Baby J is 8 months and is officially on the move! I have to say month 6-8 was a rough ride. My little one's lack of sleep was really beginning to wear on me. He got sick a few weeks ago and had trouble sleeping and breathing so I ended up sleeping with him holding his head upright. This lead to some terrible habits and add in the mommy separation anxiety phase that he started and it made for some very sleepless nights and no napping days for me! At the culmination of this sick no sleep cycle we had a little hurricane blow through! I have thanked God endlessly for sparing us from any damage and unbelievably we kept our power the entire 3 days of the storm. When I was certain that the storm was gone and J was back to good health I decided I had to let him cry back to sleep. I refused to endure the same torture I had with Carsyn for two years. The difference this time, however, was that my husband was finally on my side. It is very difficult if not near impossible to endure "crying it out" if you significant other is not supportive. With Carsyn he never thought it was possible for her to sleep and he never gave me the support I needed to endure the crying. 15 minutes of listening to your baby cry seems like an eternity! But a few weeks ago when I decided to let J cry, 5 minutes before I almost walked in and ruined it Danny said "Just wait...he has been crying for this long (50 minutes) you might as well wait a few more to make it an hour. And sure enough 5 minutes later he fell asleep...sitting straight up! Ever since then while he still wakes and cries for a few minutes here and there he has slept through the night and has started taking decent naps. If you are struggling with your baby's sleep I highly recommend reading
The SleepEasy Solution. While I didn't really have to use it to get J to sleep there are lots of scenarios to help different situations and I like the nap schedule recommendations they give. I know some people do not agree with letting your children cry, but in the past weeks by allowing J to cry and be independent he learned how to crawl in his crib, sit up from a lying down position, put his pacifier in his mouth, and self-soothe which he was never able to do with me assisting him every time he cried out. By leaving him to himself I think all of these developmental milestones occurred much sooner than later.
And now that he is getting rest and I am getting rest I like my babies again! Seriously I was getting to the point where I wanted to rush his infancy just to get to an age where he would sleep. I was mad at myself for not cherishing these fleeting moments of discovery but I was so tired and frustrated that I couldn't enjoy my baby. I also have more patience with his sister too!
Boy is he in discovery mode! He takes in EVERYTHING! Also the crawling is in fast forward motion. Today I had to start moving the dog food/water bowl which is always a target of babies! If we can make it to 1 yr without going to the ER I think it will be a miracle. This boy has no fear and Im pretty sure he will be a climber.
He still does not have any teeth! However he only eats real food...still refuses to eat baby food. I just pray that those gums can chomp because he has eaten pork loin, chicken, noodles, you name it. If it is on a plate he wants some of it! He also is obsessed with beverages which makes it near impossible to take him to a restaurant. This boy has a reach of Go-Go Gadget and can get to whatever he wants in a heartbeat if you aren't watching,
And how much does my big boy weigh?! 24 lbs!!! We are nearing the 18mo clothes mark, but Im sure in a few months when this crawling and walking gets going he will slim right up.
Notice in the picture below the curls....my children both of curly hair? What the heck?! All in God's planning.
