There was this movie when I was growing up about a high school girl who was a Straight A student during the day and a hooker at night.
Jack is the baby equivalent of that girl except that he’s not really out on the corner hookin’.
During the day he smiles (he smiles!), gurgles and blissfully plays on his back and his tummy. He takes 2 to 3 naps, sometimes in his swing, sometimes on me, sometimes in his crib. One of his favorite things is to rub his hands together, Mr. Burns style and chill out. In other words, he’s an awesome baby…during the day.
At night? Well that’s a different story.
Snarfing, snuffling, more yowling, grunting and general complaining are how our evenings go, and that’s just from Arch. Oh, wait, Jack makes those noises also.
Getting Jack to sleep at night is like giving a cat a bath. He wrestles, he screeches, he scratches (damn those baby fingernails are sharp!) and then finally, after crying for two hours straight and finding no solace in a bottle nor my rendition of Cecilia, he will suddenly acquiesce.
And then he’s so peaceful and quiet that nothing, not even the dude shouting I LOVE YOU at the top of his lungs over and over again at 4AM on our street corner, can wake him. That is. Until it is time to lather, rinse and repeat.
the dude shouting I LOVE YOU at the top of his lungs over and over again at 4AM on our street corner
Oh, that’s me. Arch doesn’t return my emails or calls anymore.
Are you swaddling that lil’ man to within an inch of his life? No, not Arch, the baby! They love it and it was usually the thing I always forgot and it made Sophia a whole lot comfier.
swaddle, swaddle, swaddle. he may kind of fight it at first, like the sling. but, oh, the benefits. even now, at 15 months, if we are having a rough one, i will wrap him kind of tightly in a blanket. kiddopatomus(sp?) has a swaddle type thing, with some velcro. looks kind of funny and maybe a little cruel. babies-r-us sells it through amazon. i thought that i was going to be swaddling that kid every night until he was in high school. enjoy.
ps. keep an eye on the overheating, because that will make them wake up, too.
Don’t you love unsolicted advice. Here is some more. Bright lights – Big City. Try light and noise. I spent hours in the bathroom with the light and fan on. The light made him shut his eyes and the fan noise help him drift off. Maybe Jack might like it too. Other noise winners were the washing machine, dishwasher, vacuum, hairdryer. Also a big fan of Sinatra, Harry Belafonte, or James Taylor for a nighttime seranade.
There is an historical footnote that should be inserted here. It has something to do with Karma…
Sarah, moms herself, was precisely this kind of infant. Gurgley, smiley, knock down cute during the day, but at night, ah at night she became a different child.
She was swaddled, pacified, exposed to light and noise, walked outside, poetry was recited songs were sung all to no avail. Until, at some point with no apparent reason she would fall blissfully asleep. We received tons of advice, lacking the internet we spent countless hours at the library–the only advice that worked was biblical. “This too will pass” Oh, “and try a little Whiskey”–we were never clear as to whether we should try the whiskey on ourselves or on Sarah. I think it might have been both ways.
And yes, baby fingernails are very, very sharp. I spent an evening at the local emergency room after one of Sarah’s fingernails tore my cornea. I knew then where and how to apply the whiskey!
How odd. I thought I left a comment, but my computer might have burped.
Did you try the lullaby CD I sent?
If it makes you feel any better, most people who say their kids are sleeping thru the night are greatly exagggerating. Other baby intelligence will tell you that very smart babies are too busy to sleep much and it is a sign that Jack is developing nicely, absorbing so much in oeachday, that it is too hard to “let go” of the day. Also par for the course.
We too struggled with this little night time experience, so I promise this is not just confined to one side of the family! Miss Kate was completely averse to the notion of confinement (highchairs and crib) although she loved her stroller, and the places she would go! And while she would willingly sleep like an angel in my arms, the minute I would put her into her crib, she was awake and all peace in the world disappeared under protest. Admittedly, after a long day at work, it was a rough go. No one strategy seemed to work well, and perhaps this is all directly related to how much a parent can “handle” the screaming. Sometimes you might try walking with him for a while before bedtime…that was always Peter’s technique and many times it worked.
Hang in there, as this is just nature’s way of keeping you in a permanent state of “elevated alert”. Its all ok….no one has the perfect formula for this.
Singing is a great thing, maybe another song?
I thought I showed you the magic technique when I was last there – the rock and jiggle. You do a slight jiggle while rocking from foot to foot. Works like a charm. Try singing “Summertime and the livin is easy” at the same time. I hear a little aquavit also helps, according to a recent article in the NY Times. I’ll be up there in 2 weeks and will demonstrate again! Love and kisses from Jackson.
Here are the lyrics to the Mockingbird Song….
its great because if you get to the end, and you need to, just start it all over….
Hush, little baby.
Don’t say a word.
Mama’s going to buy you
a mocking bird.
And if that mocking bird won’t sing,
Mama’s going to buy you
a diamond ring.
If that diamond ring turns brass,
Mama’s going to buy you
a looking glass.
If that looking glass gets broke,
Mama’s going to buy you
a billy goat.
If that billy goat won’t pull,
Mama’s going to buy you
a cart and bull.
If that cart and bull turns over,
Mama’s going to buy
a dog named Rover.
If that dog named Rover won’t bark,
Mama’s going to buy you
a horse and cart
If that horse and cart falls down,
You¹ll still be the sweetest one in town.