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RHYS' WILD RIDE
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SLEEP... THE FINAL FRONTIER
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Apr 14, 2008 08:48am (EST)
Rhys turned 4 months old yesterday and celebrated by being pretty sleepy and crabby. “Why?” you might ask. Well, Mommy and Daddy decided to attempt a new plan for daytime napping, due to recent issues with night time sleeping (or lack thereof). Basically, Rhys had taken to sleeping bimodally… night time in crib on his own from about 9 pm until about 3 am, then up and alert or wanting to snuggle with Mommy or Daddy for hours on end. Then, he would nap on Mommy or Daddy for several consecutive hours in the late morning or early afternoon. It worked well for him, but not so well for us. So, we decided to begin putting Rhys in his crib for daytime naps whenever he looked sleepy. This would help him learn to sleep on his own, and also might encourage shorter daytime naps (and longer night time sleeping for all concerned), we figured, after researching the issue a bit (okay – Mommy researched the issue, but Daddy was totally on board).
The first day (Saturday) went pretty well… Rhys was not happy about us putting him down and swaddling him up in his bed every time he began to fall asleep, but he was able (with a little encouragement and occasional repeated attempts) to take several 30 minute to 2 hour naps on his own, followed by sleeping in his crib that night for 7 hours before waking for a snack. He also was very happy and alert when up, smiling and cooing all day long. Unfortunately, the next day (Sunday, his “birthday”) gave rise to a somewhat crabby and extremely sleepy little boy who was next to impossible to rouse. Turns out, he must have needed the sleep (babies are funny that way, waxing and waning daily in terms of sleep need!)… he ended up sleeping off and on (with shorter periods between snacks) in his crib from 9 pm until 8 am this morning. And, he was still ready to be put down (again with a little pout and some encouragement from Mommy) at 10 am for a brief nap on his own.
Phew! Who knew that getting a baby on a reasonable sleep cycle would be so much work and would consume so much of our time (both in the planning and implementation)!? Wish us luck that it continues to go in a forward direction, even if that does mean two steps forward and one step back at times… come to think of it, why does it sometimes feel like one step forward and two steps back some days…? Ah, well… the joys of infancy and first-time parenting.
4 months old
A pirates life for me
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Posted by coreyschurman | Comments: (4) | Permalink
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TRINKETS, TOKENS, AND TALISMANS
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Apr 07, 2008 11:20am (EST)
I have been thinking a lot in the past week or so about Rhys’ birth and his early (scary) days in the NICU. I think that the time and distance, as well as my lessened anxiety with each passing day that he grows and develops without bumps in the proverbial road, have allowed me to start processing his birth experience again in a new way. One of the things that I have been thinking about is how special objects helped me (and his Daddy) get through those early days. Two of these objects deserve special note… a silver charm containing a four leaf clover and a mother’s bracelet.
First, about the four leaf clover charm… Corey brought this tiny charm to me in the hospital soon after Rhys was born. He had purchased one for each of us in the hospital gift shop and declared his intention of carrying his with him all the time to bring Rhys (and us) luck during this time. He carried it in his pocket, transferring it each evening to the bedside table and each morning to the pants selected for that day. His hand often reached for it, day and night, reassured when rubbing his thumb over the raised image and feeling its solid weight in his hand. I know how he felt, because I did the same thing… carrying it and using it to get through each day. Having a tangible object upon which to focus our hope and to cling to when our anxieties loomed larger was incredibly helpful. It really became our “lucky charm.” As time went on, our reliance on these charms lessened, but the meaning attached to them remained. Mine recently found its way to Rhys’ keepsake box, for him to use later in life, should a little tangible luck be needed again.
The mother’s bracelet, personalized with Rhys’ name and December birthstone, was a Christmas gift from my sister-in-law. This would have been a sweet and thoughtful gift even in ordinary circumstances, but ended up being a very important object to me throughout Rhys’ NICU stay. When I couldn’t take Rhys home with me right away, the birth experience and even his very existence sometimes seemed surreal. I had a son for the time I was visiting in the NICU, but then I would leave him to the care of others and go to a home that seemed strangely like it was before he was born… still empty and waiting for that little life to fill it. We still did things as a “couple,” rather than as a “family”… even if many of our errands and discussions become baby-related. I often felt strange, especially in public, since no one recognized that I was a new mother – that everything was different now – without that little bundle in my arms. Wearing that mother’s bracelet gave me something solid and tangible to proclaim my motherhood within and outside the confines of the NICU. It gave me a symbolic piece of Rhys to take with me and helped make his existence feel more real when we were apart. Now that he is home and thriving, and I can show him off proudly to others, I don’t feel the need to wear that bracelet every day. But, I think that it will come into frequent use once again when I return to work and want to take a little reminder of him with me as we go through our sometimes separate days.
I guess everyone needs a little trinket, token, or talisman to bring them comfort, hope, and connection at times… and I will forever be grateful for those tiny objects that brought those things to us during a trying time.
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Posted by coreyschurman | Comments: (1) | Permalink
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WHY IS THIS BABY SMILING?
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Apr 02, 2008 09:46am (EST)
Wow! We had heard about how magical those first real baby smiles could be, but we were still utterly unprepared for just how heart-stopping a grin Rhys would turn out to have. Every one (corny as it sounds, and we know it does), is like a little miracle and we will do just about anything (including, sing, dance, or otherwise humiliate ourselves) to see one again. It really does make both Mommy and Daddy pools of parental goo…
We can’t be blamed for that reaction though… I mean, you see the picture below, right? Just imagine the wattage of that smile in person and directed at you alone… it’s obviously irresistible.
Not all has been smiles over the past few weeks, though, as Rhys has been battling the dreaded blocked tear duct in one eye. It comes and goes, leaving an alternately gooey or crusty eye in its wake. I think that the frequent gentle cotton ball cleaning and twice daily tear duct “massage” actually have bothered Rhys more than the gunk, but we have had to persevere despite the screams to avoid a worse fate – infection. We are happy (hence the current smile on Rhys’ face) to report that we appear to be winning the battle now, have successfully avoided eye infection, and have a happier baby now that cleanings and massages have decreased.
In other happy news, after a few crazy days of sleeping all day or not at all, Rhys seems to be settling into a new-and-improved sleep schedule in which he goes back into his crib after the 6am (ish) feeding for a little while longer, thus garnering Mommy gets few extra hours of much-needed rest. Plus, he is sleeping a little longer before the first night-time feeding, so we still only have to do 2 feedings during the night to get him through. Yeah for larger stomachs! It is funny how different babies can be in terms of sleep requirements… our friends with the twins report that they rarely have ever slept during the day and are alert much of the time, while our little guy (much like his parents) appears to need much more sleep and includes several naps during the day in addition to his overnight sleep. I guess he comes by it genetically, and we hope he remains a good sleeper (ensuring the same for Mommy and Daddy) always!
Early smiles
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Posted by coreyschurman | Comments: (3) | Permalink
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LONG LIVE SLEEP!
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Mar 10, 2008 06:24am (EST)
Okay, so Rhys isn’t sleeping through the night yet (not surprising given he is only 3 weeks post his due date), but he did make a major change for the better in his sleep this week…
Ready for it?
For the past two nights, he has slept all night in his big boy crib in his own room!
Mommy and Daddy are so proud of how he transitioned, with no problems at all. In fact, it seems like all of us slept a bit better. For Rhys, we think it is because he is getting more mature, including eating so much more and remaining awake for longer stretches during the day. For Mommy and Daddy, it was definitely because we could turn down the volume on all of his little sleep fussings and gruntings, only really arousing for the more significant stuff. Needless to say, everyone’s mood is improving with this new arrangement.
Rhys also has shown increased maturity in other ways this week. He is more interested in looking around and wants you to keep walking constantly when holding him, so that his view always is changing. He likes watching his crib mobile and even likes being on the mat in his play gym for a bit now, though tummy time (unless it involves reclining on Mommy) still creates a fussy little monster after only a few moments. Still, we see growth and improvement every few days and continue to be amazed how far our little guy has come.
IMG_1321
IMG_1326
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Posted by coreyschurman | Comments: (3) | Permalink
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DREAMING MY DREAMS OF YOU
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Mar 08, 2008 06:30am (EST)
When we do get sleep, the things that we dream about (as I m sure is common, after talking with other parents of newborns) are pretty funky and strange. Sometimes alarming, sometimes amusing, but always interesting...
We both have woken in a panic thinking that we had Rhys in bed with us and that he was being smothered by our weight or the soft bed coverings (thanks to all that material on SIDS that we keep receiving - and we never even take him to our bed briefly in the night!). Ugh. But, last week, Mommy actually dreamt that Rhys spoke his first word... "milk." You can see where her mind is these days! She claims that he just kept saying "milk, milk, milk" over and over again. Not surprising given that he is a BIG eater these days, eating every 1-4 hours depending on level of alertness and the volume consumed at his previous meal. Still, a funny dream that said something about our lives just now in this crazy newborn period... and MUCH better than those other dreams at any rate!
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Posted by coreyschurman | Comments: (2) | Permalink
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RHYS GOES “WIRELESS”
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Feb 28, 2008 12:26pm (EST)
Yesterday was a graduation day of sorts. Rhys no longer has to be connected to an apnea monitor! He had only 4 alarms over the past 6 weeks and none of them were significant, so the doctors at his follow up visit decided that he is free at last. No more electrodes… no more wires… I guess that you could say that Rhys has finally gone “wireless.” Even more impressive, we think, is that Mom and Dad actually still slept last night, never getting up just to check whether he was still breathing. Of course, he IS a very noisy sleeper, but still…
In other news, Rhys also gained another pound over the past 10 days, weighing in at a hefty 8 lbs 2 ozs now. He is cheerfully outgrowing his newborn clothes and moving into the 0-3 month stuff. It is amazing to watch him grow and change on a daily basis. Seems like a minor miracle given his rocky entry into the world!
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Posted by coreyschurman | Comments: (3) | Permalink
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