Sleeping Beauty

I know that documenting Ryan's sleep schedule isn't really that exciting, but I just had to write about this because I am still in shock! So...yesterday I was thinking that Ryan was coming down with something, which now I know that he is not. He seems fine, his temp is fine, he does seem to have some "bats in the cave"- more than usual, but it really doesn't seem to be bothering him. Yesterday he took that long nap...it ended up being 3 hours and 15 minutes long. Then he took a 45 minute nap. An hour later he was rubbing his eyes and scratching his head (his new tired signal...and I mean, he SCRATCHES his head, causing tiny little cuts on his forehead that make him look a little neglected- even though we cut his nails all the time). So I put him back down at 4:45pm hoping for another 45 minute nap. Around 6:00pm I opened his door, turned the hall light on, turned off his rushing water white noise and waited for him to wake. He stirred, but kept falling back asleep. I didn't have the heart to wake him up, it just seemed so cruel. I just wanted to get one more bottle in him since he hadn't eaten since 3:00pm (not to mention put his pajamas on and change his diaper!). He never woke and we didn't push it. We went to bed and I woke up every hour or so, looking at the clock each time and each time was amazed at how late it was getting. Midnight, 2 am, 4am! 5am!!!!!!! Still out. He eventually woke up around 5:15 happy as can be and soaking wet from his diaper!!! I gave him a bottle and he went back down for another hour. I just can't believe that he can sleep that long and I guess there is no harm in him going to bed that early, but it just seems SO early and it would be nice for him to sleep in his pj's and on a full tummy! And it is not like he isn't sleeping during the day! So today we are trying to time his naps so that he can take his last nap earlier and be awake for the nice bed time routine that we have started. We will see- he just woke up from his second nap, another 45 minute one, and he looks awfully ready to go back down again....

Already?

So, I know they say that babies who go to day care get sick more often than those who don't. I expected Ry to get his first cold at some point, but I didn't expect it to happen after his first couple of full days there! I might be jumping the gun, he is not really showing any major signs quite yet, but this morning I noticed that he had a little bit of congestion in his nose. About 30 minutes after he woke this morning (he slept until 8!) he became Captain Fussy and could not be soothed. His temperature is 99.9, which is getting close to the 100.4 temp when you are supposed to call the doctor. I took it again a second later and it was 100.1 (I think our thermometer is suspect though...it gives a reading after about 3 seconds...shouldn't it take a little longer??) I gave him his bottle at 9am and he went down for his nap at 9:30. It is noon and he is still out! So I think he might be fighting something. Let's hope this monster nap does him some good....

A Better Day

So, as a follow up to last night....Ryan woke up at 9:45pm for a bottle and wanted to go back down right after! So down he went! I was happy to at least have a little time with him for that. He then slept until 5:15 this morning! He had his bottle around 6, then went down again from 6:30 to 7:30! He does love his sleep.
He went to day care today (which I think I am going to start calling "school"...a lot of my friends do that because it sounds better than "day care"! besides, he really is learning a lot there....). Anyway, Keith went to visit him at lunch today since it is just a mile away from home. Ry was napping and managed to take a 1 hr 45 minute nap in addition to his other 45 minute one. I am so relieved that he is sleeping well there. His "teachers" Chris and Laura say that he a very happy and well mannered baby when he is there. I was joking that they probably say that to every parent and my friends have assured me that they do not...if your baby cries or fusses a lot, they let you know! So of course I am also relieved to hear that he is adjusting to his new environment. I am sure that every day is not going to be sunshine and roses, but we are off to a good start.
After school he was tired so he took a 45 minute nap in my arms which I loved. We both got to relax after a long day! Then we played for a bit, listened to music, read, and wound down for the evening. He went down at 6:30 which is becoming his usual bed time. Hopefully he won't get too crazy with his swaddle tonight and will be able to sleep peacefully with minimal interventions!

Wah!

I am sad tonight because Ryan went down for a nap today at 4:45pm and is still asleep at 8:00pm! He has done this before; his body clock must be telling him that it is time to go down for the night. He will surely wake up before midnight for a bottle since he hasn't eaten since 3:00 this afternoon. I am whiney because I spent zero time with him today! I did change his diaper this morning before work, but then had to hand him over to Keith to feed him since I had to leave. Wah! I am so sad that we had no quality time together today. Every day I race home from work in an effort to get my hour or two with him in. Keith keeps joking that with such an early bedtime, I will get plenty of time with him in the middle of the night tonight! We shall see. But right now I do feel a sort of emptiness, like something major is missing from my day. It just doesn't seem right! He must really need the sleep...growth spurt??

Transitions

Ryan had another discovery day today at Chesterbrook. I took the day off of work so that I could go in with him and meet his "teachers" and spend a little time there with him. I am so glad that I did. I have been freaking out about daycare for the past couple of weeks. All along I thought I was okay with it but recently I have been panicking. I kept thinking that we made the wrong decision, why didn't we look for someone to come over to watch Ry instead of taking him to a day care. I was completely stressed and ready to pull a 180 and change the course of things completely.

Well, I am so glad that I had today to go in and check things out. I had certainly been to Chesterbrook before, a couple of times, and had even brought Ryan there before when he was less than 8 weeks old. Daycare still seemed so far away. I had met the principal and had much correspondence with her even before Ryan was born. But as the time got closer to him having to go there twice a week, well I started looking at it so differently.

I am always amazed at how mellow the infant room is. There are 7 babies there and you would think it would just be mayhem. But the teachers have everything so under control. And you wonder how any of the babies get any sleep, but they do! There were 3 babies in their cribs sleeping soundly. Ryan even slept today in his crib! There was certainly no power napping going on, but last week at his first discovery day he did not sleep at all. Today he took 2 naps, one 45 minute and one 30 minute. When we first got there I stayed for a while to play with Ry as he took in his surroundings. I put him on his tummy on the boppy pillow and he was completely content on it, using his core to lift himself up as he was mesmorized by all of the other babies playing. The teachers were all remarking how strong he was and good on his tummy. He was so distracted by the other kids that he didn't even realize he was on his tummy!! It was very satisfying to see him taking it all in and I really like that he is able to see something other than the 4 walls of our house a couple of days per week. I was there long enough to see a lot of parents picking up and dropping off their children of all different ages, a lot of siblings, and a sense of community where everyone seems to know eachother. The very best thing about today was that when I went to pick him up he was so happy to see me! He was all smiles which reassured me that he wasn't holding a grudge for "abandoning" him for a few hours (as though he would be capable...).

The teachers seem patient and attentive and I look forward to getting to know them better. For them it is all routine and they make it look so easy. I am sure they have their moments when every baby needs something, but each time I have been there every baby seems content. I really like the principal as well, and her 6 month old daughter is also in the infant program which I LOVE. If her daughter is there I know she is keeping close tabs on it! We are still making great efforts to keep Ryan from lying flat on the back of his head and I certainly hope they will do the same. That, in addition to all of the daycare germs are the things that I still worry about. But overall I am comfortable with our childcare decision. And nothing is permanent. If it ends up not working out for some reason in the long run, we have other options. Time will tell, but for now I can find something else to lose sleep over (there WILL be something....)

Mommy's Big Boy

On a quest to look for fun things that would help us keep Ryan off of his head, Keith picked up this "Bumbo" chair. I thought that Ryan was way too young for it, but the box said 3-6 months so we gave it a shot. To my amazement, little Ry was able to sit up in it and actually hold himself up! It is too cute! After about 5 minutes he gets pretty tired and starts hunching, but what a big boy sitting in his own little seat! He really seemed to enjoy the independence and I think he even surprised himself!

Tummy time is coming along. He can do about 5 minutes flat on his tummy and almost 15 minutes propped on his small boppy. That might not seem like that long, but for someone who used to fuss immediately when placed on his tummy, it is an eternity! He is getting stronger every day!

Down for the count

Today I am stuck in bed with the flu. I feel like crap and definitely haven't been this sick in several years. Usually I have a rock solid immune system. The worst I will ever get is a cold. But this flu has really taken me down! I guess the combination of going back to work along with recently having a baby has taken it's toll on my immune system. Right before I went back to work Keith told me to get a flu shot since I would be exposed to the general public and many more germs. I said I would but never did. I just kept thinking about how I never get sick, so why did I need it. Who knows if it would have made a difference, but now I wish I had gotten it just in case.

The worst part is that I can't go near Ryan! It is killing me. I was holding him last night when I thought I was just getting a cold. I pulled the scarf I was wearing over my mouth and nose to avoid getting him sick and used a ton of Purell on my hands. Today I don't want to go anywhere near him, because the thought of him feeling as bad as I do breaks my heart. I am in quarantine in our bedroom while Ry and Keith are going about a normal day. I can hear them and I want to run out and play! I heard Ryan crying and I wanted to rush out to see why. I already feel like I don't get enough time with him so this is very hard. Hopefully I will start feeling better soon and we can have a relatively normal weekend.

Right now Ryan and Keith are at "discovery days" at Chesterbrook (our daycare). It is Ryan's first time there, and Keith is staying with him for a couple of hours while Ryan takes in the sights and sounds of the infant room. This will hopefully help with the transition once he starts going there for full days. He has two more discovery days next week which will be half days, and without either one of us there. I hope he transitions easily and enjoys the interaction with other people.