Sleeping......To Be or Not to Be

So, many of you know that for almost 2 weeks we were having some serious sleep challenges around here. Kai started into this waking almost every hour all night long. There would be some nights that would start out well and then somewhere around 3am it would all go downhill. It got to the point last Sunday that Reid and I let him just "cry it out". It killed me and I can tell you that no one in this house slept for that entire hour and fifteen minutes. On Monday, at my mother's recommendation, I took Kai to the pediatrician just to make sure nothing was wrong. Other than being sleep deprived, Kai got a clean bill of health. Well, I shouldn't say a totally clean bill. I personally think the doctor was just trying to give me something to make me feel better and said that maybe Kai has reflux and to try baby Zantac. Well, we tried the Zantac for three days and while he did sleep better two of those nights, the third he did not. And that was the day I think I figured out our problem. Kai has a tendency to wake up and fuss and when he was younger the fussing would turn into crying. So, I have a tendency to descend upon him when the fussing begins. On Thursday night I walked in while he was fussing only to see him settling back to sleep. But it was too late! He was waking up because I was in the room. And the rest of that night he was up every hour! So, eureka!! I was the one messing up his sleep pattern.

On Friday night I turned the volume on the baby monitor off, knowing that if he needed me he would cry and that with the doors to both rooms open we could hear the crying from our bed. That night he slept from 7pm - 11pm, ate, straight back to bed from about 11:20pm - 6am!!!! I was in shock (and worried that he might have died in there!). He only ate once all night!! Now that was a record. Before all of this started he would get up 3 times a night to eat regularly and only once had he made it eating only twice. So one time was incredible!! Not to be outdone either, on Saturday night he got up to eat only at midnight and 4 am and slept the rest of the time from 7pm to 7am!!

Anyway, I'm hoping this will be his new deal. I like my sleep.....oh how I like my sleep. His daytime naps are still a huge challenge, but if we can reclaim the nights that would reduce my stress immensely. I would actually feel comfortable relaxing and, maybe, even going out on a date with Reid. So sleep little Kai, sleep.