I was telling Mike the other day that Baby Sister or Baby Brother (whenever that happens) will be such a different experience than Baby Quinn. Because he's really just this giant experiment, & even in just these short first four months, I've made approximately one zillion mistakes. Of course hindsight is always just perfect, but had we known a few simple things, life would have been so much easier!
Like it's okay for a baby to cry, or to be alone for a little bit. Or, that babies really just thrive on routine, & that protecting this routine & their sleep is so important.
(Several people have subtly suggested that this routine business is nothing but a projection of my own personality onto my child. One word: nope!)
Quinn woke up from his first nap this morning smiley & happy. Well rested! I thank sleep training (still a much-improved work in progress) for this. He essentially slept from 7:30pm until 4:30am this morning, with a few minutes of independent awake time around 2am. He's on nap #2 now, approaching two hours. All of us need sleep! Little babies especially, & when you don't have a baby who is a natural sleeper, a baby who has to learn to sleep... successful naps are major victories, & being a well rested mama takes a lot of work.
Our go-to-sleep routine is simple. A quiet apartment, a swaddle, a binky, a story, a song & then down. I really love the story part, & that Q's eyes are now darting from page to page.
I only remember a few little snippets from my first few years of life. Looking at the ocean as we were driving in Pacific Palisades in my Grandpa's car when we were visiting. And reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? I loved this book. Quinn does too.
7 comments:
I'm so glad you're finding success with the routine for Quinn. There's nothing like a big chunk of uninterrupted sleep for mom and dad. You know your baby best! And, don't worry about it, although the next child will be different because you've had experience, we all keep making mistakes for about eighteen years and then we just hope they understand that we did our best every day -- loving and caring each step of the way -- that's what parenthood is all about. I think you and Mike are doing a terrific job, and Quinn's lucky to have you as parents!
you seem WAY ahead of the game when it comes to having a new baby. super informed. i was a COMPLETE MESS. oh well, we figured some things out along the way.
talk of baby brother or sister? just think, you could be caught up to us in no time :) i'm for it!
Routine is awesome. Unfortunately with more than one, sometimes not always completely possible. But I agree with you 100%... gotta protect that sleep, especially if you have a babe that isn't a "good" sleeper. Okay and now I feel like a horrible mom. I've hardly read to N at all. I feel so busy from morning until night! Still trying to get the hang of this three business. Luckily N is so agreeable :). Glad motherhood is fitting you so well and mistakes? I still make them. Every day.
that sounds like pretty much our same routine still to this day (minus the early morning waking and such). is it wrong my 15 month old still has a paci and gets swaddled (well one arm is free)? yikes. i LOVE routine!
We didn't know so much about things concerning sleep routines when we had babies. There were rigid sounding philosophies espoused by some German nurses, but nothing like what you guys do. I see the wisdom in helping little guys find their "sweet spot" so both they and their mamas and papas are well rested. I applaud your efforts and rejoice in your successes!!!
the routine thing is not a projection of your personality! I totally agree- all babies need it and thrive on it. I'm a total stickler for the nap schedule.
You're a total pro. Q is one lucky little babe. And I wanted to say something more in praise of you and your little routine, but typing one-handed right now. Will come back later...
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