April 14, 2006
the night shift
I found this notebook while I was packing today. My peditrician asked me to keep a log of when Finn was eating and sleeping in those first few months. Despite the fact that when we visited him, Finn was squawking his head off, he didn't seem to believe me that Finn was only sleeping 10-12 hours a day. Behold the frantic scrawl, chronicling Finn's night moves. It goes on like this for several days (weeks!).
At the time, I knew this log will make me laugh someday (although at the time I thought I would go out of my mind), and that time is now. The boy still eats heartily, but only a few times a day and sleeps through the night. He's an absolute pleasure, a chubby little hunka hunka love and giggles.
He had his seven-month checkup* yesterday, which was a good time to reflect on the past months. It was my last day or work, which meant that Daddy got to take Finn all by himself. Damn, am I ever glad I missed this appointment--he got four shots and had to have his ears cleaned out. But he's otherwise happy and healthy. As the doctor promised months ago, his crazy frenzied eating schedule passed. The doctor even said he uses Finn as an example to parents with particularly fussy little ones. (I guess I should be proud?)
* The hunka hunka now weighs in at almost 19 lbs.
Posted by lisa at 10:41 AM | Comments (0)
March 23, 2006
this is deceiving
To be fair, the boy's sleeping habits have improved immeasurably in the past two months. He still gets up once or twice a night to eat (you try maintaining such girth without eating every four hours!), but it's a picnic compared to the every-two-hour eating routine we were on up to the time he was 15 weeks. I was actually convinced at one point that Finn was a CIA spy using this tactic to break me down and thus extract some kind of information in his campaign to fight the war against terror.
But last night the little guy woke up at 4:00am, pooped half his weight by 5:00am and has been up ever since. It's 9:00am, boy! Time to sleep! Naptime!
This sleepyhead photo was taken while the two of us watched an episode of the Daily Show last week.
Posted by lisa at 09:05 AM | Comments (0)
December 21, 2005
chillin' like a villain
...but sleeping like an insomniac.
The good news is that little Finn is now napping at least twice a day--8-10am and 12pm-1pm or so. He's also sleeping up to nine (even ten!) hours at night. The bad news is that he won't go back down for a nap after lunch and is groggy-eyed by 3pm, irate by 4pm, and out for the night by 5pm. Which means that even when he's sleeping nine hours, he's getting up at 2am. And that's when he wants to party.
Wish me luck as I try to get him napping consistently and sleeping, oh-say until 5am. He's in there right now, fussing away while the creepy, hypnotic (but effective) sounds of the Fisher Price Crib Aquarium play over and over (and over again--it haunts me).
Posted by lisa at 04:50 PM | Comments (0)
October 26, 2005
sleep!
Doesn't he just look like that guy who sits across from you on the train who dozes off and misses his stop?
Although Daddy has returned to work this week (booooo!), I'm pleased to report that Finn and I are acheiving new milestones every day. Monday, we went shopping and to the doctor's. Tuesday, we went for a stroll with our moms' group and went to Safeway without incident (I was particularly apprehensive about the potential for a poopxlosion in the produce section). And today, we are running some errands after getting a slow start. (Watching Gilmore Girls and nursing.) Tonight I will attempt cooking a home-cooked meal (enchiladas!) for the first time in weeks. No freezer food or takeout tonight!
While I hate to even mention this for fear of jinxing anything, the little guy has been sleeping for three and four hour stretches. At night! Monday night I got an unprecidented seven straight hours of sleep (Shawn took the midnight feeding). Last night, I got five straight hours. This so beats the every-hour to every-two-hour schedule.
The secret seems to be that he slept in his swing. While this is not ideal long-term, both baby and mama need sleep before we turn into real-life Halloween zombies, so for now, the boy swings. (Incidentally, if there was ever a fire, after saving the people, dog, and Tivo, the swing would be next in line.)
Posted by lisa at 02:11 PM | Comments (0)
October 13, 2005
he loves the night life
When we went to the pediatrician for Finn's one-month checkup, the doctor warned that starting about now is when some babies "find their voice" and start being a bit more fussy and demanding.
At the time, I thought, "Well, Finn is not 'some babies.'" This was reinforced by the fact that he really didn't even really fuss too much after getting a shot and being poked and prodded in a cold exam room. All while a less-civilized newborn in the room next door wailed with wild abandon.
Well, homeboy has found his voice and then some. All of the sudden, it's like he's making sure we know there's a new sheriff in town, even if he weighs just under 10lbs. He was up last night from about 1am to 7am, which is great if you are a member of Motley Crue, but not so great if you are a new parent and dying for more than two hours of sleep at a time.
Posted by lisa at 02:44 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 12, 2005
sleep is for suckers
I was getting pretty cocky for a while. When Meg was over the other night, she was marvelling at how little Finn just hung out in his swing, peacefully awake for her entire visit. And when the Chronicle Girls came over last week, the little guy allowed himself to be passed from lap to lap, looking longingly into each girls' eyes. And like a good little boy, when it was time for us to watch America's Next Top Model, he dutifully fell asleep in someone's arms. Finn was doing some powerful PR in support of adorable newborns everywhere.
While still undeniably adorable, the Finnster was up and partying like a Hilton sister last night from 2am to 9am. When he wasn't nursing, he wanted to be rocked. When he tired of rocking, it was put-the-binky-back-in-his-mouth game. Then, like a belligerent drunk, he'd be all, "Where the heck is my next drink, people?" like he hadn't just eaten.
When Finn exhausted my milk reserves, Daddy came in with the pumped stuff. And when that ran dry, Daddy brought in the formula. Hours later, when the child had practically eaten his weight in milk, he was fussy as he dealt with his milk hangover.
If he thinks he's going to sleep it off all day and then start up again tonight, he's got another thing coming.
PS: Adorable blanket in the background was crocheted by one Nancy Barretto!
Posted by lisa at 11:46 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack