Sleeping baby

Like a million other moms out there will tell you, getting a baby to sleep is a constant battle. I have something to be grateful for- Caden sleeps from 10-8 almost every night, while many babies don't sleep through the night until they are much much older. Grateful is an understatement- I don't know how I would have survived if Caden didn't start sleeping through the night.. I am the kind of person who needs 9-10 hours of sleep a night, and a big part of that is because with my fibromyalgia, I don't relax my muscles enough to allow my body to rest. So I constantly remind myself that I am blessed that my baby sleeps through the night.


But that doesn't mean we don't have our problems. Like the fact that Caden wakes up starting around 11 or 12 every single night because he wants to come into bed with me. Most nights I wrap him back up, stick his binkie in his mouth, and rub his face until he falls asleep at least three times before I give in. And while I love snuggling with my baby, its not easy on me. He wiggles around nonstop, and he has to sleep either on my chest or half on me.. I have never been a back sleeper, and the constant weight on my chest makes my back hurt more than normal. Oh, and did I mention that Caden will only sleep with me? Chris tried to give me a break the other night, and as soon as I handed him over, Caden started screaming.. After a few minutes I took him back, and of course he fell asleep as soon as he hit my chest. I love that my son loves cuddling with his momma so much, but I wish it wasn;t such a battle.

I try to sneak out of bed to get his bottle ready before he fully wakes up in the morning. This adorable face is hard to leave though!

Caden has also decided that he doesn't like napping, and that might be because I have been leaving his arms out of his swaddle during the day so that we can break him of the habit. The last two days, I have left both arms out, and it has made for some frustrating yet funny moments..

 

Yesterday, about 20 minutes into his usually 45 minute long nap, Caden woke up with his "I need attention now!" scream that he uses when something has scared or hurt him. I knew he scared himself with his arms, so I tried to soothe him without picking him up.. When it wasn't working, I decided to give in, but as soon as my hands went under his arms, the crying got quieter, so I pulled back.. Caden's eyes opened, the corners of his mouth turned down, and he stuck his bottom lip out.
He was about to let out a cry when he noticed me smiling at his pouting face, so he ended up smiling mid-cry.
I wish I could better explain the cuteness of that moment. Yes, I gave in and picked up the little stinker.
Today, his first nap lasted 20 minutes once again, so right before his next nap, a light bulb went off in my head.. I set an alarm on my phone with a white noise app and left it next to him so that 20 minutes into the nap, the sound would gradually come on. I went in to check on him after the alarm went off, and Caden's eyes were rolling back to sleep.

Success!

But then he saw me, and my plan backfired.

And now he is asleep in my arms. Oh, the innocence of a sleeping baby..