The Sleep Solution

The last few days have been much better.  So much so in fact, that I feel like the babies are sleeping the day away!  I actually had to wake them both up yesterday afternoon to go somewhere!  I kept waiting, and waiting, and waiting for them to wake up.  I even went in their room and put laundry away and packed their diaper bag.  I wasn't trying to be quiet, and yet they just kept right on napping.

Two nights ago we put them down for bedtime, and Ayden got himself all sorts of worked up.  We tried comforting him and putting him back down a few times, but he wouldn't have it.  Finally Tony just held him till he fell asleep and then put him back in his crib for the night.

Rylee goes down pretty easy.  We swaddle her up and give her a pacifier and she is good to go. Sometimes the paci falls out of her mouth and we have to put it back in if she gets fussy, but it only takes 2 or 3 times and she is asleep and will stay that way even if the pacifier later falls out.  If we give Ayden a pacifier, it works temporarily, but he needs it CONSTANTLY put back in his mouth and he NEVER goes to sleep. He just gets pissed off every time it falls out.  We don't even bother with that for him anymore because it just doesn't work.

Back to two nights ago.... I went in to put Rylee back in her crib after a feeding, and saw that Ayden was on his belly!  Hmmm.... I turned him back over onto his back, only to watch him roll back to his belly within seconds.  Okaaayyyyy.  Well.  If he's going to roll over all on his own, then there is nothing I can do about it. Later that night after I fed him, he again rolled over onto his belly after I put him down.

The next day (yesterday) when I put him down for a nap, I laid him on his back like I'm supposed to.  He was perfectly content laying there talking to himself for a little while, but eventually got fussy.  I went in and comforted him, but he was getting more and more upset.  Soooooooo, I turned him over onto his stomach and Bam!  He went straight to sleep!

Same thing last night.  We put him to bed on his back but he didn't want to have anything to do with it.  We picked him up and comforted him and then laid him again on his back.  We tried this a few times to no avail. Sooooooo, we turned him over onto his stomach and Bam!  It was lights out.  He was asleep within seconds.

I guess our answer is to put him to sleep on his belly.  I know that is not at all what we are supposed to do, and there are probably a number of critics that disagree with our decision, but this boy was getting more and more miserable every day because he wasn't sleeping!  It was getting pretty miserable and sad for us all trying to get him to sleep at night.  Once he was asleep, he was fine, but it was getting him there that was the problem.  During the day, it had been impossible to get him to sleep.  I wouldn't have even promoted this before since it's such a big no-no, but since he turned himself over not once, but THREE times in one night I thought, well, if he's going to end up there anyway, might as well.  Although it does seem that he suddenly forgot how to roll over again.  I don't care.  He's so much happier now.

Now we just have to worry about him being such a wiggle worm!  He somehow manages to find his way to one side of the crib and to the top end.  I found his legs dangling out over the edge once two nights ago, and last night he worked his way up to the top corner!  I make it a point to start him out laying in the bottom far corner now.  It's amazing how much this boy moves in his sleep!

Rylee consistently sleeps for anywhere between a 4-6 hour stretch at night, then wakes up for a feeding. She then will sleep for another 2-3 hours, wake up and eat, and then sleep for another 1-3 hours.

Ayden consistently sleeps between 7-9 hours at night.  Like I said, once he's asleep, he is a champion sleeper!  He then does the same as Rylee.  He will wake for a feeding and then sleep for another 2-3 hours. Then wake for a feeding, then sleep for another 1-3 hours.

This was how I found him two nights ago.  I didn't get a video of him actually rolling over for the first time, but I did get the end result.  I was so impressed, I had to turn the light on so I could take a picture!

Yesterday's nap time

Rylee is content as can be in her swaddle.  Tony calls her his little burrito.

By the way, we DO lay Ayden down length wise in his crib!  He just somehow manages to turn himself sideways.

Also, even though we do have a video monitor, we do check on the babies frequently.  I had to be sure Ayden was doing okay on his belly before I felt comfortable putting him down that way.  The monitor only shows us if they are moving and it lets us hear them loud and clear.  It doesn't tell us if they are breathing or not, so of course we have to go in and check often, for our own peace of mind :)