Hello out there in blogger land, this is Kevin stepping in for Shannah this week. Figured I'd give Shannah a little time off from blogging and try my hand out at the craft. Liam had some exciting events this week. After 3 straight sleepless nights Mommy and I decided maybe, just MAYBE, we'd give in and give Little Man Rice Cereal. So Friday night we gave Liam a little rice cereal and milk. After many hours of research we elected for his safety to forgo putting the mixture in a bottle, instead electing to go with the spoon feeding method.
Liam Has REALLY been fighting his naps all week, we've gone from 1.5-2 hours naps down to about 45 minutes regardless of if we hold him or not. When he wakes up he really enjoys screaming as loud as he can! In other news, he's learned how to hold his own pacifier, he likes to take it out of his mouth, play with it, and put it back in when you point to your mouth. We have really been working with Liam on sitting up, he's doing quite well. Sometimes we use his boppy pillow, others we just make sure we stay close and use our hands only to assist with balance.
This week we've stepped up our emphasis on Little Man's tummy time, as he has continued to make progress towards crawling we want to make sure he is getting all of the support he needs. We've put him on a wedge pillow, to encourage positioning.
**Mommy adds**
I think the fact that daddy wanted to do the blogging this week is really precious, so I am going to try not to hijack his post! BUT, I feel it is absolutely necessary to add a few things so we remember them!
Kevin mentioned that Liam is not sleeping through the night and we figure he must be hungry. What we need to mention is Liam's has communicated that he needs a change in his routine. We have him on the EASY routine (thanks to my SIL for loaning me The Baby Whisperer book). This is not so much a schedule, as it is a routine (eat, activity, sleep, you time).
I have had Liam on this routine since he was about 2 months old. At 3 months old I started using the Baby Whisperer's shh-pat method for his naps and it worked! Liam is the one who deemed the "schedule" (although it's important you don't watch the clock, you read baby's cues, but truthfully Liam really is by-the-clock and only because he has made it that way!). Anyways, when we started this routine he was waking himself between 9/10am, so we were putting him down at 9/10pm in the evening (again, you don't watch the clock with this routine, but baby's day is approximately 12 hrs long--including naps, activities, eating, baths, cluster feeds and dream feeds). Because he was waking at 9/10am we stuck with this schedule, even though the Baby Whisperer recommends starting the day at 7am and ending the day at 7:30pm! Well, I decided not to fit Liam into a textbook and followed his cues to do a 9/10-9/10 day instead! Also, we cluster fed (group feedings closer together) but didn't dream feed because he would eat a bottle so late (between 9:30-10:30pm).
This seemed to work up until recently. Lately Liam has been waking between 6/7am (and daddy is telling the truth, he has been waking in the middle of the night, usually between 3/4am and naps are shorter now, although sometimes he can go 4 hours or a little more before his next feed!). In the middle of the night/early morning, we have gone to him, calmed him and put him back down. We focused on the middle of the night waking as the "problem" instead of realizing that it is time to adapt his routine (based on HIS request to do so).
Because we missed his cues, we decided "he must be hungry" and therefore started rice cereal. I am NOT ruling out hunger, but last night it hit me like a ton of bricks--Liam is consistently EXHAUSTED, fussy and inconsolable around 8/8:30pm. He is awake around 6/7am, so I have to assume he is ready to start his day earlier and end it earlier as well. Then, I remembered the Baby Whisperer methods change a bit at 4 months, again at 6 months, again at 9 months, then a year, etc. So, I busted out the Baby Bible as I call it now and began reading about the routine at 4 months! And I found out Liam has been giving us all the cues we needed to know it is time to tweak the routine, but we've been silly parents who absolutely listen & care, but didn't get/understand the message Liam has been communicating!
Apparently, it is time to slowly extend his 3 hour routine to a 4 hour routine (from feed to next feed). Eating time is shorter now (Liam has gone from an hour, to 45 min. and now a feed is done in 15-20 min.). Activity time should be longer (with feeding time Liam should be up for approx. 2 hours now, instead of the 1 1/2 hours it has been up until this point). He should nap longer too for a maximum of 2 hours--then Mommy should wake him to eat (gasp! mommy never wakes Liam! IF he wants to sleep, we let him sleep!). Also, Liam should be put down to sleep at 7:30pm and then dream fed at 11pm (you put a bottle in their mouth while sleeping in their crib/bassinet or offer the breast, but NEVER wake baby, NEVER turn on a light, etc). And cluster feeds become a thing of the past (no more grouping feedings to "tank him up"--that is what the dream feed is for).
SO the way I see it is we need to get up earlier (Liam is ready to go at 6/7am), put him to sleep earlier (Liam is done before 8/8:30pm), lose the cluster feeds, add the dream feed, extend naps (which he has shown signs of being able to do--some naps have lasted 2 hrs, which should have been a sign to mommy that he was ready to go on the 4 hr routine), we may even try the "wake to sleep" method for his naps (he is having trouble transitioning into the next sleep cycle, so we may need to stir him gently after 30 min. to help him make that transition). If we can accomplish all of this, I think (and the Baby Whisperer says) he will sleep better at night (I hope so--for his sake & ours!).
If he is still hungry in the middle of the night after we've added the dream feed, then we will continue with the cereal. Until then, we're going to hold off temporarily to see if the newly adjusted routine solves the "issues" we're having. What a science, huh?! Who knew a baby's routine could be so in depth?! Yet, I must admit, up until this point everything I've tried from the Baby Whisperer book has worked for Liam. We'll see if the new 4 hour routine is the way to go (and we're wondering if teething could be the culprit, as teething tablets give him lots of comfort usually and he drools a ton!). Anyways, experiments are being conducted at the Fagundes home--we will keep you updated.
On to other news, I am trying to extend Liam's "banguage" (baby language) by introducing sign language. The book I am using to guide me through the experience says he should be ready developmentally to start watching mommy sign to him and I can expect to see him sign back somewhere between 7-10 months. The book states I should prepare to have him look at me like I am INSANE over the next few months as I sign to him, but truthfully, he seems to really focus on what my hands are doing and even moves his hands around in response (in no way is he "signing" but I truly think he understands my hands are communicating with him!). Or at the very least my motions excite him and he responds with his hands! Either way, it truly is neat and I really think we will get it down one day. Again, a work in progress and something we will update on.
Finally, Liam is rolling over regularly for DADDY (for some reason he won't do it for mommy) and prefers to do so on our bed. He rolls from side to side and tummy to back. We lay him on the floor and help him roll from back to tummy, but so far he hasn't done it on his own. He truly hates tummy time (it's not an all out scream fest anymore, but he still isn't a fan!). So, I am not sure how he'll ever learn to crawl. Yesterday I put him in crawling stance which he really seemed to like. It's not that I want him to crawl (mixed feelings on that) but I want him to understand that tummy time can lead to more pleasurable activities for him. We'll see how that turns out!
Okay, I promised not to hijack Kevin's post & when it comes to Liam I can go on and on and on... so I'll close for now (more updates soon). In closing I'd like to say that I am BEYOND proud of Liam for hitting all of his milestones. When the doctors said we had a "near-term" baby who may hit his milestones 2 weeks late (since he was 2 weeks early) we were prepared to let Liam go at his own pace. However, he is consistently hitting his milestones 2 weeks early (and truthfully, I could care less if he hit them 2 weeks late or a month late or early, so long as he is happy, healthy and growing) BUT I feel Liam knew he was truly ready for the world on June 13, 2010 and I find his strength and will to not only live, but be so involved in the world around him so incredibly amazing!
Liam we are so very proud of you--you truly are one amazing "spirited" kiddo (according to the Baby Whisperer, you're the "spirited" personality type... more to come on that later). Your even teaching mommy and daddy a thing or two (remember YOU gave the cues that your "routine" needed to be adjusted). Now, mommy and daddy just have to learn to LISTEN and not assume everything is a new "problem"... no problems with Liam, not if you LISTEN to what he is trying his best to communicate to you!
Again, will keep you updated on our newest endeavors... for now it is time to wake baby Liam from his nap (eeek!!!).
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