Oh sleep, where for art thou?

This post is exactly the reason I haven't posted in so long.  Admittedly I didn't realize I took a four plus month hiatus, but lack of sleep makes all the time blur together.  In fact, the only reason I can blog tonight is that we are on a roll - finally - in the sleep department.  I actually started this post last month, but literally fell asleep in the middle of typing with the computer on my lap.  But now that I've sat down again I figured why post - date it?  I'll just add the disclaimers where applicable and put it out there in its original form:

I am taking a risk starting this post later than planned because Lydia's "bedtime" was a 90 minute process tonight.  (See above for result of said risk taking).  Ok, not just tonight (still true!) - it has been every night lately.  Choosing PJs, bargaining for stories, debating whose turn it is to brush teeth, which potty to use, blah blah blah.  Tonight even included an extra bedtime prayer (which of course can't be refused): "Dear Jesus, I'd like a new clock. Like a purple one maybe or something? Or pink or something? My old one is old. Amen"  I don't know if she thinks this great new clock won't include a bedtime, but she is a master at stalling.

Will is now 9 1/2 months old actual - 7 1/2 months adjusted (when this was first typed a month ago - more to come on his newest accomplishments @ 10 1/2 months old actual in a new post yet to come).  I missed posting at his 6 month mark.  He did have some motor delays and early intervention evaluations, but wasn't "far enough behind" to qualify for services.  Even since those evaluation we've seen him start catching up even more.  He  has started eating solids and has yet to try something he dislikes.  He is gradually moving up the growth chart - starting out not even registering on it for quite a while.  Then up to the 3rd percentile, the 8th, and at his last well check (9 months) he was just above the 15th percentile.  It is sometimes hard to believe this little guy was measuring over the 95th percentile when I was pregnant; but that just goes to show how much growing he missed out on those last two months and is still doing his best to catch up.

He is such a happy boy, and we've been hitting all milestones around the adjusted time frame.  The only thing I really wish we'd been able to get the hang of is sleeping through the night.  I know Lydia was sleeping through around the 6 month mark, and granted it if we look at it from Will's adjusted age he isn't that far off, but I am really feeling it.  A few weeks ago my favorite delivery came again - bulk coffee (Kcups I buy online) and my husband asked in disbelief about how much coffee I've ordered.  Since I average 3-4 16 oz cups a day (all before 5pm) he sweetly he declares that much can't be good for me...to which I snark "neither is sleeping in only 2-3 hr blocks for over the past year."  That's right - since I spotted to some degree the majority of my pregnancy, and it always happened overnight, I really haven't slept through the night since the early days of my pregnancy = Jan/Feb 2013!  Now I'm not really complaining - just don't mess with my coffee!   

On a related note - I will never understand why "they" in the baby book/website world consider 5 sequential hours to qualify a baby "sleeping through the night."  Let us be clear - the likelihood of those 5 hours lining up with any adult timing of 5 hours is soooooooo not likely!  If we really go by that definition, then sure Will has been sleeping "through the night" for months now - except those 5 hours happen between 7pm and midnight.  May I refer you to the paragraph on getting Lydia to bed? Then add in cleaning up chaos/prepping for the next day chaos and that equation puts mommy in bed outside the hours of 7pm-midnight.  You do that math.  I can tell you it does not equal sleep!

Around the time this post was started we did have a few (literally 3 I think) nights in a row where Will slept all night.  It felt glorious - until he went back to frequent wake ups for another few weeks.  That was worse than never getting a glimpse at a full nights sleep in the first place - a teaser of what would never be realized again!  Ok that might be dramatic, but sleep deprivation is a form of torture.  I can happily say though that we are back on the sleep band wagon, which allows me to get this posted.  The latest modification of sleep habits includes getting up for the day at 5 am, and obviously babies don't acknowledge weekends.  But at least that gives me a chance at stringing 5 or 6 hours together of blessed slumber.   Now I even fit the definition of "sleeping though the night!"  And it feels sooooo good.  And still in the hazy moments of every early wake up call, when Will gives me that big grin & grabs my face to plant a slobbery kiss, I know I'd do every second of it again any night.  

Life in a Musical

Wow, it has been a while. I've started a post a time or two, then either 1)I run out of the 4.5 minutes I thought I had free, or 2)I fall asleep in my chair having finally been able to sit still for 4.5 minutes. Sleep is not happening in our house (unless you are my husband), so I'm a bit lacking in the update department. Here's to trying to finish a thought! In one of my last posts I mentioned Lydia's love of talking and singing and talking and singing...

Let me clarify.  The girl lives in a musical.  Some have had the pleasure of witnessing this first hand, others through snapshots I've managed to record.  But really she does half of her communication in song.  It doesn't matter if she has an audience or not.  She sings to us, to herself, to her friends (real and imaginary), to her stuffed animals.  She dances too!  Ballerina dances, shake your booty dances, silly dances ~ sometimes they look pretty similar but are always energetic.

And her attention to learning the words of new songs is impressive.  Scary impressive, to the point we have learned no more "grown up music" in the car, as she hears it once and that same day is singing the lead in to Bubble Butt.  If you aren't familiar with the song, you can imagine what the lyrics are; or search the song on you tube.  It was actually the first time I heard the song as well, but now she breaks into it often enough just to remind me to be careful about what is on.  Now we listen to a multitude of variations of Wheels on the Bus, I'm a Little Teapot and the like.  The library has been our favorite place to find a new artist's version of the same song. Christmas brought a welcome variety of songs into the mix, and she still belts out "Oh come let us adore him" from time to time. She also likes to get Will into the mix. Now that he is babbling, he trades off from saying nothing when Lydia is going a mile a minute (because really it is a lot to compete with), to more often joining in the banter. So she is singing & dancing, Will is ooohing and aaahing, and I just have to smile at the nonsense. If anyone has suggestions for our play list, we'll take it!