I hope you all had a lovely Mother's Day. Mine was nice - I went and hung out with Mum and Dad while DH had a rehearsal, and I got a bit of a break. Whenever Mum and Dad see Charlie, I'm barely allowed to touch him whether I want to or not! They are both busy with their business these days, and they don't get to see him as much as they would like. We had a lovely time. Charlie's present to me (after waking up around 4 for a feed) was not waking up again until 8! That hasn't happened since the erratic sleep patterns of his newborn days, and I'm not holding out any hope that it will happen again! Just as well he did though... DH didn't get to bed until 3 this morning, as he had to finish and print out copies of a concerto that he wrote for an Italian composition competition. Then I had to spend 2 hours organising international money orders and postage - so we're all a bit stuffed at the moment. Early nights all round, I think.
Glad to hear that Jay's birthday went well, mooshie. I remember those mini golf things from when I was a kid - I'm glad they still have them around these days. I bet it must be hard to believe he was ever Lani's age! I hope that she is ok - did it turn out to be her teeth? It's always hard to tell this time of the year with so many colds going around.
to you, dachlostar. I really do feel your pain. We had similar problems with Charlie, so I know what you're going through and hope that you find solutions soon. I agree with bon that the ECHN will probably suggest controlled crying. I don't know if my advice is helpful or not, but I'll tell you what we did... I went to a sleep clinic (day time) and they recommended the controlled crying thing. We tried it for a few weeks, but nothing was working. Then we got in a "Baby Whisperer" - she worked at the sleep clinic for years but didn't like how everything was so precise (with the number of minutes you're supposed to let the baby cry, etc.). She made the statement that babies don't know how to tell the time, so the 'minutes' thing means nothing to them (I had often thought this myself). From her I learned that WE can't sleep for Charlie - he had to learn to do it by himself. She taught us to 'read' Charlie's cry - basically, if the cry varies in volume and pitch over an extended time and we were sure all his needs were met then everything was probably ok. If he got hysterical I went in a settled him for a short time (only a few minutes) and left. To start with, I had to settle him most times, but within a few days he was self settling and only taking about 15 minutes to go to sleep. He still has his moments (actually, I can hear him having one of these right now!) but generally he's been pretty good since then. I think finding a balance between the CC thing and other methods we had been taught worked well for us. Every baby and every parent is different though, so I don't know how it would work with you. It is hard for the first little while - having to leave Charlie on his own the first time almost reduced me to tears - but it has been worth it. Good luck with the ECHN - let us know how you go. Don't feel cross with yourself - you're doing a wonderful job. Things WILL improve - try repeating my little mantra... "It's NOT forever!" This has gotten me through many a tough night in the past! Good luck.
Anyway, must make hay while the sun shines... or at least make muffins while the Charlie sleeps!
to you, dachlostar. I really do feel your pain. We had similar problems with Charlie, so I know what you're going through and hope that you find solutions soon. I agree with bon that the ECHN will probably suggest controlled crying. I don't know if my advice is helpful or not, but I'll tell you what we did... I went to a sleep clinic (day time) and they recommended the controlled crying thing. We tried it for a few weeks, but nothing was working. Then we got in a "Baby Whisperer" - she worked at the sleep clinic for years but didn't like how everything was so precise (with the number of minutes you're supposed to let the baby cry, etc.). She made the statement that babies don't know how to tell the time, so the 'minutes' thing means nothing to them (I had often thought this myself). From her I learned that WE can't sleep for Charlie - he had to learn to do it by himself. She taught us to 'read' Charlie's cry - basically, if the cry varies in volume and pitch over an extended time and we were sure all his needs were met then everything was probably ok. If he got hysterical I went in a settled him for a short time (only a few minutes) and left. To start with, I had to settle him most times, but within a few days he was self settling and only taking about 15 minutes to go to sleep. He still has his moments (actually, I can hear him having one of these right now!) but generally he's been pretty good since then. I think finding a balance between the CC thing and other methods we had been taught worked well for us. Every baby and every parent is different though, so I don't know how it would work with you. It is hard for the first little while - having to leave Charlie on his own the first time almost reduced me to tears - but it has been worth it. Good luck with the ECHN - let us know how you go. Don't feel cross with yourself - you're doing a wonderful job. Things WILL improve - try repeating my little mantra... "It's NOT forever!" This has gotten me through many a tough night in the past! Good luck.
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