Tired... but there's hope!
This week we took another big step with Colin: we started using his crib. Until now he's slept in a bassinet (ok, a Pack-N-Play) in our bedroom. This has worked well because...
The crib was already assembled, and sitting in the middle of the room (jammed between two dressers, a nightstand, and the guest bed). But before we could consider using it H had to do some serious clothing cleanup. So everything was picked up, folded, and put somewhere else (some in my closet, and the rest in a duffle bag waiting for a new home). Once a small walking space was developed we considered the room viable for use. Thankfully we're both in pretty good shape, b/c space is extremely limited. You have to walk sideways to squeeze between the crib and the dresser (or bed) to put the boy in, so Biggest Loser contestants need not apply, but it works for us. At least for now.
So, on Sunday night (around 12:30AM) I took a sleeping baby and put him gently into the crib for the first time. I figured since he was already fast alseep that would make for an easy first night. WRONG! The second his cheek touched the crib mattress Colin's head popped up like he'd been hit with 10,000 volts. SHA-ZAAAMM!!! Wide-eyed, looking around at everything... the kid was thrilled! He surveyed his new domain, smiled, then kicked his legs wildly with glee. This continued for about 15 minutes. (C'mon kid... it is 12:30AM and we have to be at work in the morning. Aren't you tired yet????) I tried encouraging him to lie down, but he wasn't buying it. This was simply too exciting. Kikcy-kicky-kick! Then another push-up to look around. More kicking. More looking. (*sigh* This is what I get for running a half-marathon while pregnant. The kid had endless endurance.)
At this point I remembered that the current prevailing wisdom is that crib bumpers are baaaad evil things. I couldn't remember why, but know I read that somewhere. So I quickly untied and removed the really cute and wonderful bumper off the crib. WHEW. Disaster averted. Or so I thought.
Finally Colin showed some small signs of getting tired, and actually put his head down. But no - there's more! Yep, the kid was bluffing. He wasn't tired at all... he was just getting into position to explore his new domain. So he proceeded to inch-worm around checking out every corner of the crib, and every millimeter in between. Interspersed, of course, with push-ups and more gleeful kicking. Then he somehow managed to get his arm through in the slats of the crib and couldn't inch-worm because he was stuck, so some frustrated whimpers ensued. I fixed the stuck-arm situation before he could get worked up into any real tears, and the inch-worming resumed... until he got his foot stuck in the crib slats. Unstuck, happy, inch-worming, arm stuck, miserable, unstuck, happy, inch-worming.... you get the picture.
I decided to sleep in the guest room with him, since his usual 3AM feeding was only 90 minutes away. Thankfully around 1:30 he finally dozed off but then I couldn't sleep. I kept having nightmares that he'd get his arm (or leg) stuck again, I wouldn't notice because I was asleep, and I'd wake up in the morning to find a baby with a broken arm/leg. (Me? Paranoid and sleep deprived? Nah... what would make you think that???)
Sure enough, the kid woke up like clockwork at 3AM, starving. I fed him then went to return the drowsy, milk-drunk child to his bed. But he wasn't interested in sleeping in that giant scary crib all alone, so he started to complain. I thought it was a good time to let him work it out, since he would eventually have to sleep alone someday, so I let him be. Grumbling turned to whimpering (be tough, Monica, he'll fall back asleep in a minute), whimpering turned to small cries (hold fast - this can't last. The kid must be tired. Any second now he'll doze off...) and then small cries started to become serious wailing. That's when I gave up and gave in. And, of course, the moment I picked him up he snuggled in and went right to sleep. Seeing as I now had less than 2 hours until I had to get up for work, I went with it.
OK, 4 hours of sleep for mom on baby's first night in the crib... not too bad. Right?
Night 2: Re-attached the crib bumper. Prevailing wisdom be damned, I was not going to have a kid with a broken arm. I put him down when he was drowsy... and he... went to sleep! Not only did Colin go to sleep, but (after a 1:30 AM feeding) he stayed asleep until 6AM. WOO HOO!!!!
Night 3 was even better... after a 9PM bath time, change into PJs, and a quick feeding Colin snuggled happily into bed. He did wake up shortly after 10:00 (hungry!) but while he was down I had about an hour of free time to finish cleaning up the kitchen, take the dog for her "constitutional" walk, and just realx with H for a few minutes. I snuggled with him downstairs, then returned him to his crib when I went to bed around 11:00... and he stayed asleep again until morning. Don't worry though, I kept waking up every hour or so to check on him, so it was another sleepless night for the paranoid mom.
The good news is that Colin seems to like his crib, sleeps well there, and we may be on our way back to a decent sleep schedule. Maybe. Now I just have to try and remember how to sleep through the night again.
- We didn't buy a crib until a month or two after the boy was born
- You couldn't walk in Colin's room since it housed a clothing explosion (pre-baby that room was H's closet and dressing room)
- I saw no point in putting the baby in another room when I was getting up to feed him at 3AM every night. Why trudge down the hall when I could just reach out and pick him up without having to fully wake up?!?
The crib was already assembled, and sitting in the middle of the room (jammed between two dressers, a nightstand, and the guest bed). But before we could consider using it H had to do some serious clothing cleanup. So everything was picked up, folded, and put somewhere else (some in my closet, and the rest in a duffle bag waiting for a new home). Once a small walking space was developed we considered the room viable for use. Thankfully we're both in pretty good shape, b/c space is extremely limited. You have to walk sideways to squeeze between the crib and the dresser (or bed) to put the boy in, so Biggest Loser contestants need not apply, but it works for us. At least for now.
So, on Sunday night (around 12:30AM) I took a sleeping baby and put him gently into the crib for the first time. I figured since he was already fast alseep that would make for an easy first night. WRONG! The second his cheek touched the crib mattress Colin's head popped up like he'd been hit with 10,000 volts. SHA-ZAAAMM!!! Wide-eyed, looking around at everything... the kid was thrilled! He surveyed his new domain, smiled, then kicked his legs wildly with glee. This continued for about 15 minutes. (C'mon kid... it is 12:30AM and we have to be at work in the morning. Aren't you tired yet????) I tried encouraging him to lie down, but he wasn't buying it. This was simply too exciting. Kikcy-kicky-kick! Then another push-up to look around. More kicking. More looking. (*sigh* This is what I get for running a half-marathon while pregnant. The kid had endless endurance.)
At this point I remembered that the current prevailing wisdom is that crib bumpers are baaaad evil things. I couldn't remember why, but know I read that somewhere. So I quickly untied and removed the really cute and wonderful bumper off the crib. WHEW. Disaster averted. Or so I thought.
Finally Colin showed some small signs of getting tired, and actually put his head down. But no - there's more! Yep, the kid was bluffing. He wasn't tired at all... he was just getting into position to explore his new domain. So he proceeded to inch-worm around checking out every corner of the crib, and every millimeter in between. Interspersed, of course, with push-ups and more gleeful kicking. Then he somehow managed to get his arm through in the slats of the crib and couldn't inch-worm because he was stuck, so some frustrated whimpers ensued. I fixed the stuck-arm situation before he could get worked up into any real tears, and the inch-worming resumed... until he got his foot stuck in the crib slats. Unstuck, happy, inch-worming, arm stuck, miserable, unstuck, happy, inch-worming.... you get the picture.
I decided to sleep in the guest room with him, since his usual 3AM feeding was only 90 minutes away. Thankfully around 1:30 he finally dozed off but then I couldn't sleep. I kept having nightmares that he'd get his arm (or leg) stuck again, I wouldn't notice because I was asleep, and I'd wake up in the morning to find a baby with a broken arm/leg. (Me? Paranoid and sleep deprived? Nah... what would make you think that???)
Sure enough, the kid woke up like clockwork at 3AM, starving. I fed him then went to return the drowsy, milk-drunk child to his bed. But he wasn't interested in sleeping in that giant scary crib all alone, so he started to complain. I thought it was a good time to let him work it out, since he would eventually have to sleep alone someday, so I let him be. Grumbling turned to whimpering (be tough, Monica, he'll fall back asleep in a minute), whimpering turned to small cries (hold fast - this can't last. The kid must be tired. Any second now he'll doze off...) and then small cries started to become serious wailing. That's when I gave up and gave in. And, of course, the moment I picked him up he snuggled in and went right to sleep. Seeing as I now had less than 2 hours until I had to get up for work, I went with it.
OK, 4 hours of sleep for mom on baby's first night in the crib... not too bad. Right?
Night 2: Re-attached the crib bumper. Prevailing wisdom be damned, I was not going to have a kid with a broken arm. I put him down when he was drowsy... and he... went to sleep! Not only did Colin go to sleep, but (after a 1:30 AM feeding) he stayed asleep until 6AM. WOO HOO!!!!
Night 3 was even better... after a 9PM bath time, change into PJs, and a quick feeding Colin snuggled happily into bed. He did wake up shortly after 10:00 (hungry!) but while he was down I had about an hour of free time to finish cleaning up the kitchen, take the dog for her "constitutional" walk, and just realx with H for a few minutes. I snuggled with him downstairs, then returned him to his crib when I went to bed around 11:00... and he stayed asleep again until morning. Don't worry though, I kept waking up every hour or so to check on him, so it was another sleepless night for the paranoid mom.
The good news is that Colin seems to like his crib, sleeps well there, and we may be on our way back to a decent sleep schedule. Maybe. Now I just have to try and remember how to sleep through the night again.
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