I like to call it a little "redirecting"...

As the months have gone on, I have noticed a pattern. This baby does NOT sleep during the day. He does wonderful at night. I mean, really wonderful! He has been a steady night sleeper since 8 weeks old but his daytime sleeping has been on the decline. I have reached a point of complete frustration. I hear things like, "he may not need to sleep during the day, some babies don't" or "he is a high-energy baby" or "they all have their personalities and temperaments, maybe he is not a napper."


 I have taken all of that in, but I can't help but think that this is just too extreme! Everyday, I find myself anxious about the upcoming day because I know from sun up to sun down, my time will be spent rotating through activities, trying to keep him occupied, and fighting his fussiness and trying to get him to sleep.

I decided that I was going to just let him cry it out and enforce taking daytime naps. This is how it went:

  
He gave it up eventually...

After doing that for a day, I finally decided I was going to implement a mini baby bootcamp and get this sweet little muffin on a more healthy schedule for him, whether he likes it or NOT. I settled in my mind that through blood curdling screams and arch back, I was going to stick to it. I was NOT going to breakdown and take the easy way out.

Surprisingly, it went well.

At the first sign of fussiness, I scooped him up, rocked him down to a relaxed state and laid him in his crib, cranked the fan on and to my utter surprise, out he went! Again, I repeated those steps a few hours later and again, right to sleep. On to the third time, same series of steps and again, sleep!!!! And a FOURTH nap....each lasting about an hour. Now this is more like it.

A little bit of time for myself. I forgot what this felt like.

Today is the first day he rolled over when I put him down for tummy time AND he sat up unsupported for about 10 minutes by himself with little guidance from me!

I am not going to get too ahead of myself and stamp it a success, but every small victory counts.

As I am typing this, he has already gone to bed. He went down around 8ish. I laid him in his bed, turned the lights out, fan on, blanket near his face and left the room...within 10 minutes....OUT :)


I am impressed.

Well, enough rambling for now. I wish they had a manual for motherhood but of course there is never any absolutes. It is all about getting to know your baby's temperament and working around it. Setting routine and schedule but always being flexible. Realizing it will never be about you anymore. Appreciating the small things.
I will take all of the adjustments, all of the unknown, all of the exhaustion, all of the gray area to have all of the little smiles, coos, cries, laughs, tantrums and wet mouthed kisses from my little Landon. He already has such a little personality!! He will be heart-breaker for sure. 

Every bit of this struggle is worth it and I have to keep telling myself .... "Think through the moment....you will look back at all of this and smile and wish you could have it all back."

So I suppose I will sit back, forget about the laundry or making dinner on time and enjoy my little one because these precious moments never come back....