Gabriel is the best baby ever. I am so lucky. He is soooo easy and happy! He eats well, naps well, hardly ever cries. He is patient in restaurants. He loves a ride in the pram/stroller. He looooooves going outside, but is happy to play with his toys indoors as well. He's slow to warm up to some people, but once you're in his good books, he's ready to play! He loves to take baths, loves to be tickled, and is just all around a happy little fellow.
Unfortunately, although he naps well and goes to sleep easily, he wakes up a lot. We are trying to let him learn to fall back asleep using the Cry It Out method. That totally goes against what we have done so far. We are supporters of Attachment Parenting, and it has worked for everything else except his nighttime sleeping patterns. It was okay for a while, but now I am sleepy. And groggy. And some days I can only plan from one nap to another.
He's been able to fall asleep alone before, but this last bout of bronchitis messed us up (not to mention a move 6 time zones away...) and so we have tried a few different approaches. Okay, so close to 10. None have worked. Not even the Ferber method, which is a cry it out method. It only made him mad. So, we had a chat with our pediatrician, and now we've gone cold turkey with Cry It Out, and boy do I feel awful!
He's crying right now, and to make matters worse, he's being really sweet. He's learned to clap, and he often claps when he wants attention. I peeked in to check on him, and he had stopped crying, but he had his feet propped up and was clapping and clapping. Oh, it hurt my heart!!! 10 minutes later he was sound asleep, but my heart can still hear him clapping!!! I think we'll only CIO at bedtime for the next few nights, but we'll do it all night long starting on Thursday, when he is 8 months old. He has a new crib, a new bumper, and the timing is right. Keep me in your prayers... I'm sure Gabriel will survive just fine, but I'm not sure if I can handle the pressure!!! For anyone trying the CIO method, this webpage has helped to encourage me. I still recommend trying no-cry (or only a little crying) methods first, and then talking to your doctor before jumping in to a cold-turkey CIO method, but every child is different! I've added a picture of him clapping... :(
On more exciting notes, Gabriel is now a carnivore!!!
We went to dinner with Jake's Granny and Papa at Pop's on the Square, here in Bellville. I had salmon, so I let G try some. He liked it, as well as the potatoes. Today he had Chicken Devine, which I made from a baby cookbook that Jake's Aunt Rosie sent us. The food in there is great, and I even stole a nibble :). Gabriel almost liked it, but he's not sure of the new consistancy yet. I mixed in some rice cereal, and convinced him to eat quite a bit. He'd still prefer to eat peaches, bananas, and melons at every meal!
Our meateater and his messy mouth
Helping Mommy make beans and cornbread
Learning about Pop's moustache
First time in the high chair I used when I was a baby
Chillin' like a villian with Gramma Alice and the yoga ball
A happy baby!
2 comments:
No worries sister... I clap for attention and no one ever gives it to me... so I just cry too! ;) He is cute!! can not wait till y'all are here!
Angie,
I know how you feel. We didn't let Caroline cry it out till she was about 8 or 9 months and it was SOOOOOO hard. However, it only took 2 nights and she has gone to bed with no problems ever since. Good luck and I will keep you all in my prayers!!!
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