Shhh ... Baby is Sleeping

... in the Car

When I was little (much closer to Patrick's age and size ... and yes, I realize that was quite a while ago) my parent would to put me in the car and drive around to get me to sleep. It was apparently effective enough for them to mention it to us when we brought Patrick home.

This trick works ... Patrick falls into such a deep peaceful sleep, I really hate to turn the engine off some days.

... in the House

There are times when I wonder if the car wouldn't be a better option. We get him to sleep on our shoulder ... then make any attempt to place him in the crib and he is instantly awake. We get him to sleep between us ... and again, any attempt to lift him to carry him to the crib and he's awake.

This is not "sleepy eyes, smiling at me" awake ... this is I'm irritated and I need as many people to know as I can manage. For an amazingly pleasant child, he can crank out the decibels when he wants to.

We've tried letting him cry himself to sleep (before you comment about this, we've only been trying this for the last few weeks) ... I think it worked once, but I was half asleep so it could have been a pleasant dream. I'll have to ask Jen about it later.

I do have to say at this point that when he wakes during the night, there is actually some reason ... thirsty, need a diaper change, etc. And at times, he does wake up in the morning with a beautiful smile on ... this morning was actually one of those mornings. He started the day with cartoons, pretzels, and fruit juice!

Comments

Playing On The Stairs

We were playing near the stair from our kitchen to the lower level. Patrick had a squishy toy we bought for him a few weeks back. When it hits something, it flashes brightly ... he loves it. He was tossing the toy down the stairs and I was flipping it back up to him, often bouncing it off his head or chest. The laughter was incredible ... so much fun. Then, he made a run toward the stairs to get in a good toss ... and I knew he was in trouble. He tripped as I launched myself up the stairs ... just in time to catch him before his head hit the first step down the stairs. As Jen came around the corner to see what all the commotion was about, I was just getting my nerves back in order and began lifting him back to his feet. He let me hold him for a few seconds then, seeing his mother nearby, his tears stopped and he stretched out for her. ... so much fun!

What If?

Jen and I have asked ourselves few questions along the way ... I'm sure there will be more, but here are some of the answers we have found: What if he drinks the bath water? He might feel queasy or get diarrhea if the water is soapy, but he will not have a problem with germs unless he bathes with someone else, says Philip Tierno, Ph.D., director of clinical microbiology at New York University Medical Center, in New York City, and author of The Secret Life of Germs. Wash children one at a time, and try not to let them drink the water. What if he sticks his finger into a socket? Standard household current would give a child a mild shock, similar to that from static electricity, says Liza DeWitt, M.D., a pediatrician at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, in Milwaukee. The child would be startled and probably pull his hand away, but electrical skin burns can still occur. What can be more serious is not pulling away immediately, which can put him at risk of internal o...

Getting Involved

This is the second night in a row that we were able to spend time and Grandma and Papap's ... Patrick enjoys it so much! We even had a rousing rendition of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" with all five of us involved ... yes, Patrick is pitching in now. He runs from person to person, giving a bit to each one of us ... there is never a dull moment. Tonight, he repeated a new activity from last night. Last night, it was getting everyone involved in chasing him around the house ... tonight, we had this activity, but what we saw was that he wanted to play different games and wanted certain people involved. This is when he went to each person that needed to be involved and grabbed a finger, pulling them along. He even checked every now and then to make sure they were still following. Such an amazing child ... knows how to ensure that we sleep well.

Fatherhood

Search This Blog