I have a few dozen adorable smiling pictures that I could have posted today, but for some reason, this one felt more appropriate. It's been a big week for Daniel, and change usually doesn't happen without some degree of anxiety. Big event #1: Daniel started daycare on Tuesday, and it was anything but a smooth start. I think what it came down to was conflicting parenting styles between us and the staff, and a lack of clear communication. I suppose the latter is to blame for the vast majority of problems in the world.
We couldn't have asked for a better staff for his room - they are truly sweet women who care a great deal for babies (and have done so their whole lives). However, they are of the generation where you rock babies to sleep and pick them up every time they whimper even a little bit. I'm certainly not bashing other parenting methods, but we have chosen something different for Daniel. I left a page of notes for them, detailing his typical schedule (and asking them to adhere at least loosely to it), yet every time I went over to feed him, he was screaming his head off, having not been led through any of his schedule.
Not wanting to insult their expertise, I wrote it off as the stress any young baby experiences in a new environment, and didn't say anything to the staff. (And on a side note... I had NO idea how much it would bother me to smell "another woman" on my Daniel... it was awful. I cried and cried and then "washed Ms. Gloria right out of his hair"!)
The next day was the same - if not worse. Daniel learned new ways to cry - I had never heard some of those noises I heard that day. I even cried while giving him his bottle, feeling like I had put him in a bad situation, and that he'd never adjust.
We decided to do something about it on the third day, and when we dropped him off, we approached it from the "Here's what works for us at home" direction. We showed them the swaddle technique again, went over the "put him down sleepy but awake" concept, asked that they not rock him to sleep, etc.. The teachers were very receptive, and he actually had a much better day, even getting in a few naps at the right times.
The lesson there is that we just have to learn to be firm on how Daniel is handled. We know him better than anyone, and now is the best time to start practicing the "Because I'm the Mom, That's Why" approach :)
Big event #2: This week he had his first big round of vaccines - and along with it, his first big fever. Let me just say that if watching your child get four vigorous shots in the thigh wasn't difficult enough, WE had to hold him down. Torture. What really got to me was those little drops of blood running down his tiny little legs. Throughout the rest of the day, he did ok at home with Fernando ... a little sleepier with the tylenol, and a little fussier - but not much at all. We gave him a warm bath at night - he always loves those. The next day he got a hefty fever (103) but with tylenol, it was gone by the end of the day.
Big event #3: Daniel officially slept through the whole night without waking up - about 8.5 hours - which is pretty darn good for a nine week old :) We've been using some Babywise guidelines to help get him to this point - and I think they made the difference. We seem to be on a roll - four nights in a row, and counting. The first night, Fernando and I didn't get any sleep - we kept waking up, worrying why we hadn't heard from him (and occasionally tip toeing in to make sure he was still breathing).
I think what helped him get to this point was an increase in food - the pediatrician told us this week to nearly double what we've been feeding him - from 4 oz. every 3 hours, to 6-8 oz. every 3-4 hours. And as soon as he had 6 oz. in his tummy, he slept nearly 9 hours. We're up to 7 oz. per feeding - and he takes all of it, every time.
Anyway. Big week for all of us - lots of new events, along with Daniel's ever mounting energy, personality, and smiles. He's more fun every day, and as long as he adjusts to daycare soon, I think that's one trend that will continue.
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