Spoiled

It appears that our sweet Will has spoiled us...he is no longer sleeping until 7am. Not even close. Starting on Sunday night, we noticed he was more fussy than usual. He still went to bed fine but awoke at 3:30. We tried just putting in the paci to get him back to sleep and he wasn't having it. So I fed him. On Monday night, he went to bed fine, still a little fussy from 4-8 but we knew that was his "witching hours" so we didn't worry about it. He woke up at 2:30, we tried the paci, and this time it worked. He slept until 6:15. Then last night was MISERABLE. He could not be comforted. We held him from the time we got home from work until the time he went to bed. He was super whiney and cried A LOT. My mom said he was fine with her when she keeps him throughout the day so I assumed nothing in my milk was bothering him since he wasn't fussy all day long. I talked with some friends and decided to take his temp last night. It was 99.6. We figured he might have an ear problem and my mom thought he might have started teething. He has started drooling a lot more lately. So this morning I decided to call the pediatrician. We were at wits end with him last night. It stinks because the time that he is so fussy is the only time we really get to spend with him. I feel so helpless because it isn't like he can talk and tell me what is wrong so basically all we can do is rock/carry/bounce him until it is bedtime.

So we went to the doctor today and I felt like we were "those parents." Doc said there was nothing wrong with him-she checked his ears and throat and then rubbed his gums. She doesn't think he is teething yet. She said she doesn't consider 99.6 a fever...for infants more like 100.4. We talked endlessly about his routine, feeding, bedtime etc. Basically she thinks he is just 10 weeks old and has decided to act like it. She said he is still figuring out life and it has gotten rather crazy in the past few weeks since I was home with him the first 8 weeks of his life, then my mom kept him at my house for the 9th week, I was on spring break last week, and now this week my mom is keeping him but they have just moved so I am dropping him off at her house. She said she thinks he is just overstimulated during the dayand then pooped once we are home from work but fights a nap in the late afternoon. We are going to try to bump up his daytime feedings to 6oz (He is taking 5.5 right now) and try to get in an extra nap around 4-5ish. Not a long one but just enough so that he isn't that irritable. John and I just wanted to air on the side of caution and make sure he didn't have anything that would call for antibiotics. To be honest, we sort of wanted her to find something, just so we would feel like the problem was solved. We don't want him to just be fussy. But we know it could be a lot worse. I mean of course we don't want anything to be wrong with Will but at least that would make us feel like he is crying for a reason. She assured us that this stage would soon pass-probably in the next 2 weeks or so. Until then...the only advice she gave us was to drink :)

We love him anyway and are indeed blessed. We just want him to be his precious, smiley self all the time, but we know that isn't possible. She said it is not all that common for a baby of his age to be sleeping through the night. But we believed in Babywise and was sure our son had graduated to the next phase :) Hopefully he will come back around. I know I shouldn't wish this stage away. There will come a time not too long from now that he will not be still enough for me to rock him and cuddle him. That song "You're Gonna Miss This" keeps coming into my head. I have to keep telling myself that.