Sleep, Come Back!

Kim

Sleep, Come Back!

Henry has been a great sleeper for us since he was about 6 weeks old.  He gets his last bottle between 9:30pm and 10pm and then will usually sleep until 7am or so.  I know that I absolutely cannot complain about his sleeping habits.  I have friends with much older children who still hardly sleep through the night.  I am very thankful that Henry likes his sleep as much as we do.

However, last week he got his 6 month shots and they really threw him out of whack again.  This happened the first time he got his shots at 2 months.  He did well with them at 4 months, but looking back, I think it was because they were out of one of the vaccinations and we had to go back the next week to get it.  This spaced them out a little bit for him, and therefore I think his little body was better able to handle them.  When I say that the shots "threw him out of whack" I mean that you could just tell he didn't feel well.  He had more dirty diapers than usual, took longer naps and was just generally restless. 

Friday night he woke up every two hours crying...which is so unlike him.  I think he had gas and his tummy was hurting because as soon as I picked him up, he'd let out a little toot and then calm down.  Every two hours is too often for any kind of good sleep and needless to say, we took a long nap Saturday afternoon.  Saturday night he did a little better, but still woke up several times doing the same thing.  This definitely made me appreciate his normal sleeping habits.  I cannot imagine what we'd do if he did this every night.  I can handle a lot, but especially as I get older, I have found that I need sleep - at least six hours, preferably more, but I can manage with six.  One of the hardest parts of having a newborn was definitely the lack of sleep.

Anyways, this made for a very tiring weekend.  Sunday night he did a little better and then Monday night he was back to normal. However, he woke up at 5am again this morning.  Poor little guy.  He's still doing great with eating solid food, but I am sure that is not helping.  However, it is only happening at night, so I don't know.  I am really hoping it is a result of the shots and that his little system will get itself worked out.  I am also hoping that this is not going to become a new habit.  Waking up once at 5am is certainly better than waking up multiple times throughout the night, but ...whew, mama is sleepy!

Regardless, he is still such a joy and we love him so much.  I'll leave you with a few of my favorite photos from the past few days...

All dressed up for church and all smiles!

Trying out the front of my stroller.  I look so tiny!

So one of my "old ladies" at church gave Henry this bear blanket thin,g and he absolutely LOVES it.  It is so soft and snuggly and he will cuddle in and nap on it.  It's the sweetest thing.