Hardly sleeping

Thanks for all of the thoughtful comments on the blog lately! I'm glad people are still reading, even as my posts get more mundane ("my kid is great" or "my kid is a terror" seeming to be recurring themes).

On that note, I'm calling for helpful suggestions about addressing unwanted changes in sleep patterns! Charlie used to be a great sleeper - he averaged 11 hours a night, with at most one cry-out during the night, but nothing that ever took more than a pacifier to abate. Suddenly this week we've been plunged into the land of the sleepless. We've transitioned Charlie to one nap over the past few weeks, which I was hoping would make nighttime easier, not more difficult. But instead, he's been waking 3 or 4 or 5 times during the night and crying out. And it's not just a little whimper, it's full blown yelling and giant alligator tears. Last night, most of the times I went into his room, he was standing at the end of his crib, holding onto the railing and crying his little eyes out. I could generally get him calmed down and back into a prone position, but then an hour or two later he was up screaming again. He sleeps in a dark room, and I don't know if he's scared when he wakes up in the dark, but I'm wondering if using his nightlight might make a difference. I think I'll try it tonight; I really need a full night's sleep.

Even with his terrible sleep last night, he's back to his fun, happpy self today. He woke up bright and early at 7 a.m., so I let George get another 90 minutes in bed and took Charlie down into the basement to make a mess. He did, and he loved it, and we had a great time. Then once we were all up and fed, we headed out for errands. Until just a few months ago, George and I basically took turns doing our errands solo - but now Charlie enjoys riding in the cart and behaves pretty well. We started off our adventure at Toys R Us, to get something for him for his 2nd birthday (right around the corner!) and pick out a present for his friend Paige's birthday party tomorrow. It's kind of odd to take him with us to buy his present, but he's still oblivious about things like that. We ended our errand run at Austin Grill, his favorite restaurant. He snarfed down chips and beans and half of an enchilada. He has an impressive appetite!

Speaking of his appetite, George took him to the doctor this week for an ear check, to make sure his infection had cleared, and he weighed almost 28 pounds on the scale. I think that puts him right in the middle of the 2 year old weight chart, although I'll find out for certain when I take him for his annual checkup on his birthday.

We're so lucky he's continued to grow so well! I am a parent chairperson for the Alexandria March for Babies this year, and we had a breakfast meeting a couple of weeks ago. The mission family were there with their 16 month old, who is adorable but still TINY. She was a 25 weeker like Charlie, but seems to be having a lot of trouble putting on weight. Luckily, that has never been Charlie's problem!

Here's a few photos from today's adventures. The first is Charlie showing off his chair that Gram Lamb made him. He's finally big enough that he fits in it perfectly, and he likes to sit in it and listen to his stereo. You can also see his stylin' new kicks - they're the only shoes I could find that fit over his new orthotics. Pretty fancy.

The next photo was supposed to show off how grown up he looks in his little down vest. Unfortunately, he decided he didn't feel like having his photo taken:


I hope you all are enjoying your weekend as much as we are!