Back in the day...circa 2012...my head was an ongoing blogger narrative. Everything I did was written out in blog form (in my head) shortly after I'd done it. Whether or not that actually made it into a blog post was determined by how much time I had before that event was overshadowed by something else and changed into a new blog post.
These days the only thing going on in my head are the following 2 questions: when does Reece eat again (maybe me, too?) and when does Reece sleep again (maybe me, too?). As a result, when I actually get a second to sit down and blog, there's little going on up there. I can't think of anything to write about because there are only 2 things I think about. And, inevitably, any writing that I do manage is then interrupted by one of those 2 activities.
Since I am a woman and therefore have the God-given ability (curse?) to multitask and think about 100 things at one time, the only explanation for this is my lack of sleep. Which brings me to the real focus of this post. (And just know that while I've not overtly superstitious, as I write this I feel a need to cross my fingers and my toes, my legs, and anything else that can be crossed. I've knocked on wood and thrown salt over my shoulder. Just in case.)
A couple of weeks ago, I discovered that Eric had been telling people that Reece was sleeping really well. I didn't think much of it. He's kind of a people-pleaser, so I figured he was just telling them what they wanted to hear. Then, early one morning, around 5 am, he got up when Reece cried, before I had a chance to. When he returned a few moments later, I asked him what made him get up this time, and he replied, "I get up every time I hear him cry."
Now, I promise my first thought was: that's amazing! What a great husband I have! Even when he has to get up for the day in less than an hour, he's willing to get up with the baby. But, my second thought was: what the heck?? every time you hear him cry?? I was laughing. He was not.
At this point, Reece was waking about 5 times between the hours of midnight and 3 or 4 when he ate. Then, usually, I could count on him to sleep from that feeding until about 7 am. It was just a quick trip in to his room to give him the pacifier and then I was back in bed, but still, that is a lot of interrupted sleep. I usually go to bed around 9, so I was getting one 3 hour stretch of uninterrupted sleep usually.
So, I really couldn't believe it when he said that he was getting up every time he heard Reece cry! I know that men can sleep through it, but that was a lot to sleep through, I thought. It turns out that he wasn't just telling people what they wanted to hear, he actually believed it! We had a few days where after the 12-3 stint, he would actually sleep for a couple of hours, so he wasn't eating until somewhere between 5 and 6 in the morning. Eric thought that he'd been sleeping all night long!
This realization on our parts occurred on a Friday, so that night Eric offered to get up with Reece every time (I would just have to wake him up, of course!), since I was pretty exhausted at that point. Wouldn't you know it? The kid actually slept! He woke up once to eat around 3, and that was it! Eric got up and fed him, I got up and pumped, and we were both back in bed within 45 minutes. So, we tried it again the next night, and he repeated the feat. This was over a week ago, and he hasn't regressed yet (enter superstitious acts here).
All of the hard work I put into getting him to nap has paid off, as well. He's finally taking 1 1/2 hour naps more often than not, and the boy will only fall asleep in his crib and without me in the room. What a difference a couple of weeks makes! Of course, now we're only four weeks away from our next plane ride (only a one hour time difference, though) and vacation, so I'm just going to enjoy the good life while I've got it!
These days the only thing going on in my head are the following 2 questions: when does Reece eat again (maybe me, too?) and when does Reece sleep again (maybe me, too?). As a result, when I actually get a second to sit down and blog, there's little going on up there. I can't think of anything to write about because there are only 2 things I think about. And, inevitably, any writing that I do manage is then interrupted by one of those 2 activities.
Since I am a woman and therefore have the God-given ability (curse?) to multitask and think about 100 things at one time, the only explanation for this is my lack of sleep. Which brings me to the real focus of this post. (And just know that while I've not overtly superstitious, as I write this I feel a need to cross my fingers and my toes, my legs, and anything else that can be crossed. I've knocked on wood and thrown salt over my shoulder. Just in case.)
A couple of weeks ago, I discovered that Eric had been telling people that Reece was sleeping really well. I didn't think much of it. He's kind of a people-pleaser, so I figured he was just telling them what they wanted to hear. Then, early one morning, around 5 am, he got up when Reece cried, before I had a chance to. When he returned a few moments later, I asked him what made him get up this time, and he replied, "I get up every time I hear him cry."
Now, I promise my first thought was: that's amazing! What a great husband I have! Even when he has to get up for the day in less than an hour, he's willing to get up with the baby. But, my second thought was: what the heck?? every time you hear him cry?? I was laughing. He was not.
At this point, Reece was waking about 5 times between the hours of midnight and 3 or 4 when he ate. Then, usually, I could count on him to sleep from that feeding until about 7 am. It was just a quick trip in to his room to give him the pacifier and then I was back in bed, but still, that is a lot of interrupted sleep. I usually go to bed around 9, so I was getting one 3 hour stretch of uninterrupted sleep usually.
So, I really couldn't believe it when he said that he was getting up every time he heard Reece cry! I know that men can sleep through it, but that was a lot to sleep through, I thought. It turns out that he wasn't just telling people what they wanted to hear, he actually believed it! We had a few days where after the 12-3 stint, he would actually sleep for a couple of hours, so he wasn't eating until somewhere between 5 and 6 in the morning. Eric thought that he'd been sleeping all night long!
This realization on our parts occurred on a Friday, so that night Eric offered to get up with Reece every time (I would just have to wake him up, of course!), since I was pretty exhausted at that point. Wouldn't you know it? The kid actually slept! He woke up once to eat around 3, and that was it! Eric got up and fed him, I got up and pumped, and we were both back in bed within 45 minutes. So, we tried it again the next night, and he repeated the feat. This was over a week ago, and he hasn't regressed yet (enter superstitious acts here).
All of the hard work I put into getting him to nap has paid off, as well. He's finally taking 1 1/2 hour naps more often than not, and the boy will only fall asleep in his crib and without me in the room. What a difference a couple of weeks makes! Of course, now we're only four weeks away from our next plane ride (only a one hour time difference, though) and vacation, so I'm just going to enjoy the good life while I've got it!
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