Jacob Update

I got so many sweet emails and messages after my sleep post with concern about my family's lack of sleep, I felt like I needed to give an update. (and share some new pictures)

Things are definitely improving in the Cabe household.  Praise the Lord!  We have extended our naptimes to about 45 minutes, sometimes even an hour!  Our daily schedule hasn't changed much, with the exception of him sleeping more (ie me not having to bounce/sway/etc with him for as long because he is grumpy because he didn't nap long enough).  He has stayed on a pretty consistent 3 hour eating schedule (7 am, 10 am, 1 pm, 4 pm, then a bedtime feeding at 6 pm, late night feeding whenever he wakes up around 10 pm, and middle of the night feeding around 3 am).  During the day, he is awake for about an hour after he eats, and then he naps for (hopefully) an hour. 

Matthew had been feeding Jacob a bottle of pumped milk at the 7 am feeding, letting me sleep in a little.  We just recently changed to Matthew feeding him a bottle at the 10 pm feeding.  I have been going to sleep really early- like 8:30 early!  This is the only time I can follow the 'sleep when the baby sleeps' advice.  I still get up at 10 to pump, but that only takes 15 minutes and I am back in bed until he wakes up around 3 am.   The last few nights we have been giving Jacob about 3 oz of formula first, followed by a bottle of pumped milk at the 10 pm feeding.  Before I get attacked by all of the breastfeeding advocates out there, let me assure you- I feed him exclusively breast milk the other 6 feedings during the day.  Everything I have read (and what our pediatrician is telling us) is that a baby his age and size should be able to sleep 9-10 hours at a time during the night!  His longest stretch of sleep is about 4 1/2 hours!  Even though he seems really hungry for the 3 am feeding, a lot of time he doesn't eat that long, or he will keep stopping, pulling off and smiling at me.  This is completely and utterly adorable, but I have to resist the urge to smile back.  He needs to learn that the middle of the night is for sleeping and perhaps eating, but definitely not a time for a play date with Mommy.  It is so hard to resist those baby smiles though...  Anyway, we decided to try to fill his tummy up a little more with the longer-to-digest formula.  We will see how it goes.  He is getting over a cold, so between the coughing and it being hard to breath out of his nose, sleep has been extra challenging anyway.  

As Jacob gets older, he is able to spend more and more time having 'independent play' in his swing or on his play mat.  He loves his Baby Einstein play mat because it has this musical light show thing that hangs above him.  There is also a mirror, and lots of rattles and hanging things for him to grab onto.  He also kicks his legs a lot and I think he is getting really close to rolling over! As I am washing dishes, doing laundry, or straightening the house, it is so much fun to hear all of the little coos and sounds he makes. 

 We have been really lucky with the weather here this winter.  Last year, we had snow off and on all the way into May, so I know we aren't out of the woods yet.  But, after hearing about all of the snow storms the US has been hit with, I am counting my blessings.  In the afternoons, if the weather is nice we go for a walk.  Sometimes he falls asleep in the stroller, but sometimes he stays awake and enjoys listening to all the French kids playing in the park.  We also go to the grocery store in the afternoon.  All the little old French ladies love his blue eyes.  They like to lean down into his stroller and tell him (in French) how beautiful his eyes are.  He gives them this look like they are crazy (it is kind of the same look I give when I have no idea what someone is saying to me...). 

I honestly don't get much done during the day, but I am hoping that by establishing a solid routine for him, it will pay off in the long run.  We will be going home in April for my sister's wedding, and I hope that since everything will be different (including the 6 hour time difference!), if his routine is consistent, he will adjust more quickly. 

He is growing and changing so quickly.  It is a lot of fun to see.  He 'talks' a lot and everyday is making new noises and sounds.  He is also crying a lot less.  Yay!  I think he is finally learning to express himself in other ways.  Last weekend, Matthew was holding him and rocking in the La-Z-Boy and Jacob discovered his hand.  He has been sucking on his fist for a while, and has even started self-soothing at night by sucking his thumb, but this time he discovered his hand with his eyes.  It was hilarious to watch him stare in amazement at it for about 10 minutes straight. 

Thanks again for all of the messages, words of encouragement, and advice.  And to all of those friends here and far away.  I feel like I have fallen off the face of the earth, but I hope to rejoin the human race soon.  Thanks for being so patient with the emails and phone calls that take me so long to respond to!