Day 56: Super easy day – C ate and napped well, stretching to closer to 3.5 or 4 hours between feedings. We had his physical therapy appointment and worked on his neck stretches; he was cooing, smiling, tracking and being a happy 8 week old 🙂  My half brother and his wife came to visit and A was in heaven, being so cute and playful with them.  We all went out to dinner and they complimented us on how good he was at the restaurant, and C slept the whole time.  It was a fun afternoon/evening 🙂

Night 56: Nights are still weird. So C napped from like 5pm to 7pm, so then when we tried to feed him and put him to sleep for the night it was hard.  He woke up at 1:30am and I waited until 2 to feed him; then he woke at 5:30am so instead of feeding I brought him into my bed to finish sleeping, then fed him at 7am.

Day 57: C had his 2 month check up today!  He did great.  I asked the doctor about how much formula he should be drinking a day (24 to 32 ounces apparently) and about sleep.  He said not to rock until he is all the way asleep but to stop when he is drowsy and then put him in crib. He said at this age it would be fine to let him cry for 10 minutes so that he can start practicing settling himself to sleep.  He also said he should only be taking 3 naps, not 4, so I think that last nap of the day needs to be his bedtime.    I’ve also been talking to a sleep consultant (why am I so psycho?) The main thing she recommended was to stretch feedings to 3 or 4 hours; even NICU babies eat on a 3 hour schedule so that kind of blew my mind when I thought about it that way.  So today worked on stretching feedings to 4 hours instead so that we can get to 3 naps.  Ate at 7am, napped after appointment in carseat.  Ate at 11am, played, started napping in crib at 12:20pm.  Slept for 20 minutes, woke and fussed/cried for 10 minutes, I went and re-settled, slept for 10 more minutes, repeated, then let him finish his nap in the swing.  Ate at 2:40pm, we played, then went to pick up A and he napped from about 3:45 to 5:30.  I woke him up because doctor said not to nap after 5pm, and we played for a bit. Then I gave him a bath around 6:30, swaddled, and his last bottle of the day….

Night 57:…he passed out eating it so I put him in his crib.  He woke up 20 minutes later, let him cry for 10 minutes to see if he would re-settle, went in and rocked him until drowsy, back to sleep for 20 minutes, same cycle again, but then at 8pm he was squirming around but  not crying and fell asleep on his own until 1:30am!!!! Longest stretch ever.  He ate and was easy to put back to sleep, then he slept all the way until 6:30am!!!!!  I was soooo proud of my little guy.

Day 58: Followed the same 4 hour schedule; ate at 6:30am, 10:30am, 2:30pm, 6:30pm.  The doula came over today and held C for his whole nap.  He loves to snuggle with her, and she is sooo good with him.  I feel a little ridiculous each week when she comes over and I go either workout or go to a girly appointment, but it has made such a difference for me this time around and I am very grateful for her and the opportunity to recharge each week.  J came home for dinner but had to go speak at UCSD so I put both kids to bed by myself.  Since we moved C’s bedtime to before A’s it was a little trickier – I put A in his playpen with some frozen songs and spent about 15 minutes with C, then put A to bed…

Night 58:…I heard C wake up crying while putting A to bed, so after A was in bed I went to C.  Kind of the same cycle as the night before, waking up several times from 6:30 to 8…it seemed to all revolve around a burp so I really need to wake him and burp him before I put him down initially (if he falls asleep while drinking bottle).  Anyway, he didn’t wake up again until 1:22 and I fed him at 1:50, so about 7 hours between feedings.  According to the sleep consultant, that should be the minimum time he now goes between night feedings, since he showed us he can do it.  J has asked me why we don’t do the Ferber sleep training method like we did with A when C is 4 months like we planned, and I guess I feel more in control of the nights this way?  Like instead of going to bed not knowing what to expect, I am sort of dictating it more.  But is that wrong? Am I like a crazy dictator person?

Day 59:  Today was a bit odd…C napped for a while in the morning, then would barely wake up to eat and then fell right back to sleep.  The day as a bit thrown off after that but he was in a good happy mood.  A, C and I hung out in the living room waiting for dada to get home and watched Frozen (aka my newborn survival movie) but towards the end A said, All done, bye bye snow.  He wanted to play with his toys lol so back to the playroom we went.  Then we all went out to dinner as a family, pretty fun day!

Night 59:  Early to bed, took a while to settle down.  Woke up at 1:45am and J FED C!!! I got to rest a bit for the first time in 2 months 🙂  He took a while to fall back to sleep, then woke up at 6 and I brought him into our room until we got up at 7.

Day 60: Oh goodness, C is so sweet and smiley and 2 months old today.  We just love him.  I took A and C to the mall before it opened today to walk around and for the first time I was like, I LOVE having two kids.  Now, I loved A and C before, but it felt a bit more like survival and trying to get used to things.  Today however, I downright enjoyed myself.  Worked out in the middle of the day and J watched the boys, then we did a little 2 month photoshoot for baby C. It is incredible how different he looks from Month 1!  Went to hang out with J’s family and A wanted to climb up and down these concrete steps, so I was chasing after him while holding C in his carrier.  They are both just so little and I don’t want them to get hurt!

Night 60: Oh wow, another weird night.  I was thinking of doing one of those “dreamfeeds” where you wake baby up at like 10 or 11 to get one last feeding in, since he has been going to bed so early.  I set my alarm for 11:30, but he woke up right before I went in there which was weird because he hasn’t woken up that early in a while…but I figured I was planning on feeding you anyway so let’s try this.  I fed him, and it took 3 hours for him to fully go back to sleep – crying, us waiting, us going in and settling him, over and over.  I have no idea what happened.

Day 61: J, A, C and I went to the park and J and A played with their skateboards while I walked C around in his stroller.  Hung out at home the rest of the day…the last 2 days C has napped from like 8 to 10:30, but then will barely stay awake for a bottle and wants to go right back to sleep…not sure what is going on but I hope he is okay.  J went to play soccer later and I hung out with the boys…I cried (again) because like I said before, most of the time I’ve got it down and then the rest of the time, nope.  A climbed on the chair and pinched C and it makes me so scared that someone is going to get hurt.  C was crying a lot (not because of that, just in general).  He barely could make it to 6pm so at 6:15 I gave him a bath, swaddled him, and then tried to give him a bottle but he fell asleep.  I woke him up to finish…

Night 61: …and put him to sleep at 6:45pm.  He woke up several times from then until 8:30pm, but then he slept all the way until 2:30am, a new record.  He was kind of wide awake then and didn’t fully fall back asleep until 4am, woke up around 6:30.

Day 62: We were all ready to go to the zoo but it started raining a bit so off to the indoor mall we went to do some laps, get coffee, and let A ride in one of the car rides.  When we got home after bottles and lunch and what not, A went right down for his nap but woke up early at 1pm and C didn’t have a great nap either.  J said he was coming home early, so I decided not to take them to the zoo, but then J ended up working so we were kind of stuck at home but it all worked out.  C loves his playmat, A loves his toys, and they both like hearing my voice and being near me and I do too 🙂  When J got home we all went to sushi for dinner…

Night 62: …I put C to bed earlier tonight – seems counterintuitive but he is so tired around 6 keeping him up doesn’t help much.  Bath and bottle around 6, asleep by 6:25pm, woke up stirring a few times until 8 then asleep.   He was a little easier to settle tonight.  The other night we did try letting him cry for 10 minutes and it is just not for him, at least not right now.  I’m pretty sure he would have cried forever lol.  So instead we have been going to him quicker, giving him his pacifier back, and then leaving the room quicker too and he has been settling himself.  Anyway, he woke up at 11:45 and 12:15, but I didn’t feed him and just quickly comforted him, then he slept until 3:30am!! Another record.  This is probably the advice that has helped me the most with night feedings…to keep him moving forward.  Before I would have fed him at 11:45 no question, even though he had spent the past week going until 2 or so without a feeding.  But I thought, he is probably not going to be hungry until 2, I’m going to comfort him without food and it worked great.  He drank his bottle at 3:30, fell back asleep by 4:15 (with me going in there once) and then woke up at 6am for the day.  Brought him to bed to cuddle, then got up at 6:45am.

We survived 9 weeks!

Day 63: C was super sleepy during the day, barely staying awake.  We tried to play a bit when he was awake, and practiced a crib nap.  Nothing exciting…dropped and picked A up from school, normal day…

Night 63:…went to bed at 6:45pm but didn’t really fall asleep until 8pm…then woke up at 10pm and didn’t fall back asleep until 12am…woke again at 2am, fed at 3am, then brought to my bed because I couldn’t even see straight.  Looking back, this seems like growth spurt behavior and I should have fed him before 3am but since he hasn’t wanted food at 10pm in a long time, it didn’t occur to me.  I always miss growth spurt signs, and now I feel awful that I didn’t feed him 😦  He woke up in the morning happy and smiling so at least he doesn’t hate me 😦

Day 64: C was so sleepy all day – we did our normal daycare drop off, then got my car serviced, then relaxed at home and he did some of his nap in his crib, then the rest in his swing and on me.  Picked A up and C was out like a light for a few hours, so I got some extra playtime in with A.  J and I were so tired we were in bed by like 8pm.

Night 64: C fell asleep closer to 8:30 after being put down at 7:30 – then he slept all the way until 1:30 – I tried to distract him for a while to get him closer to 3am but that was dumb of me – he was happy and not crying but wide awake; fed him at 2:45 5 ounces, but at 3:30 he was crying and J said he seemed way hungry, so he gave him 3 more ounces and then he fell asleep.  I actually had to wake him up the next morning!  And he just looked at me and smiled so cute 🙂

Day 65: Trying to go with the flow more today, especially if he is going through a growth spurt. It seems like he still is because he has been sleeping nonstop….

Night 65: Bed 6:30, slept 7 to 8 then woke up and we gave him 2.5 more ounces of formula…then he slept from 9pm until 3:40am!!  A record?  Not sure…What was he wearing??!! I think he had footie pajamas on and no swaddle…or was he swaddled? Oh man I forgot already lol.

Day 66:  A, C, and I went to the zoo in the morning to walk around and look at the animals, it was fun!  J’s mom came over with J’s cousin and aunt and they had so much fun playing with A and baby C got lots of cuddles.  Everyone got fed and napss and we were all in good moods.  J came home from work early and we went to Slaters 50/50 for burgers!  C fell asleep in the car on the way home for a tiny bit for a 4th nap, but he really did not like that and freaked out.  He was crying so hard, would barely drink his bottle so I swaddled him up and put him in the crib and he was out instantly so definitely overtired, and I think even though he is young he likes 3 naps.  Or I forced that on him and now that is what he is used to?

Night 66: C slept from 6:45 until 11:30 I think, so not super long but he fell asleep right away which is like the 2nd time that has ever happened so that is good!  J fed him since it was the weekend and I finally got a longer stretch of sleep for myself.  C apparently went back to sleep fairly easily, and then woke again at 3:30am – I brought him to bed with me until 6:30 then I fed him.

Day 67: J and I agreed that it seems like growth spurt is over and back to our little schedule.  I worked out and brought A with me, it was fun and J watched C.  Then J went to surf and I hung out with the kiddies at home – J’s parents came over to babysit so that we could go to a friend’s birthday lunch; it was super fun!!  Hung out at home the rest of the afternoon.  C took a nap from 3:45 to 5:30, at 6 I put him in the bath and fed him and got him ready for bed.  He fell asleep for like 10 minutes at 6:35 and took until 7:45 to really fall asleep, so about an hour which is actually less than usual.  He doesn’t actually fall asleep until 8 every night, so why aren’t we putting him to bed then?  He just doesn’t seem like he wants to just nap at 6-ish, since he usually has only been up from his 3rd nap for about 45 minutes at that time, but maybe I could play around with that again.  Because it seems so silly that we are putting him to bed early when he falls asleep at literally the same time every night – this definitely has me confused lol.

Night 67: C slept until 1:30am!  That is about 6 hours, so a good stretch of sleep.  Fed him at 2am instead of trying to push the feeding forward, we are going to try to slowly decrease ounces every couple of days, so if he wakes after 1:30am we will feed him and if he wakes before then, we will comfort instead.  He drank his bottle, then was relatively easy to help fall back asleep and slept all the way until morning – I had to wake him at 7!

Day 68: Drank 6 ounces at 7am, napped 8:30 to 10:15.  We went for a walk around the mall before it opened and I enjoyed a coffee 🙂  A loves his stroller and looking around so it was a good time.  Did chores and hung out with the kids and J mid-day, got everyone down for naps and fed.  Then we all went to watch J’s soccer game, it was super fun!  C is getting heavy to carry lol.  Ate every 4 hours and napped 8:45 to 10:10am, 12:45 to 2:33pm, and 3 to 5pm.  These naps are going to be so much shorter when he is at daycare, I hope it goes okay 😦

Night 68: 6:10pm had a bath, swaddled, drank a bottle, asleep by 6:50 (fell asleep in my arms).  Woke at 7:45 and put him in lighter pajamas because he seemed hot, rocked him for a minute and put in crib…I watched him squirm for a bit and then he fell asleep by himself until 2:45am!!!! That is 8 hours after he went to bed for the night!!! I fed him 5.5 ounces, changed his diaper, held him for a bit and put him into his crib awake and he put himself to sleep again!!!  Slept until morning 🙂

Day 69: C was up early at 6:15, made J wait until close to 6:30 to give him his first bottle (J was up first today and made everyone breakfast and got both kids up! So nice!).  J went to work and I took the boys to get some lightbulbs and walk around the mall.  A got to ride on 2 car rides and he was stoked, and C took his morning nap.  We got home around 9:45 so I entertained everyone until it was time for food – C ate at 10:15, A at 10:45, then we started our naps.  A napped like a champ, C woke up after like 30 minutes so I helped him finish his nap downstairs while I did some chores.  We hung out at home for a while, went to IKEA, ate dinner together and then I got C ready for bed and J finished up so I could go to workout class!

Night 69: Not a repeat of last night.  Woke at 11:45, tried to comfort him until 1:30, he fell back asleep then.  Woke at 2:30am and fed him, didn’t fall back asleep until 4.  I was up most of the night.  Getting nervous about going back to work…

We survived 10 weeks!

Day 70: Lazy day…I was sooo tired.  Dropped A off at daycare then got a coffee and back home we went.  Took C out of his carseat and let him finish his 3 hour nap on my chest – he is oh so snuggly.  Didn’t take a great mid-day nap but had a pretty good late afternoon one.  He was so smiley and cute all day.  Picked up some Chick-Fil-A for dinner with the kiddies then played at home.  Today was also my last day of e-mail exchanges with the sleep consultant…her parting advice is to stay strong and keep pushing forward in terms of sleep and that we will all be happier for it in the long run.  She shared that her third baby sounded just like mine and that things were erratic for her, she fell asleep on the floor in his room she was so tired one time, etc. Then bam he figured things out.  So I do feel like even though I am tired and driving myself nuts, I think it will be worth it.

Night 70: Bath, bottle, bedtime routine around 6 and asleep at 6:20.  Put C in his swaddle that lets his arms be up by his face.  Up at 7:20 I think but gave quick pacifier and back to sleep.  Up at 11:30 and  I thought, do I feed him and stop being a crazy person even though I know he is not hungry, or hunker down and comfort for a few hours?  I gave him 5 minutes to settle himself, went in there and put him in a different swaddle….and he fell asleep until 4am!!!!!!  So 9 hours 40 minutes from his last feeding.  Fed baby C, back to sleep with I think 1 check in at 5:30am, then up for the day at 6:30am.  It was a great night and while I know it is going to be back and forth for a while, I do feel like we are on a good sleep path 🙂

Day 71: Went on a walk with friends and then hung out at home.  When it was time for C’s mid-day nap, he fell asleep on my chest and I thought I’ll move him to his crib in a little while.  But I didn’t – for 2.5 hours.  He was so sweet and snuggly and I know these snuggly days are limited, especially with me going back to work part-time in a couple of weeks.  See? I am not always a crazy scheduled sleep training person.  I love these kids and I love being a mom and those moments where we just slow down and enjoy each other are priceless.  In the evening we met up with J’s family for an early dinner – I was nervous to go because I knew we would get home a bit late, but C had fun at dinner (not as much fun as A who literally put on a show!) and I gave him half of his bottle at 6:15 while we were there…

Night 71: …and then the other half when we got home around 7.  He was asleep by 7:30 (I think I went in once to help him settle?) and he slept clear until 4am.  No middle of the night wakings – I actually saw him on the monitor around midnight squirming, but he put himself back to sleep!  He drank 5 ounces at 4am, and did have a bit of trouble settling back down – I don’t think he fell back asleep until 5am but it was a great night for all.

Day 72: The doula came today so C got to hang out with her and I got my nails done.  He took a nap in his pack and play downstairs which was awesome!!!  J worked from home and watched C while I picked up A since it was raining a lot, and then we all watched a rainy day movie together 🙂

Night 72: Asleep by 6:20, but woke up a few times after that.  Also woke up a few times between 1:30 and 2:30 because he broke out of his swaddle…then slept until 4am and drank 5 ounces, then back to sleep 🙂  We are so getting there, yay baby C!!!

Day 73: A C and I hung out the whole day.  In the afternoon we even went to a big Sephora sale and I accidentally got us lost in the parking lot and the boys just chilled in the stroller.  They are so sweet.  J’s family came over for dinner and we all had a good time.

Night 73: C went to sleep around 6:30, fussed maybe twice and then was out until 3am!!  I comforted/gave pacifier until about 3:45, then he fell asleep until 4:30am and I gave him 4.5 ounces…moving forward we go!  When I went to get him out of his crib in the morning he was just looking at his mobile and then gave me the biggest smile.  I adore him!

Day 74:  I went to a bridal shower today and J watched the boys – everyone did great and I had a nice time with friends.  In the evening, our babysitter came over so that J and I could go on date night – we had a blast at dinner and the kids were well looked after and sleeping soundly when we got home 🙂

Night 74: Weeeeird night.  Didn’t eat until 4am, but was up at 10pm, again at 12:30pm, 2 I think.  I don’t know if he was too hot, too cold, uncomfortable, lonely?  He broke out of his swaddle again so I am torn about if the swaddle is helping or not at this point.  It seems to help more than not, but he gets so mad when he breaks out and is kind of stuck in it.  Anyway, J and I are so sleepy!!  C is happy as a clam.

Day 75: So tired from last night, but the kiddies have been in great moods.  We are laying low at home – A got to go in the jacuzzi with J, and C took a long nap in the swing and I’ve been doing chores per usual haha.  C has also been so smiley as usual, he literally breaks out into the biggest smile whenever someone looks at him.  When J went to play soccer, I took the boys to the mall to get coffee and ride on the train and the nice train lady wasn’t there and wouldn’t let me bring my stroller inside and I was about to cry since we had waited in line and A was so excited 😦  But a nice woman whose kids were riding the train too offered to watch my stroller (I literally am 2 feet away from the stroller and can see it at all times).  She said she has a 2 month old as well at home, and that her girls are all 19 months apart and that she gets it.  I thanked her profusely and was so grateful for her kindness.  A lit up like he always does and I’m glad it worked out, though I’m going to have to save train rides for when A and I are alone from now on.

Night 75: Bed around 6:30 and 6:45 – fussed a few times until 7 and comforted/burped him…then he slept clear until 3:45am!!!  That is 9 hours straight, woohoo!!!  I slept 7 hours straight and definitely felt caught up from the night before.  I held him off until 4:30am and gave him his bottle, then back to sleep until we woke him up at 7am 🙂

Day 76: We went to the zoo, the mall, and played at home.  Everyone was in a great mood and it was tons of fun…I started the bedtime routine for C, and J finished up so I could go to Barre class 🙂

Night 76: Just like 2 nights ago…up at 10pm briefly, from 12 to 1am, 3am…fed at 4:30am and fell right back asleep.  J slept on the couch because he had a radio interview the next morning, so I was running back and forth to C so that he didn’t disturb J.  I’m going to have to let him cry for 3-5 minutes tomorrow night to give him the chance to even try to settle himself.

We survived 11 weeks!

Day 77:  A went to daycare and cried when I dropped him off 😦 That never happens – we had a blast 4 days in a row but he recovered shortly after, they sent me a picture.  C and I chilled at home and got tons of snuggles in – he is the cuddliest napper ever.  I usually try to stay home and lay low when A is at daycare, but I took advantage of how portable C is and we went shoe shopping.  It was a fun day!

Night 77: Asleep at 6:30pm but up a few times until 8pm.  I tried not swaddling him at first, then re-swaddled him.  Once he fell asleep though he slept all the way until 2am – I let him cry for 5 minutes at a time before going in to him between 2 and 3am, then he slept all the way until 4:45am so that is our new feeding time!  Drank 4 ounces and fell right back asleep until I woke him for morning time 🙂

Day 78: Lots of snuggles, lots of naps, and a fun night out to dinner with the whole fam 🙂

Night 78: Asleep at 6:45pm and didn’t make a peep until 4am!!!!!! I couldn’t believe it…held off feeding until 4:30am; he drank 3.5 ounces and the back to sleep 🙂

Day 79: The doula came today and I went to get my hair done – I got it colored and cut off a few inches!  I was scared to go too short, maybe another time, but it felt great to take some me time!  C did great while I was gone, then we went to pick up A.  A was the only kid at daycare that noticed they got a new book and he held it the whole day lol.

Night 79: A good night!  That feeding is getting so close to morning time!  I think it was about 5am, so I gave 3 ounces, then fed again around 7am.

Day 80: A good day with lots of playtime and naps.  J and I went on date night!!

Night 80: Went to bed at 6:30pm, woke at 2 for a minute and I gave paci, then slept until 5am!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A new record…gave him 3 ounces, then let him hang in our room.  Kind of a weird time so am going to try to push to 6 quickly – so proud of our little sleepyhead!

Day 81: The weekends are always a good time – A and I went to Barre class while J watched C, then some of my best friends came to visit while they were in town in the afternoon and we had so much fun catching up.  They went to a wedding and my fam went to a fun family dinner.  After the kids were asleep J and I watched a movie together and it was overall a wonderful day.

Night 81: C went to sleep around 6:30pm and did fuss a few times until about 7:30pm, but then he slept all the way until 2am because he broke out of his swaddle so I fixed it and right back to sleep he went, until 5:15am!!! I couldn’t decide if I should feed him then or try to wait until 6. I didn’t want to push him too much, but figured I would try giving him pacifier first and see what happens…he slept all the way until 6!!!! So we started our day then and he drank a full bottle – we are officially out of middle of the night feedings!! I literally can’t believe.  We will still work on falling asleep awake and settling during middle of the night wakings, but this is such a huge milestone!!!

Day 82: Fun family day – went to IHop for breakfast, then hung out at the playground and played.  Went home and everyone ate, got naps, etc.  J played soccer in the afternoon and I took the boys to Sears to get a new microwave because ours broke!  They were little angels and got lots of compliments 🙂

Night 82: It was incredibly hot in the house…C woke up so many times throughout the night sweating 😦 We tried the air, opening windows, etc. but nothing was really working.  I went in several times to comfort him, and ended up bringing him to bed with me around 4:30am because I was so sleepy and didn’t want to walk all the way down the hall until 6 lol.  Anyway, he starts 3 days a week of daycare next week and while I want to help him learn how to sleep better independently, I don’t want to do too much at once and overwhelm him.  So in the next couple weeks our goals are to unswaddle and to work on him feeling comfortable falling asleep alone.  I think slowly but surely might be our best bet since he is still a young little guy.

Day 83: We started the day off going to get A’s haircut – he loved it!  But then later A had a little fever, I felt bad for him 😦  He was in good spirits and so was C.  We walked around the zoo a bit in the afternoon, then came home and relaxed.  It has been so hot out still.

Night 83:  It took C a while to fall asleep for the night…I tried leaving him unswaddled because it was so hot, but he didn’t like that.  We let him cry for 10 minutes at a time before going to him which I can’t decide if that helps him or not because he cried the whole 10 minutes each time.  However, at around 8pm he fell asleep for the night and woke up briefly at 4 because he broke out of his swaddle and I fixed it for him, and then closer to 6.  We are getting there and he is the sweetest little thing!

We survived 12 weeks!

Day 84: A still had a fever so I kept him home from daycare today; I had a dentist appointment and J’s mom said I could still go and that she would watch both boys, which really helped me.  A was super excited for his nap, poor guy.  C has napped like a champ…that is something I am definitely nervous about sending him to daycare…those massive 2 hour naps are going to take a bit to get back since he is going to need to get used to the noise and stuff 😦  I’m trying not to worry too much since that is not going to help.

Night 84: C went to sleep at 7pm (we went out to dinner and he had his bottle there) and didn’t need help at all!!! He fell asleep awake, on his own, all the way until 4am!!!  I re-swaddled him and gave him his paci and he fell back asleep.  He was up at 5:30am pretty much for the day, we played with him from 6 to 6:30 and then gave him his bottle.  We will work on the early morning wake-up soon, but for now I am so happy that baby C and me and J are getting great sleep at night 🙂

Day 85:  Dropped of C’s bag at daycare with his goodies for next week: pic of our family, extra clothes, pacifiers, swaddle, etc.

Night 85: We were up a lot – 12, 4, 5…it has still been hot, breaking out of swaddle, etc.  At 5:30 J had tried several times to comfort him and he just wasn’t having it, so he cried for a bit then fell asleep until 6:30.

Day 86:  Today was the last day the doula was here.  I cried saying goodbye to her, and for a while afterwards actually.  She has made such a positive impact on this newborn time, and I am forever grateful for her sweet nature and help.  C loves her so much too!!!

Night 86: We went out to dinner and C fell asleep there and the car ride home, so I woke him up to get him changed and he had a lot of trouble falling asleep after that.  However, once he was asleep  he slept until 4am because he broke out of his swaddle, and had trouble falling asleep after that.  We are thinking of getting rid of swaddle…it doesn’t make sense to sleep train or teach him how to fall asleep on his own in circumstances (swaddle) that are going to change in a month of two.

Day 87: A, C and I had a fun day together – we went to the zoo and to the mall and played at home.  C didn’t drink as much, I hope he is okay…I also went out for girl’s night which I never do!  It was fun.

Night 87: Had trouble falling asleep initially, woke up at 3am breaking out of swaddle and cried on and off until morning (we went in several times to help him but nothing was working). Was he hungry?  Growth spurt? Didn’t eat well yesterday so maybe he wasn’t full, now I feel awful for not thinking of that.  J was like, the swaddle has got to go.  It is hard because if we put him in pajamas, I know he is going to be upset.  But at the same time, the swaddle is not working great (even though him sleeping until 4am usually is pretty nice!) I think we might have to go backwards before we go forward.

Day 88:  I made a little schedule for myself – with going back to work, if I’m getting up at 4am to help C, trying to fall back asleep myself is going to stress me out.  So for the time being, if I go to bed at 9 and just plan on being up for the day at 4:30am, that is 7.5 hours of sleep for me.  I can use that time to get ready for the day, blog, straighten up, eat, check on C, etc.  Anyway, I worked out even though I am tired and the kids are both taking massive naps right now so I’m also on my computer doing a million things haha.

Night 88: Tonight we ditched the swaddle, for good.  Put C to bed in his pajamas and left the room while he was awake.  He cried, I waited 5 minutes, gave him pacifier, and he was out until 4am.  I went in several times from 4 to 5:30 to comfort him, and we both fell back asleep until 6:15am.  Going to write a separate post with all the details of our sleep training 🙂

Day 89: Everyone woke up in a great mood.  I actually started laundry at 5am while I was awake haha and it was such a good start to my day!!!! I took the boys to get bagels by myself while J got his haircut – it was my first time taking them out to eat somewhere and we did great!!!  I was so happy.  They took long naps, I got my nails done, and then we all went to the beach for the first time as a family of 4.  It was so fun!  A just kept running in the water with J, and C hung out with me in the tent.

Night 89: Bed around 6:45pm – took 2 times to fall asleep.  And then OMG HE SLEPT ALL NIGHT UNTIL 6:20AM.  He did it! Baby C slept through the whole night.  I couldn’t believe it.  He slept in his pajamas, and at 9pm I actually snuck in there and took him off his DockaTot and just put him in his crib. He didn’t wake up, but I was sure he would several times throughout the night but he didn’t! Slept like a champ.  I woke up so confused haha.
Day 90: Last day of maternity leave, last day before C turns 3 months old, last day of our newborn experience.  I honestly can’t believe what an evolution the last few months have been.  From holding C for the first time, to night/day confusion, to learning what he likes and doesn’t like, to seeing him smile…I have loved watching A grow as a big brother, and most of all sharing this journey with J.  We are beyond blessed for this family and I thank God countless times every day.  We did it!!!!!