Chris' clients gave Margaret several baby outfits, including this darling yellow frock!
In good news, Margaret is starting to show some small signs of a routine. I think she'd often sleep till about 9:00 a.m. except that the bigger kids almost always wake her when they rise at 6:00 a.m. So then I change and dress the baby, nurse her while drinking my coffee, and she usually falls asleep in my sling to start cat-napping and cluster-nursing for the morning. During that time, I've realized through extensive trial and only error that I meet with failure if I try to transfer her off of me to sleep elsewhere. So she cycles through being awake and happy in a bouncy seat or swing for fifteen minutes at the longest, crying, nursing, sleeping in my sling for maybe half an hour, repeat cycle. Sadly, as the third baby, she is left to cry more than the first two. A few times per day, I choose to set down Margaret to blast through some chores that are exceedingly difficult to do while wearing her, and she screams her lungs out for the 15-20 minutes. She doesn't seem to "learn" or "get used to it," as I hear about letting babies cry. I mean, it'd be nice if she did, but in the meanwhile it's just a sad necessity of my having to meet the needs of my whole family and not just her.Around 11:00 a.m. she falls deeply asleep and it seems that several times per week (ooo--so often, right?) I am able to transfer her off of me to sleep on the bed for two to three hours. And then the angels sing from on high and I rejoice. Then she wakes and spends most of the rest of the day cluster nursing and cat-napping in my sling while I do my chores. She seems to fall asleep for the night (in my sling) consistently between 8:00 and 10:00 p.m., so that could be worse. These days she starts her night sleeping flat on the bed (praise God!), but by 3:00-4:00 a.m. consistently needs to sleep the rest of the night with me elevating her on my chest or she repeatedly spits up and cries the rest of the night.
So, all in all, things are slowly improving and becoming more predictable. Ever so slightly anyway!
I have never had a baby at eight weeks "get used to it" while crying it out. Usually mine are closer to five or six months before they realize they can be content without me right there.
ReplyDeleteShe's gorgeous! Our days are very similiar right now!
Aww! She's just beautiful! So many different cute expressions. It won't be too much longer now before your little entertainers actually are helpful at getting her to calm down.
ReplyDeleteNeither of my kids have gotten "used to it" while crying it out. Doesn't work...
ReplyDeleteI love that second picture of her. I think I've seen that expression in pix of both of her older siblings.
I'm still just amazed she's 8 weeks old! Where did the time go?
ReplyDeleteOh she is beautiful! And, I cannot believe how fast she is growing!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful family. I had not looked at your blog. McKenna was good at cry at out at about 3 months, Madigan just turned 3 and never got the hang of it. Also I take advantage and plan my slow cooker meals out and just add a side and/or salad for weeks in advance. We would never have dinner if I did not rely on the slow cooker.
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