Pacifier Removal, Stage One

So we are more than a week into the first phase of the Great Pacifier Removal Plan, which involves not letting him have it at night. So far, it's been a great success. It's coincided (somewhat inadvertently) with moving him out of my room and into his own, since we began this whole process at my parents house for Thanksgiving where he slept in a crib in his own room so once we got back here it seemed foolish not to continue that way.

Anyway, I basically did our nighttime routine per usual (our "routine" consists of PJs, sleep sack, bottle, singing) and then when I put him in the crib I just said good night and walked out. The first night he started screaming so I went back in after about a minute and shhed and patted, which I think only enraged him more, then I went out in to the hallway and happened to get a work phone call. So I stood in the hallway while my son was screaming in his room and during that 7 minute call, he stopped crying and went to sleep. I'm sure the people I work with who could no doubt hear the screaming child in the background of the phone call think that I'm the worst mother ever, but whatever. After that, it's been relatively painless. A minute or two of grumbling and then he's out. And he seems to be sleeping straight through (most of the time - see below) till about 4-5am, which is earlier than I'd like but we're working on that.

Until last night of course when he was up at 1:45am, shrieking like a banshee. I tried rocking him and shushing him, but to no avail. And I'm fairly certain he wasn't hungry since he had downed EIGHT ounces of formula at 7pm. So I got out the pacifier and stuck it in his mouth and he went immediately back to sleep until 4:45. Bad me. I find myself with so little resolve at 2am faced with a screaming child and a desperate desire to go back to sleep myself. But I'm hoping (praying) that it was an isolated incident and tonight will revert back to "normal" with just the one 5am wakeup. We'll see.

At the same time we (the nanny and I) have been forcing Jack to nap in his crib during the day, which he has NEVER successfully done. He's always been a stroller/carseat/in my arms napper, which is getting to be a problem now that it's getting colder and those 3 hour walks around the neighborhood aren't so pleasant. So all week we've been putting him in the crib and he has not taken more than a 45 minute nap. And let me say that a sleep-deprived Jack is a very, very unpleasant little boy. Finally this afternoon he slept in his crib for an hour and 45 minutes, and the post-nap personality was like night and day. So many more smiles and talking and playing. I don't know what to do - force this issue and keep making him nap in his crib and assume he WILL eventually get it, or do whatever I have to to get him to sleep and get to have a happy baby? Decisions, decisions.

On a lighter note, we went to get Jack's picture taken with Santa at the mall over Thanksgiving and the picture came out great! Jack was a pro and totally turned on the smile for the camera. Of course, he had had a nice nap in his stroller beforehand...

A very sleepy boy :-(

Thanksgiving

Very very happy thanksgiving to everyone!

I'm feeling particularly thankful this year, I've got to admit. It's not hard to feel like life is good when you get to see this little face every day.

Four months

How have 4 months already gone by?? 

All is well in Babyland. Jack is consistently sleeping 7-5:30-ish BUT wakes up for his pacifier still. I'm resolving that we will be quitting cold turkey when we go home to RI on Tuesday, since we'll be there 6 nights and it may be easier to deal with the inevitable screaming when I'm not feeling guilty about waking up the entire apt building. Anyone out there with experience taking away the pacifier and want to share their tips, please do. My current plan is basically There are No Pacifiers after Tuesday at 6pm. 

We'll see. 

In a completely unrelated note, one of my neighbors (can't tell if it's above, below, or next door) has been playing Christmas music for the last 8 hours. Straight. Now no one (literally, no one) loves Christmas more than me, but come on folks, it's not even Thanksgiving! I feel like I'm living in a mall...

I'm thinking of all my roommates over the years and realizing karma really is a bitch. 

Flying Ace

So we took our first plane flight this weekend, to Pittsburgh to visit the grandparents (or great-grandparents, as the case may be). Jack did great on the plane - slept the entire way out there and only minimally fussed before falling to sleep on the way back. The visit itself was great and he was fairly pleasant throughout the weekend.

Now that we're back, I think it's time to move him to his own room. I think he'll sleep better (and I'm hoping I will too). The last real hurdle is this pacifier. He still needs it to fall asleep, spits it out after a little while, then wakes up and starts screaming since he can't get back to sleep without it. This will happen 4-6 times/night (mostly in the hours just after he's fallen asleep, so I'm still awake and just run in and pop it back in) and it's a problem. He's not quite dexterous enough with his hands that he can find it in the crib and get it back into his mouth, so it's on me to get it back in there. Is it too early to break him of it and just say we're done with pacifiers completely? It sucks (no pun intended) because it really does soothe him - I mean, you pop that thing back in and he is back to sleep immediately. But maybe it's tough love time...

Pictures of visiting the great grandparents (and Great Aunt Jackie!)

With Great-Papa and Great-Aunt Jackie

At the airport

With Great-Noni