Reminder

This is a reminder to my future self if I ever have more babies or if my friends ever ask me questions about what Turner and Tillman did when they were babies.  You forget so quickly!  So this is meant to encourage me down the road that things get easier with a newborn very quickly.

By 6-8 weeks old Tillman baby will be sleeping on a predictable schedule.

Baby may not love his/her swaddle right away, it takes some getting used to.  But after 2 or 3 nights in the swaddle you will see a notable difference in the way they relax and welcome the security of a good swaddle wrap job.

Baby will sleep better in his/her own crib by 5-8 weeks, mom and dad are too noisy for them to sleep in your room after a few weeks (this is just for Troy and I, many people have baby in their room or even in their bed much longer than just a few weeks).

Baby's bedtime won't be set until around 5-6 weeks old.  Even then it will probably be a fairly late bedtime.  Between 5-9 weeks the bedtime will backup from 11pm to 10pm to 9pm to 8pm very quickly and baby will set his/her own bedtime.

Sidenote:  Things get easier around 8 weeks old when baby stops pooping throughout the night.  You can put baby back down if the diaper is just a little bit wet.  That way you don't wake baby up, you don't wake yourself up, feedings only take about 10 or 15 minutes, and you don't have to swaddle and reswaddle, just feed them while they sleep and put them back down.  Definitely no talking or laughing at night, it's not play time, it's just time to fill their bellies!

By 8 weeks baby will go to bed between 8pm and 9pm and wake 6 hours later to nurse and then probably wake every hour or two after that. 

By 12 weeks baby will go to bed between 8pm and 9pm and will still wake up 6 or 7 hours later to nurse but will only wake up one other time after, somewhere between 5am and 6:30am and will go back to sleep until 7am or 8am.  Yes!  I can maintain this schedule pretty easily as long as I'm going to sleep by 11pm.  I SO appreciate the predictability of this as well as the time that it gives Troy and I to spend by ourselves and with each other.  Then we can pour more of our energy into the boys during the day!

Baby loves swing and napping in swing until about 3 or 4 months old.  By that time baby will want to be stationary while napping and will nap for longer stretches.

They say not to let baby be awake for longer than 2 hours.  But in the evening I think it helps to keep them up a little longer (whatever they will tolerate, not pushing them into an overtired state) helps them to sleep more through the night and they don't need as much sleep in the evenings as they need in the mornings.

At almost 12 weeks, Tillman is trying to find his thumb but hasn't yet, so that's frustrating him a little bit.  So he still tolerates the pacifier.  But just like with Turner, I know he'll never take a paci again once he finds that thumb!

I guess that's it for now.  Just remember that things get exponentially easier each week that they get older.  Tillman is so much fun right now, he's standing on his own and carrying his full weight if I just give him the balance.  And he gets mad when we put him back down.  If he had it his way he'd be up and running with his big brother.  And I know he will be very soon.

Turner's at a fun age where he's beginning to understand how to behave more appropriately in public and listen to mom.  We went to story time at the library and he LOVED it, he stayed very close to me and sat very still for 3 full books and several songs they sang.  Compared to last year when he was climbing on the stage, running around the room, and trying to pull down the puppet stage...I'd say this was a marked improvement!  One year ago I couldn't imagine Turner ever sitting still and listening, but he is, and he's singing his ABCs perfectly, does the itsy bitsy "piiiiider" and sings Twinkle Twinkle.  Wow.  So cool to see them both growing and changing and developing their personalities.

I'm so privileged to call myself their mom.  Thank you Lord for this blessing that I don't deserve, I hope to listen to You and help You shape them into the incredible men I know you want them to be!