Cry-It-Out

Colin has slept through the night since he was 2 months old... He gradually slept longer and longer until he was sleeping between 10-12 hours a night.  Suddenly, about a week and a half ago, that all changed...

Tuesday night Colin went to bed at 9pm and ended up waking up 4 times between 11pm and 1:30am.  He doesn't just wake up talking like he used to in the morning, he wakes up screaming.  After that he finally slept for a little while and didn't wake up again until 5am. I don't know why he's acting like this at night.  Our routine hasn't changed at all.  I know it could be teething, but EVERY night for over a week now it has been like this... I even gave him some Tylenol before bed and it didn't help at all.  I'm pretty sure it's not gas... even when he had gas he slept better than this!  A small part of me wonders if he's having bad dreams... but I just can't tell...

I called Colin's nurse and she asked me a bunch of questions.  She said it doesn't sound like he's sick or has an ear infection.  She thinks that he may have had some tooth pain for a couple nights, and since I picked him up and rocked him back to sleep, he got into a routine of wanting to be held every time he wakes up... Crap... She suggested that we let him cry-it-out... I've never been a huge fan of this method.  Especially since he's been such a great sleeper up until now, I never had to deal with letting him cry.  I looked up the technique and I'm willing to try it.  But only if I feel like he's not sick or hurting for any reason.

I usually rock him to sleep, or on the rare occasion he will fall asleep nursing.  If I put him in his crib awake he will start crying after a few minutes.  I think he has only gone to sleep on his own in his crib without fussing a few times.  So I figure if I'm going to use the cry-it-out method in the middle of the night, why not start using it when putting him to bed...

I decided to try it last night.  We did our normal routine, but this time after reading him a story, instead of rocking him to sleep, I put him in his crib, gave him his paci, turned on his music and left the room.  He immediately started crying. I waited 5 minutes, went back in and gave him his paci again, rubbed his head, and left the room.  He kept screaming, but I waited another 5 minutes before going in and repeating the same thing.  I did this every 5 minutes for 20 minutes and after the last time he didn't start crying again.  By now it was a few minutes past 9pm, I waited until about 9:30 to check on him and he was sleeping peacefully!!  Kevin and I went to bed around 10:30 and Colin didn't wake us up until 6:30am!!! 

Tonight we did the same routine but this time he cried for 5 minutes, I went in and gave him his paci and rubbed his head, he cried for about 2 minutes more and then stopped.  I checked on him by checking his monitor and he was laying there looking around quietly.  I just checked on him 2 hours later and he's sound asleep.  :-)  I hope he sleeps all night tonight like he did last night! 

My Little Ladies Man!

I still can't believe how much love I have for so such a little person.  I can't even explain how happy this little baby makes me!  It's impossible to be in a bad mood after he smiles at me and I can hardly take my eyes off of him when he's asleep.  :-)

This entry is probably going to be quite long because I've had an eventful week!

We went to a church dinner on Thursday and there was a couple there with a 6 month old little girl.  She could not take her eyes off of Colin.  She would lean in towards him and start smiling and laughing.  She was ADORABLE!  It kept Colin occupied, but he mostly just stared at her.  haha 

We met up with Becky Welch, her two boys, and her mom on Friday morning at her new house.  Unfortunately, Colin didn't get his morning nap before we went so he was super cranky.  He wouldn't let anyone hold him but me... which drives me nuts.  I don't want him to be that much of a mommas boy.  I hope it was just because he was tired.  We had a good time though.  Robby and Aaden were awesome, Colin really liked them.  He would be cranky and then one of them would come up to him and he would start smiling!  I changed Colin's diaper and Robby grabbed the dirty diaper.  I asked him if he wanted to throw it away for me and he took it and walked away.  I watched him as he walked into the kitchen, opened the pantry door and walked in to throw it away.  He was very helpful!!  Then Robby put stickers all over himself and then came over to put them on Colin's arm as well as my arm.  He's just adorable!

Robby laying with Colin

After Becky's we went over to Charise's house to visit with her and Luke.  Luke turned 2 weeks old on Friday!  I finally got my turn to hold him.  When I visited her in the hospital some family had just showed up, so I didn't get a chance to hold him.  Plus I had Colin with me, so it was kind of difficult.  I had a good time over there.  It's fun hearing about everything since I just went through it myself a few months ago!  I like being able to give some insight since it's all fresh on my mind.  Colin was so good while we were over there.  He slept on the car ride over and then slept for a good 20-30 minutes after we got there.  He really needed the nap!  Then he laid on the floor and played with his toys. :-)

Luke and I

Colin playing at Charises

After Charise's we went over to Aprils.  I know, it was a long busy day!  I visited with her and her 3 little ones until I had to go pick up Kevin from work.  Colin and her son Braxton are about 2 months apart but are almost the same size. I think Braxton is a little longer than Colin, but Colin is a bit heavier.  My little chubs.  :-)  They are going to be great friends as they grow up.  Braxton is so darn cute I can't even stand it.  He rolls over with ease and even holds his own bottle!  I can't wait for Colin to reach those milestones as well!  Actually, part of me can wait because I don't want my baby to grow up!! haha

Colin is such a great eater!  He loves his fruits and vegetables!  I was told by several people not to give fruit first because he would get used to the sweet taste and wouldn't want to eat his vegetables later.  However, I had read somewhere that fruit is easier to digest and should be given first for babies with sensitive tummies.  Well, Colin's is as sensitive as they get, so I gave him fruit first (with the exception of sweet potatoes).  The fruit even made him gassy to begin with, so I stopped for a while and waited a few weeks, started him on fruit again and he loves it!  Then I decided to gradually introduce some veggies and he loves them too!  So my little man is the exception to the rule!  Thank goodness... because I was a little concerned that he wouldn't be interested in his veggies at all after having so many yummy fruits!  He's actually interested in everything we eat now.  Yesterday he was sitting in Kevin's lap and I was eating some McDonalds french fries with my lunch.  Colin started to lean toward me with his mouth open and began to grunt like he does between bites of baby food!  Kevin pulled him back and he started to cry!  I couldn't believe it!  I told my brother Matt about it and he said that Colin is smart, he already knows how good those fries are and he's never even had them! 

Colin has begun to make a new sound and face.  He puckers his lips, blows bubbles and makes a humming sound!  It's pretty cute.  



Colin's New Silly Face



On Saturday night Kevin and I went to a banquet.  It was so nice to get out of the house, dress nice, and have some adult interaction without smelling like vomit!! Yay!  We dropped Colin off at his Grammy and Pops house.  They bought him a new toy and he loves it!  We brought it home with us and he has been playing in it all weekend and today.  I think he was getting bored with his other toys, so this was perfect timing!  

Headed to the banquet



Colin in his new toy!

Yay for new toys!

For the past week or so we have been having some sleepless nights.  I feel like I have a newborn again!  Ok, maybe not that bad, but still, I'm exhausted.  Colin is still going to bed between 8:30 and 9:30, but instead of sleeping all the way through until 6:30 or 7:00, lately hes been waking up around 11pm, 1am, and 3am and then getting up to eat between 5:00 and 6:00.  I don't know if his teeth are bothering him again or what... When he wakes up he starts crying and lifts his legs up to his chest.  When I go in there I put his paci in his mouth and rub his head and he usually falls back to sleep.  Sometimes I have to rock him back to sleep and other times he won't go back to sleep unless I lay with him on the couch.  I really don't understand why he is waking so much.  It's making him much more cranky and tired during the day... :-(  I wondered if he's needing more baby food before bed, but even when I give him some, he still wakes throughout the night.  Besides, when he wakes in the middle of the night, I can tell he's not hungry... I just don't know what it is.  Any suggestions on how to get him back into his routine are welcomed! 

5 Months Old Today!

We have had a really great couple of weeks.  Colin has been wonderful!  His mouth seems to be bothering him a lot less.  He's still drooling a lot and chewing on Everything, but he's not screaming like he was before.  He's really been a happy baby lately!  He has also been going to bed a little earlier, so that's nice.  It gives me a little more time to spend with Kevin before bedtime! 

He just turned 5 months old today!!  I can't believe how fast the time is going.  Every day is something new and it's so much fun!

On July 4th we went swimming.  Colin splashed and had fun, but he wasn't into it as much as he was the Sat before.   He was pretty tired.  I couldn't get him to go to sleep because of all the people going in and out of the house so I took him upstairs and he slept for 2 hours!  I fell asleep too and when we came back downstairs most of the people had left!  Oopsy!   Kevin, Colin, and I went to see some fireworks that night.  We didn't stay long, but it was still fun! 

A couple days later Kevin's sister, Erin, stopped by on her way out of town.  Colin LOVES her!  I think he knows when he's around family.  Even though she doesn't get to see him very often, he still takes to her right away. 

Colin is really becoming his own little person.  He has the cutest little personality.  He was eating oatmeal the other day and grabbed the spoon out of my hand and shoved it in his mouth!  He made a complete mess!  He's also laughing so much more!  It's SO cute!  I love it!  When I tickle him, he does this goofy grunt sound!  Then he starts laughing!

He likes tummy time now!   For the most part at least...  As long as he has toys in front of him he will lay on his tummy and grab at them.  He rolled over 3 times the other day!  I think it's funny because he only does it sometimes.  It's like he forgets that he knows how and some days he gets so frustrated when he can't figure it out again!  I finally got it on video!  He's usually happy when he rolls over, but this time he made himself pretty upset...

His back is getting so strong!  He's been wanting to sit up by himself for so long now, but he just couldn't!  Until now!  He sits up for a few seconds at a time without support now.  Not all the way, he leans over and pushes up with his arms.  Then he over corrects himself and flings backwards, so I have to make sure I am nearby to catch him.  :-)  He still falls forward too... lol  I'm sure he'll be fully sitting up by 6 months!

Colin finally found his feet!  I always see pictures of babies grabbing their feet and putting them in their mouth.  Colin doesn't put them in his mouth yet, but he sure does grab at them now!  Even in the bathtub, he pulls them straight up and grabs them in the air!  It looks like he's doing yoga!

He also found something else.... lol

Well, that's all I have for now.  I'll leave you with a few more pictures!



Long Naps and Teething

Well, after changing his formula Colin has been spitting up less.  Starting last Saturday I noticed he wasn't spitting up as much.  It's not consistent though because one day he will spit up a lot and the next not as much.  As for getting a second opinion, the lactation consultant said the same thing the Dr said.  I haven't taken him to another Dr though.  I'm hoping that he will start to grow out of it soon.  I've read that many babies will grow out of it around 6 months.  The Dr said he should start to do better when he's sitting up on his own and it will really get better when he starts to stand... I hope it gets better before that!  That's so far away!

He's still super fussy at times.  It's definitely a different cry than when he's gassy.  So I really do think he's teething.  Heather said Jordan was teething at this time, so I know he's at the age...  Poor guy though... I feel sooo bad for him.  We bought him some baby Oragel, but it doesn't seem to do any good.  It doesn't even stick to his gums, so how is it supposed to work?  I need to get something else.  If anyone has any suggestions on what really works, let me know what it is and where to get it.  Colin drools so much now, it gets all over his hands and then he flings it!!  It's so gross!! haha  At least he's sleeping through the night again.  But he still won't sleep past 7am!!  Crazy baby!

Up until last Saturday, Colin has only been taking little 30 minute naps throughout the day.  If I wanted him to sleep longer, I had to hold him.  On Sat he was super fussy and tired but he wouldn't sleep.  So I put him in his crib and turned his music on.  He fell asleep and slept for an hour and a half!  Then last Sunday I did it again and he slept for 45 minutes!  It's nice because I can actually get things done and I don't have to be quiet doing them.

Colin is growing so fast, I can't even believe it. It's fun watching his personality grow.  He has started doing a scream when he's happy.  He gets so excited about things and can't contain it and it comes out as a scream/screech!  It's super cute when we're at home, but kind of loud when we're out!  He's also starting to hit!  Oh no!  It's not a mean hit though.  He gets excited and loses control of his right arm!!  He swings it around and hits whatever is in front of him!  We went swimming at Russell's birthday party yesterday and he absolutely loved it!  He was laughing and smiling and splashing like crazy!  Can't wait to go swimming tomorrow for the 4th of July!  Happy Independence Day!!