Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Will Update

It's been awhile since I posted on what we are up to with sweet Will.

Well, this weekend, we went to see Santa Claus! It was a fun family outing which resulted in one highly overpriced but still worth every penny picture of Little Man. . .


Will also has discovered his laugh. It is still rare, but when it happens. . .
A typical first-time mom, I am stressing over milestones that he hasn't yet reached, such as lifting his head or rolling over. To be quite honest, I have been really bad about tummy time, so it's no wonder that he is not even close to doing these things. Any suggestions to make tummy time more fun would be appreciated!

His naps are getting more predictable and he goes down really easily, usually with little to no fussing - in his crib. Our challenge remains getting him to sleep longer than an hour. I still have to take him to bed sometimes and finish his nap together as he is still really grumpy and obviously tired when he wakes. I love it and it's a good excuse for me to get a nap in, but I worry that he'll always be dependent on me for a nap, which might not always work if we were to have another child or (gasp) I didn't have time to lay down for an hour in the morning and afternoon.

Nighttime sleep has made some drastic improvements over the past few weeks. We even had one night were he slept from 9 to 7! I went to bed at 10, so I even got a lot of sleep, though I still woke up a couple of times to check him on the monitor and change my breast pads. He still has a rough night here and there, with multiple wake ups, but those are becoming more rare. Our challenge with nighttime sleep remains getting him down at a decent time. He just won't stay down before 9 PM, no matter what I do. Again, advice appreciated.

Although I wouldn't say we are anywhere close to a schedule or routine, but life is still more enjoyable. I feel as if we are working towards more predictability, but I don't want to lose ourselves in trying to get this too strictly regimented. Really, I am loving every minute, even if I sometimes worry that I am not doing the right thing. Then again, would someone please give me the definitive answer on what the "right" thing is?!?

I will leave you with one of my all-time favorite pictures . . .

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oooo those cheeks! I just want to gobble them up! :)

Congrats on the sleep progress, it's a slow journey I'm sure.

Mazzy said...

So stinking cute!
There simply can't be a "right thing." I think you are doing so great, though, and I am glad things are getting easier. ;)
*hugs*

Amy said...

Oh My Goodness!!!! He is a Keeper!! 2 CUTE! I will tell you that doing what feels right for you and baby Will is the right thing. As you both grow and become more comfortable with your hours both night and day you can begin to implement a little more of a definate time schedule. Looks like he is well and you are too, don't rush it enjoy your sweet little boy, it goes by too fast. You are still learning his needs and wants, likes and dislikes, as long as he is happy that is all that matters right now. Remember: every baby is different. My neice wouldn't take a nap longer than 30 mins until she was 1. You are blessed!

Amy

AwkwardMoments said...

the right thing = the thing that gives you and will the best of most. if that helps you any. Sounds like you are finding the right things for your family! and looking fantastic btw

Will is just gorgeous.

with the napping - is it possible to just let him continue to lay there if he wakes up too soon? let him talk himself back to sleep? you could try the tummy pat or rocking the mattress if he wakes up crying.. sometimes these work for us/sometimes not

have a great bledded thanksgiving

Yoka said...

I love the pictures, especially the last one. Lilli just rolled over for the first few times yesterday (before it happened, but more accidentally) and she is nearly a month older than Will. She doesn't like tummy time either and unfortunately I don't have an idea what makes it more pleasant. I guess once they are older it will get easier and they will start to enjoy it.

HereWeGoAJen said...

That is a great Santa picture! Will is so adorable!

Prairie Girl said...

Sooo adorable!

Ms. J said...

Gawd, he has YOUR smile!!!

We actually happened upon our routine . . . one day I realized that "hey, she does the same things at about the same time everyday" and then it all kind of clicked. Though you have to allow for some bending of the time frames (like an afternoon nap could start at 11:30, or it could start at 4 p.m., but it's in their somehow).

I have to go look at Mr. Freakin' Adorably I Get Whatever I Want I am So Darn Tootin' Cute again (uh, that'd be Will!)

AllieQB said...

That picture of you two at the end is such a happy shot. What joy! Happy Thanksgiving. :)

Elle Charlie said...

That is an adorable picture of Will w/Santa, and a just perfect picture of you and Will! Thanks for sharing - he's so so so cute!

K @ ourboxofrain said...

I love the pictures -- he's so photogenic!

As for tummy time, we discovered at his 2 month checkup that he really enjoyed tummy time (or at least tolerated it for 10 minutes) when he did it while naked. So now he does it naked every night, adding it to his bedtime routine. He still has days where he cries after a couple of minutes, but he usually does much better. And doing some tummy time that he enjoys makes him like it more in general, so he lasts longer during the day (when clothed) too.

Geohde said...

Gorgeous piccys, Katie.

As for the sleep thing- one of my two is becoming increasingly unsettled- wakes and won't go back to the land of nod without a preant plus dum dum.

To be honest, I fully blame her father because he does that to every slight noise, and we now have a full set of sleep associations. Which he doesn't believe in. grr!!!!

Those non-existant associations had me up seven times last night. Words shall be had when he gets home from work this evening!

J

Jen said...

If the night sleep is getting better, I wouldn't worry so much about the nap length at this point. After all he is going to start sleeping more and more at night and less during the day. If he isn't cranky then don't sweat it. It sounds like you two are doing great!

Baby Smiling In Back Seat said...

He is getting cuter all the time!

re: Tummy Time, how long have you been trying to do it? Even 2 minutes (several times a day) is worthwhile, and it's probably short enough for both of you to stay entertained. Good luck!

Mrs. Piggy said...

Killing me with adorable-ness. Seriously.

And hey, my kids are almost 6 months and arent even close to rolling over or sitting up.
Well E is close to sitting up but O is nowhere near.
I am trying HARD not to worry about milestones...but its impossible!

Joy said...

You're doing fantastic with the sleep thing! I think my babies went to sleep at 9 or 10 pm or they wouldn't sleep through the night. As he gets older you'll just keep pushing bedtime back until you reach whatever time you want. Our girls go to bed at 7pm but the youngest didn't start doing that until after her 1st birthday. She'd always stay up later than big sis.

Babies despise tummy time. Don't do it after he eats, of course, or he'll spit up everywhere. Just 5-10minutes at a time to start is all he'll need! He'll gradually play more and more. And don't freak about milestones! Each little one is different.

Daughter #1 did everything super early (she started crawling at FIVE MONTHS and walking before her 1st birthday). Daughter #2, however, TOOK HER TIME! Didn't walk until she was 16 or 17 months. She was so laid back. Of course, now she's running around everywhere, but you get the idea! He'll hit all the milestones in his own time!

Joy said...

By the way, LOVE that last picture of you two!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful pics!! He is such a happy baby!