The past 2 weeks have been a bit of a roller coaster! After a few days of showing signs of settling into a good sleep routine, Ethan slowly started to have bad nights – really bad nights! It started with him waking up about an hour after he ate, and we would go in and soothe him. Then he would wake up several times every hour. One night I got up between 10-15 times! He also went back to eating every 3 hours around the clock. He’s also been really fussy all day long, with a full blown “witching hour” in the evening where he will cry inconsolably for an hour or so. We find that it is worse when he is over tired. He also really fights sleep. He will rarely fall asleep unless we really help him – lots of rocking, the swing, the car, white noise, etc. We are learning to deal with these tough evenings and hoping he grows out of it soon! Last night he finally slept well – a 6 hour stretch, and 2 hours between two feedings. We are at least hopeful now that it will get better, even if we do have some more bad nights.
Now on to the good part! Ethan is continuing to grow like crazy. I think a growth spurt may have contributed to his bad behavior. Last Thursday he was 11lbs 5ozs – up 15 ozs from the previous week! He is quickly filling out his 0-3 months clothes, and I anticipate having to go up in size sooner than I thought. He is starting to smile and coo a lot. In the morning after he eats he has his best awake time – he is so happy and smiley. He also has very good control of his head and likes to whip it around when I’m holding him and smack me in the mouth. He loves focusing on his toys and our faces. He hasn’t starting reaching for things yet, but I anticipate this starting soon. His hair is growing too! I’m anxious to find out if it is going to stay dark or lighten up.
Even though it’s been a rough few weeks, we are enjoying the time with our little guy. Here are some pictures of how big he is!
He has hand dimples – I am clearly not starving him!
Hanging out with daddy.
Happy baby!
Yes, he is huge.
Peacefully napping.