, and then another for 2.5. It was sweet bliss. No waking up every 1.5 hours to nurse and then cry! He seems to be getting used to sleeping on his back instead of on my chest the whole night.

I guess it really is hard being a baby. The world is so new and confusing...and oftentimes uncomfortable. I am so amazed at how Blaine is changing and adapting to his new environment. He is becoming a wonderful little human being.

Here's how much he enjoyed our walk yesterday:


He slept. Believe me, that's the best-case scenario at this point. Option 'B' is: screaming.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Steppin' out with my baby...

Baby B and I made it all the way to the library today, where I picked up a copy of The Happiest Baby on the Block, a manual for getting infants to sleep longer and sounder. I'm currently on page 30 (nursing offers plenty of good reading time), and have learned a few things already. I still don't think we'll get Blaine to sleep 4-hour stretches on his back, though. Last night I gave up after feeding him at 10:00, 11:45, 1:00, and 3:00 a.m. (Keep in mind that he usually nurses for 45 minutes, so it's not that long of a stretch in between.) I put him on my chest and we slept for 3 blissfull hours together on the couch. One step forward, two steps back, I guess...

...and he is sleeping like crazy today. Even in the swing - which is unheard of since week 2. In any case, he is starting to smile more, and I tried to capture the expression as he was on his changing table. I didn't get a genuine smile, but I did get this:

Enjoy, Auntie Katie!

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Success!

Okay, first of all, I'm not sure how anyone with a newborn baby manages to get all dolled up and keep up appearances. Yesterday, I managed to take a shower, get dressed in normal clothes, and... that was it. My hair was a mess, my makeup was non-existant, and I'm pretty sure my shoes didn't match. But I did go outside!

Blaine, on the other hand, is managing to look cuter every day. He is just shy of one month old today, and making some great strides toward reaching weight benchmarks and sleeping like a normal human. My biggest concern lately has been his inability to sleep anywhere but my chest at night, which is not the safest (let alone most comfortable) option. But, we have managed to get him (thanks to a tip on the internet that you warm the little spot on the bed with a heating pad before you lay him down) to sleep on his back in between us in bed for the last two nights. He will only sleep for 2-hour stretches before he wakes himself up, but at least he's not face down on my chest. Hopefully he will become more comfortable sleeping there and will sleep for longer stretches.

Next step - the bassinet! That may just take another month...

Blaine is confused: Why can't he nurse every hour on the hour?