Sleep progress

I apologize to any readers I have left, I have kind of abandoned this blog haven't I?  School got really hard and busy.  My only time to get schoolwork done is in the early morning after Emma's first feeding, when (and if) she naps, or if her Dad takes over for a while.  So all free time was devoted to getting stuff done for school.  But now I am nearing the end of the semester; hallelujah! I am looking forward to a nice long break before spring semester starts.  

I titled this blog post "Sleep progress" because I am refusing to label it as a "sleep regression". You see, Em has stopped sleeping through the night.  All of you that have children are nodding knowingly right now.  My awesome little sleeper who would go down between 8:30 and 9:00pm every night and sleep all the way through 'till 6:00 or 7:00am the next morning is gone.  She now wakes up 2 times a night for feedings.  And they are long feedings.  Like half hour or longer feedings.  So of course I spent an exorbitantly large amount of time talking about it with my mama friends and Googling it incessantly.  I spent a lot of time complaining that my "good" sleeper was gone.  I spent some time crying in her nursery at 5:00am because I was just so tired.  But I'm done with all of that (well, probably not with the crying).  Because I know that Emma is not a good or bad sleeper, she's a baby that is developing at a crazy ridiculous rate right now.  And that it won't be this way forever.  And that the reason she is waking up is because she is hungry and needs food to continue to develop.  This all started a few days after her 4 month birthday (November 1).  Since then she has hit all of these developmental milestones:

• rolling over
• blowing raspberries
• sitting up
• grabbing her toys
• shaking her head back and forth
• "screeching" and talking
• popping off the nipple because she is distracted by the world around her
• recognizing mom and dad, our voices, when we leave the room, when we come back in the room
• eating a few solids

So yeah.  That is A LOT of stuff for a wee babe in a matter of 3 weeks.  Of course she is waking up at night to eat.  I am glad that I am not working right now, because I don't know how I would be able to function at a job all day and then take care of her at night.  It's hard enough with grad school.  

One advantage of all these developments is that she is taking naps like a champ.  She takes a 30 minute morning nap and then a 2-3 hour mega nap in the afternoon.  I know this won't last and will change over time.  I am enjoying it while I can.  Currently she is napping in her car seat on the kitchen table.  

So we soldier on.  If I get a good night's sleep I feel like super mom the next day.  I get an amazing amount done and sometimes even throw in a workout**.  If it's a crap night of sleep everything is horrible and awful the next day, I can't concentrate on anything and I just want to lay in front of the tv.  Today is one of those days.  But then Emma's whole face lights up when she sees me and she gives me the biggest grin and my heart bursts and all is right with the world.

"this too shall pass"

**I took Emma to childcare at the gym again and it went ok!  I think she might be getting a little better around other people.