The Thrash Three: May 2013

When my moms group meets we each take turns sharing our celebrations and challenges. I've got some good ones that I thought warranted a blog post:

First, my challenge: Will hasn't been sleeping very well. One of my mom friends told me about a phenomenon called the four month sleep regression, where basically around four months some babies stop sleeping. I Googled it and there are all kinds of blogs on the topic. I don't know if it's just coincidence or if Will just really wants to be a part of that club, but since Sunday night his sleep has definitely regressed, both nighttime and naps. As I write this his nap is going on 2 1/2 hours (Hallelujah!), but every other day this week my mom reported his naps were all an hour or less. And he was the fussiest he's ever been for her this week I think, which makes sense because he's not sleeping. Before this week, at night he'd sleep five hours, wake up to nurse, then sleep another three. This week it's been sleep for three, wake up, nurse, sleep for one or two more before waking up again, but he's not hungry then, he's just waking up. So the theory is that at around four months they're developing so much and so fast that they just can't calm their minds long enough. Imagine you've discovered something new, something major, that you can't stop thinking about, or stop being excited about. That big important first day of X, for example. Now try to fall asleep. Or try to fall back asleep after you've woken up with your mind racing. That's the mind of the four month old. They become hyper-aware of their surroundings so their little neurons are working overtime. They just can't settle down. They may also feel overstimulated or overwhelmed by all of this so they feel nervous and anxious. They need to held, soothed and comforted more often and for longer periods. So it's been a challenging week for us. I read this stage can last anywhere from 1 - 7 weeks. Yikes.

Now onto celebrations! My first Mother's Day! It was incredibly special. Bill remembered me with cards, flowers, a mom's journal book, a 'Mother & Sons' book, he cooked for me that day and gave me the royal treatment. Will's gift to me was sleeping through the night the night before so I was one happy momma! We also celebrated our first annual Family Day! May 13, 2012, (Mother's Day of 2012 coincidentally), was the day of our embryo transfer; the day we became pregnant with Will. I thought that day should be honored as the day we celebrate our family so that's just what we did. We went back to the spots we were the day we got our pregnancy test result from the doctor. It was May of last year, about two weeks after the transfer day. Carolyn and her family were in town visiting. We told no one that that day was the Big Day so it was a big secret. We all went to my dad's where we then went to lunch at the Highland Park Soda Shop. We were at the Turtle Creek Park across the street from his condo when we got the phone call from the nurse. And our lives were forever changed, forever blessed. Reliving that day this year, remembering how we felt that day, was humbling, inspiring, surreal and magical. I look forward to many more Family Days.