(not just a) MommyBlog (dot com)

Two nights ago, Cooper had his  worst night.   Ever.

He did get his six-month vaccines  that day  – a whopping 4 shots and an oral suspension.   His doctor told me to keep him on Tylenol, and expect him to be feverish and cranky.   Oh, had I had an inkling of what the Mini Coop would do with that vertical, I would have taken a nap.

Casey and I started the evening by going out with one of his business associated and his wife.     We left the boys at my parent’s house, and returned home at 11PM, stuffed to the gills and informed that Cooper had hardly slept a wink.   But I thought, he’s down now, so surely the fatigue will over take him, and we’ll have a nice night’s sleep.   Right.   He was up at 1AM, and never went down again.   I nursed him, Casey and I took turns rocking him, we sang, bounced, prayed and swung.   Finally at 3 I headed to my parent’s living room and sat in the lazy chair for the rest of the night, soothing him to sleep each time he squirmed.     Finally at 6:30, I handed him over to Casey and managed a short snooze,   but Oh, what a way to start New Year’s Eve!

We scratched our plans to party at our hometown’s “First Night” and instead headed out to see only our 2nd movie of 2008 – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.   It was really quite good, even with a nearly 3 hour running time.   The last ten minutes were so heartbreaking, though, Casey and I went skipped a celebratory drink and went home instead to hug our boys.   Good thing, too, because Cooper had another rough one – waking at 1 for 40 minutes, then at 4 for over an hour, then at 7 for good.  

So today begins not only a new day, but a new year.   I have decided to stop swaddling Cooper – the only way he’s ever slept – and also to stop rocking him to sleep, cold turkey.   Instead today, I put him down for both naps alone in his crib on his tummy, with only his little lovey, and within 25 minutes for the first and 15 for the second, he was sound asleep.   Ah.   Tonight will be the real test – seeing how well he lasts through the night.   I’m not comfortable putting him on his tummy yet for the night – it’s one thing to be able to watch him like a hawk on the video monitor for a nap, but quite another to leave him like that all night while I’m asleep myself.   But he’s had such bad nights this week, it certainly can’t get any worse.

Can I hear an Amen?   Seriously, though, I’m a fervent follower of the “back to sleep” advice for infants,   I remember that Kenny started rolling onto his own tummy around 7 months, and we’d always flip him over when we went into check him.   Cooper can roll over himself now, so I would think that sleeping on his tummy is no longer an issue… Any opinions out there?

And, Happy New Year!!