Holden sleeps!!! Really well!!

Last week we decided to stop co-sleeping and move Holden from our bed to his own crib. The decision was a sad one, but I was just not getting any sleep. Holden was constantly comfort feeding all night long; often every hour and sometimes even more; and he was very fidgety, which left me exhausted most days. We thought it would be a really tough and long transition, and we braced ourselves for a long couple of weeks of slow transition (we're against letting him cry it out). Turns out it was a piece of cake!! The first night he woke up only 2 or 3 times, and ever since then he's only been waking up once or twice!! He usually gives us at least one 5-hr stretch! I'm sleeping again, and Holden is also having more restful nights.

Here are 2 pics of him from last weekend (we really love thsi outfit, as you can tell!)

The thinker (or the couch potato):



Holden got an Easter present from his cousin Cole:


And it was Keira's birthday! Happy 2nd b-day!!!!

Adorable little fatty and random notes

I forgot to mention that our trip to the midwife revealed that Holden has gained over 2 lbs already. As of Monday he was at 9lbs 14 ounces.

Also, he has been very peaceful the last two nights. Hopefully this is a trend that will continue. Mommy and Daddy have appreciated the extra sleep.

We've noticed a huge change in how alert his eyes are - possibly because his vision has improved. He now loves to be held in a sitting/standing position facing the person who is holding him so he can make faces and go all googglie eyed.

Poll and Sleep

It looks like Stephanie is taking the resemblance poll in a landslide. I can't say I disagree, I voted for Stephanie myself!

While the nights are still difficult, we're becoming a little more aware of his cues, so we better understand the causes of his discomfort. So far we've learned:

1. he doesn't like to stay in the same diaper over night. No matter how convenient that would be for his parents and no matter how absorbent his little diapers are, its non-negotiable - frequent changes are mandatory. Now, if I wore diapers, I would think that not having to get out of bed to change would be a key advantage - Holden hasn't come around to this line of thinking... yet
   
2. the cluster feeding thing late at night is quite common. My brother, who apparently moonlights as a lactation consultant, very convincingly explained the mechanism by which breast milk fluctuates creating the conditions for night time cluster feeding.
3. Digestive problems after cluster feeding are quite common. Apparently most babies handle this discomfort better on their tummies, but that is a SIDS risk. Last night, I tried out a new method - laying him face down on my belly, where he could sleep on his tummy without risk of suffocation. It worked like a charm... hopefully it wasn't just a one shot lucky deal.
4. Dads have it easy. While we can roll over and go to sleep once the feeding starts, Mommies have the truly difficult tasks

1 week and counting!

Its been a week and I barely remember what life was like before little Holden arrived. After 7 days of having our lives revolve around him and his whims, I still stare at him in awe and find it hard to believe he's real.

While he was initially an angel and still is during the day, he turns into a little (cover your eyes , Dad) fucker come 10PM. I don't know about the 10PM part, but I'm pretty sure the fucker comes from me. He has decided that 10PM-4AM is primetime for cluster feeding, cluster shitting and vocal calesthenics. Although, as difficult as it can be to suffer sleep deprivation, its pure joy when you wake up to an image like the one above.

Our lives have been consumed with talk of breasts, shit and piss... pretty much status quo for me, so I've adapted well.

We moved into the cloth diapers today for the first time and so far so good.

We want to sincerely thank all our amazing family and friends who have been unbelievably supportive with their time, cooking and care packages. We really are lucky to have such incredible family and friends.