Well, 6.5 months. I can't believe how quickly he is getting older!

For the past couple of days Jack has been nursing every 3-4 hours allll night. I am sure you can imagine my pain as he was almost sleeping through the night completely right before this started. It is awful! I think it might be a growth spurt, but also I think he had lost some weight recently b/c he has become a very distracted nurser, and now he is trying to make up for it.

Now his diaper is always soaking through his sleeper b/c he eats so much through the night. He uses a paci when I put him to bed, and usually after he eats he keeps it in his mouth until he falls asleep. Now, he spits it out again and opens his mouth side wanting more, even though he is half asleep! And last night, I tried to put him to bed at 6:30 because he got maybe 1.5 hours of a nap that day, and he didn't go down until 9:30! Then up at 1:30am, again at some unknown time, & 6:30am. I was so tired, we both slept in until 9:30am! I need to get him back to a 7-7 schedule! Ugh, I am going bonkers here.

Last night for those 3 hours when he wouldn't fall asleep, he was flailing his arms, talking, laughing, crying, just acting crazy. He would spit his paci out and smack his lips, and he would make all sorts of noises. It is honestly hard not to lmao at some of his goofiness. And he is a smarty pants too. He gives me these looks, like he knows he should be asleep but thinks it is FUN to drive mommy crazy. And he can tell when I am stifling a laugh, so then he busts up laughing. Of course then I can't stifle it any longer and so I end up laughing too. It is a vicious cycle - he laughs, I laugh, he laughs harder. Then he stops laughing and stares at me, so I stop abruptly which sends him into even more giggles (I call it being "slap happy"). So then I leave him to it since I am obviously just making it worse, and a modified CIO has been working very well for us. But last night he just wouldn't go to sleep even then. Usually when I lay him down he fusses some then starts crying, I wait 2-5 minutes to see if he will stop, and he usually does stop on his own and then sleeps like a rock! Not last night though. I ended up doing a long run of nursing him, rocking him a bit, putting him down, patting his bum, and then leaving him to it, with the time in between spent laying on my bed listening to him keep himself awake.

He also does this thing that I KNOW he knows I can't stand. He shakes his head back and forth vigorously like he is saying no, and looks at me while he is doing it with this smirk on his face b/c he knows I don't like it. If I tell him no or hold his head in my hands, or even look concerned, he cracks a huge smile! Then when I say "no, it's time to sleep", or even give him a mommy "don't do that" look (you know the one), he busts up laughing!

I know I need to move him to his crib, but I am having a hard time letting go. I love having him in the co-sleeper next to me. But it isn't the safest anymore since he acts wacky. And if I leave him unswaddled and lay next to him, he wacks at my face.

Writing this all down had been enlightening

[LindsLuvsSi]

I'm sorry Michelle. I know what you are going through!!! VERY VERY well unfortunately, which is probably not what you want to hear. But it could be due to the 6th month growth spurt, teething (if it's teething I recommend Camilia it's awesome!!!!) and trying to learn something new (is he crawling yet?? if not once he learns crawling he will sleep better. this is how Zane has been after he has learned how to do something he sleeps a bit better)

We're still going thru this with Z unfortunately. He hasn't slept thru the night ever and will be one in 16 days! We moved him to his crib in our room when he was 6 months old but at the 2nd feeding I'd put him in bed with us which is still the case. When we get our own place come the 25th he'll be in his crib in his own room and hoping he does better! I need more than 4 hours of sleep at a time. sorry to thread hijack! Good luck and hope the transition goes smoothly and Jack sleeps better for you!

[Boo]

Yuck, I hope he's just working on a new milestone, teething or growing. You're not going to want to hear my response either, because if it's sleep regression, Christian finally started sleeping through the night again with little to no problems the week of Christmas, so he was 15.5 months old. His sleep regression started around 4 or 5 months old, so it's been a long haul.

[KCMomma]

We often go through the same thing over here, so I'm of no help. SORRY, but I jsut have to say that your posts freaking crack me up!!!! I wish we lived closer because you are one funny girl!!!

[xanada101]

We go through this on a regular basis. Kerrigan only woke up twice last night... and that has only happened a handful of times. Sooo I can't offer any suggestions either. Sorry

[Lauren S]

I could have written 90% of this post. I spent all of last night nursing, putting him in his crib, putting his soother on, laying down (or waiting in the rocker in his room) listening to him keep himself awake, listening to him cry when the soother turns off, go back in and turn it back on........ rinse and repeat. Ugh.

I'll pray it doesn't last too long for any of us struggling! I know I for one would like to not be a walking zombie anymore.

[NortheastWifey]

Sounds like you are dealing with par for the course from everyone else's posts. Amelia is the same, too. At 4 months she started getting up every hour - 45 minutes and it was killing me. She would sleep if she was next to me so I finally gave in and she has been cosleeping with me since then. It is what it is. She sleeps better; I sleep better. She's up once or twice a night normally. Lately she's had a terrible cold so it was more for a couple of nights, but last night was good (knock on wood). I never planned on a cosleeping situation, but... We get sleep so that's my main goal. And DH hasn't slept in bed with me/us since she was born because my work situation is much more flexible and he's able to get better sleep in our guest room. Again, not ideal in the least, but it is what is working for now. I know this won't go on forever so I'm just not stressing over it.

I think as far as the night time games, etc (Amelia did that to me last night) just keep doing what you're doing. From talking with a friend of mine who has 4 children under the age of 6, just keep doing what your instincts tell you to do. Some nights it might work better than others. I wish I had a golden nugget for all of us, though.

Last night Dustin was home to help me put him down. Jack screamed his head off at him. But he rocked him a certain way and Jack slept from 8:00 to 11:00. Then he started crying and Dustin couldn't console him. So I went to feed him, and he hardly ate, he just smiled at me and laughed What a maniac. I put him down after maybe 10 minutes, and he slept until 6am! Woo-hoo! Maybe I can win this battle! I am thinking he prefers mommy at night, like most babies do, and when I came to see him after Dustin put him to sleep he was just happy that I hadn't run off somewhere LOL.

Now that I wrote it down I bet he will be even worse. Isn't that how it always goes? He woke up at 7am too for the morning, so hopefully things can get right on track. Classes start next week and I need my night time to study.

Do any of you have your DH or someone else put the baby to bed at night? Maybe that is the trick? Wishful thinking?

[NortheastWifey]

We're like you. Jeff has been able to get her to sleep initially sometimes but she always wakes up and wants me.

[KCMomma]

I bet it's because you guys are still BFing (which I think is great...I'm definitely NOT saying it's bad) but that may be why they only want mommy in the middle of the night. Dh has to put Paige to bed a lot because I work nights every now and then so she doesn't really have a choice!! We never did the co-sleeping thing so I don't have any advice for that, but Michelle, I sooo hope the good nights continue!!!

[BabyBird]

We definately have nights like that too lately...but it is just the initial going to bed. Usually when she wakes to eat in the middle of the night she will go back to sleep ok. DH tried to give her a bottle and put her down the other night when I was sick and it was a no go. She ate but then screamed until I came and she immediately calmed down and laughed at me a little until she dozed off. In some ways it is nice to be needed that much but mommy needs some rest! LOL