Sleep trials - part four

Hello fair bleeps. Are you ready for the next installment of our sleep trials?! They really do seem to be getting better.

Saturday (6/23), was a really good day. Since Reese had slept so well, she was very happy - mood wise. After our morning feed, I put her in the swing in our bathroom while I took a shower. She again fell asleep while I was drying my hair. I got a few things done around the house before she woke and wanted to nurse. I had a bunch of errands to run, so as soon as we were done, we were out the door. She fell asleep after our first stop and slept thru to our fifth, where we nursed again. Thankfully, we were at a used bookstore so there were lots of couches...and one very polite, albeit unobservant 10-year old boy who wanted me to move over so he could sit next to me, even though there were several empty couches close by. I just as politely told him no and there were other empty chairs closeby. As soon as we hit the car again after getting her a truckload of new books, she was out!! One last stop and we headed home where she slept just long enough for me to bring our haul in and put most of it away. Tried to nurse again, but she wasn't that hungry despite it being 2 hours since she'd eaten. I think it was the heat. She was real fussy, so deeming everything ok (fed, dry, clean), I put her back in the swing so I could put everything else away. She was happy as could be. J got home and BFF from Phoenix (who will now be referred to as Fairy Godmother) arrived and it was time for our bedtime routine. Again, she went down without problems around 8:15 pm, however this time sleeping on the sheepskin my Aunt Daisy sent (which my cousins loved as kids) and my t-shirt. Infants aren't supposed to sleep directly on sheepy until 1 year. Up at 12:45 am, quick change and nurse and back in crib by 1:25 am, where she got an arm out of her swaddle (so had to re-swaddle her) and she finally was fully back to sleep 14 minutes later after a small bit of fussing. Then slept til 6 am and I was set to get up at 7 to get us both ready for her baptism. So got up at 6 and got her ready, then nursed and put her in the swing while I showered and got ready.  She napped a bit at church, then again at the restaurant, then again at home.  Apparently, she's now figured out that sleep is perty-darn-cool!  We like that!

Sunday night was a huge step in the right direction, so much that I might believe it was a fluke. Now Sunday was a really exciting day (baptism and swimming for the first time), so I am pretty sure that had something to do with it. She had a bath after our swim (don't worry, I'll post pics) and then only made it through about three-fourths of her bottle. She thought she was done, so she fell asleep on me. I cuddled her a bit, then put her in the crib. She woke up about 30 minutes later and we let her cry for a little bit before I had J go get her so she could finish her bottle. Once that was down,she quickly fell asleep and J put her back in the crib, where she slept for 7.5 (!!!) hours. Wahoo!!! I went to bed soon after she did and I think it may have been harder to get up after that time period than the 3 or 4 hours that I've been sleeping. Apparently, she was worn out!!! Got up (4:30 am) and fed her because not only was she hungry, but I was hurting. I felt like I had rocks in my bra my breasts were so full. I literally did everything I could to wake her up so she could eat from both sides because I was so engorged.  Got her fed and back in bed about 5:25 am, swaddled of course (not warming up the crib anymore).  She was "talking" but not so much crying for about 10 minutes and then dropped off to sleep without a hitch.  I'll give it to this kid, she is already one smart cookie!  Then she slept thru until 8:30 when I woke her up, changed her, started to dress her and noticed she had already gone in her new diaper so changed her again, finished dressing her and put her in the carseat for her first day at new daycare.  That will be a whole 'nother post for sure!

Monday night was again started pretty easily. Bath, bottle and swaddle. In prepping Reese for daycare, I discovered we had more swaddlers but with velcro so she would have a harder time wiggling extremities out. I had originally thought they were sleep sacks. Anyway, we tried one and I think it was too tight because as J fed her while she was zipped in, she was sidetracked by trying to get out. So we tried a different one that looked so cuddly, I was ready to crawl into it. It seemed that she agreed with me because once she was in it, she fell asleep almost immediately without finishing her bottle. J snuggled with her a bit, then put her in the crib. Probably 10 minutes later she was already awake. There's definitely something magical about 4 oz of formula for her at night before bed. If she doesn't get that, she won't sleep. So J went and got her and fed her the rest of the bottle. And soon after she was again asleep. Laid her in the crib again and she was out for 5.5 hours. When she did start to fuss about 2, I looked at the baby monitor and swore that she had somehow wriggled her hands free. But when I picked her up, she was still tightly swaddled. Guess Mommy's eyes saw what her brain thought they would. Hmm... We nursed and she was back in the crib by 3 and while she fussed for a bit (more chatter than cries), she was back asleep by 3:15. Up again at 5:45 am and we nursed so she was back asleep by 6:20. And finally up at 7:15 ready to eat and see Grandpa.

Here's sleeping beauty from this morning.

 Maybe we're headed in the right direction folks!