Hello there, let me start ofF by saying this past week has gone from a very dark place to something quite extraordinary. Just last week I was shedding tears of frustration at Aria's sleep schedule. Monday night that all changed.
I put Aria to sleep at 1130pm on Monday night and wonder of wonders, she slept till 650am. Yes I remember the exact minute because I was laying there thinking could this be possible. Could my baby, MY BABY, who sleeps at the most 3 consecutive hours, have just gone 7 hours and 20 minutes without making so much as a peep??? I hopped up the second I heard her whimpering, inspecting her closely to make sure she hadn't been switched in her cradle. It was her, and she wasn't even that upset, she nursed and we cuddled and she went back to sleep!!
So here I am all day Tuesday, having rested for the first time since Aria's birth, the shroud of exhaustion that had so tightly gripped me was beginning to loosen. I was still thinking, this must have been a fluke, yet daring to breathe a prayer that she might revisit this fluke-ish behavior the following night. Tuesday night approached, same deal! Joy of joys! Wednesday night was also a 6 hour stretch, heck I'll take it! Which brings me to today. Is this real? Is this a new routine? Three nights in a row, I mean, could Aria possibly, after last weeks terrible regression, be SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT! I still approach the idea warily. I don't want to feel too much exuberance just to have my joy wrecked with folly in a few days. But tentatively I say, I'm a hope-filled mommy now.
Not sure what has caused this remarkable change. One of many things I believe. I cut out most dairy from my diet after several moms told me this cured their little ones colic. I am very depressedly missing my chocolate, milk and cheese at the moment. I bought a "nogin nest", a little pillow with a hole in it to prevent flat heads. I have it in her bassinet. Might just be a coincident, buy it fits the time frame. I started sleeping her on her side and tummy. I stopped giving her gripe water. I let her cry one time and just patted her chest and soothed her with shhhshing until she fell asleep in her cradle. I don't know what did it, or if it was any of these things, but I'm going to keep at it for now.
Aria's personality has manifested so much in the past month. When she's not dealing with tummy pains, she is a very happy baby. She loves to be held. She hates her car seat. It's only sometimes bearable to her if I'm reaching back and violently shaking the seat from the handle She will sit like a perfect little gem at the table while we eat dinner so long as someone has her on their lap facing the table like a miniature grown up. She is very alert. She looks around at everything with interest and wonder. She loves her mobile and if you shake her yellow cow rattle in front of her. She turns her head so much that she has created little dread locks of hair on the back of her head. I had to cut them off so many times that she now has a giant bald patch on her sweet little noggin. She loves it if you sing to her and make silly faces. She enjoys when Auntie Gabby howls like a dog, emitting gurgling excited coos and radiant smiles. Paddy cake bakers man is one of her all time favorite games. She loves to have her arms grasped and moved. She has some mad skills. She loves to cuddle and will never ever turn down boobie time. She rolls her eyes back in her head when she first starts to nurse. I find this particularly funny, because it's like she is just enjoying it so much that she can't bother to think of anything else but the wonders of mommy milk and the joy it brings to her tummy. She loves to lay in the pac n play at Yaya and Pops's house as long as her feet can push against the mesh wall. She loves it when Daddy bounces her while she lays on his tummy facing out. She's still a bit cautious of bath-time. She does splash her feet after the initial concerned face fades to contentment. She still loves to be bounced high in the air and she pushes off before each lift off. She still loves music and the vibrations of her crib. She loves to be swaddled and will not sleep unless she wrapped like a little gordito burrito. She is a very warm blooded baby and often must be kept naked in her swaddle so that she doesn't become an unhappy sweat monster. She gets stinky neck folds and armpits so has to be wiped down everyday. She hates her pacifiers and acts like she is being gagged and tortured if you try to force one on her. She loves bottles, especially with mommy milk, but she won't turn down formula if there is no other option. She loves to be carried in the front pack and will mostly use this time to fall fast asleep, this conveniently allows me to go for walks with her. She loves her swing and will nap for hours while rocking away.
So as you can see she has quite the personality and has changed so much over these past 11 weeks. Everyday I am more in love with her. She's my little princess and I'm so blessed that God saw fit to give her to me. She makes me happier than any words could say.
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