Boot Camp Update

So, yesterday was Day 1 of Boot Camp.... How did it go? I'm keeping a log, so here is how it went down...

7:30am woke up
9:25am nursed
9:30am nap routine begins (he's a quick nurser most of the time)
10:00am asleep!
10:45am wakes up....start trying to get back to sleep
12:35pm asleep! yes, it took nearly two hours. he went to sleep a few times but woke right back up
2:05pm wakes up....so the two hours it took to get him to sleep were worth it!

Nap #1 ~ 45minutes, 1hour and 30 minutes = total of 2 hours and 15 minutes (just not all at once - the goal is to close that gap and have him stay asleep the entire time) He woke up from the last part of the nap incredibly happy!

4:05pm start nap #2 routine
5:00pm asleep!
5:07pm wakes up...he was just kidding with being asleep...
5:50pm asleep!
6:30pm wakes up - we let him stay up since it was getting closer to bedtime and didn't want to mess that up

Nap #2 ~ 7 minutes, 40 minutes = total of 47 minutes (still better than just 30!) and he woke up a little cranky (but he never stays that way)

Now for me, Aiden being "cranky" means he isn't too thrilled and fusses until I get him out of the bed. This child is always so happy (well, most of the time, at least). People always comment on how happy and content he is. And it's true. But I can tell a difference when he gets a REALLY good nap. His happiness just increases. Others might not notice a difference, but Mommy sure can.

Day #2....
We slept in today. Big time. And I let it happen. Because....Aiden has a cold. We've had a rough few nights with teething and just waking up and staying up. As in two nights he stayed up for two hours at a time in the middle of the night and one night, he was in and out - mostly out - of sleep until 3:30..which meant I got no sleep until 3:30. Last night he woke some and he woke this morning early - but clearly very tired. I let him sleep as much as he wanted because he now has a cold on top of the teething. He obviously needed the extra sleep. So, it might alter our nap plans a bit, but I'm quite willing to do that when he's not feeling well.

That said, he went down for his nap at 12:10 and is still asleep at 1. He normally sleeps on his back, but he's on his belly this time. I think he would sleep better on his belly, really. But here's why we normally don't do it...

He doesn't roll from his belly to his back!! Yes, really. He rolled from back to belly at 4 months. But he's only done the other way a few times since then. He is about to turn 9 months... He'll get onto his belly when going for a nap sometimes and then gets mad. He has a harder time falling asleep that way b/c he keeps raising his head and looking around. He fights it more. And when he wants to roll over...he ends up going in circles! But this morning (after sleeping the last stint on his belly next to me), he rolled from belly to back three times in a row. I let him see my excitement, and he seemed pretty pleased. So....since he's shown me he can do it, I'm allowing the belly sleeping. We knew before that he could raise his head if he wanted (of course!), but we're that much more comfortable if he can roll back if he wants. (I still can hardly believe it's taken him this long to do it...but I think it's because he's learned to scoot and go in circles so much that when he tries to roll, that's what ends up happening instead. Oh well!)

Like I said, though, I think he'll sleep better on his belly. I've said that from the time he was born. (We didn't let him sleep on his belly except for a few times when he napped in the living room early on. We could tell he slept better but didn't want to make a habit of sleeping that way. And we certainly weren't comfortable letting him belly sleep while in another room - until he could clearly roll himself back over if needed. Some people let their babies belly sleep early on, and that's their call. We just weren't comfortable with it until now.) In fact, he has coughed quite a few times while sleeping during this nap...and NOT woken up. That's huge for him. If he coughs or sneezes in his sleep, it always means naptime is over and he's wide awake. But he's coughed a handful of times and slept right on. That makes me quite happy!

We'll see how the rest of the day goes! And in case you're wondering about all the teething and sneezing and how that affects the "boot camp" week... I thought about it, and it really doesn't have to affect it much at all. Remember, I'm not letting him cry it out. I am soothing him if he needs it. This isn't a stressful time for him (though it is for me...I spent HOURS in the nursery yesterday. HOURS, people!). So, with that in mind, boot camp continues. If it's hard on him, we'll alter our plan. This is about what's best for him. And he needs this sleep! Especially if he's getting sick. No one else is sick - and I think his waking so much lately contributed to the cold. I know that happens to me. So....let's bring on the sleep!!!

PS - My mom sent an email saying good luck with loving Aiden to sleep. I'm not sure if she was being sarcastic or not. The other day she asked what was wrong with rocking him to sleep. Again - sarcasm or not? Though it didn't sound like it was, but this other comment was in an email, so I'm not sure... Mom - want to clear it up? Are you mocking me here??? ;) Or really wishing me luck? Or what?