The Light!

Well, it's official. At the risk of totally jinxing myself, I think it's fairly safe to say that our little guy has finally become comfortable sleeping in his crib. We have been putting him in there "drowsy but awake" every time now, and he drifts right off to sleep. He even likes to hang out in his crib when he's not tired, because he gets such a kick out of his mobile (he really concentrates on it, which I find pretty entertaining to watch). Nighttime sleeping continues to go pretty well for us, too, with him only waking up once or twice to eat, usually at around midnight and then around 5am. I can totally handle that!

Now that his sleeping has improved, I am seeing improvement everywhere else... For one, my mental health is 1000% better! Just this afternoon, we were taking a walk through the neighborhood. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and I was really enjoying just being outside and feeling the warmth and breathing the fresh air. I thought back to only a few weeks ago, when I took the same walk. I was exhausted, felt stretched to my limits, and walked as quickly as I could, fearing that Nikos would start to cry at any second (and then I would start to cry, too). I was really miserable!! The only way we could get him to nap then was for him to fall asleep on one of us... and since I was the only one home during the day, that meant he took his naps on me and gave me zero time to myself. I still don't have a TON of time to myself, but he's taking much better naps and sleeping in his crib. I actually get time to do things like, say, eat lunch! And post on this blog!

I've also noticed that his crying has changed somewhat. Before, it seemed like all his cries were full-force, "I-am-miserable-and-you'd-better-do-something-about-it" cries. There's a lot more differentiation now. When he's hungry, he puts his fist in his mouth (I think it's so cute!) and makes little coughing-type cries. When he just wants to be held, he does what I call his "fake" cry-- he kind of whimpers, off and on, but doesn't seem to be too disturbed. When he's tired, he yawns... and if I can catch him then, he'll go to sleep without crying. If I don't, he cries really loudly and arches his back, eventually calming down if I hold him and sit in the rocking chair for a while. The worst is his "I'm-in-pain" cry, which he does sometimes if he's trying to poop, fart, or burp. His whole face turns red and he screams bloody murder, but it all ends as quickly as it started once he takes care of business.

Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's getting easier every day (though it certainly isn't "easy" by any stretch of the imagination!). It's also getting more enjoyable as he notices people around him. I love how he calms down when I pick him up, and how he buries his face in my neck when he's tired. I also love the happy little noises that he makes when he's nursing, and how he gazes up at me and sometimes smiles. I am finally getting something back for all the hard work I've been doing, and it is AWESOME! So there was a light at the end of the tunnel, when I was feeling so depressed a few weeks ago-- I just didn't realize how quickly we'd get there.

And finally, the picture of the day: his best Shrek impersonation:


(yup, that's a baby-sized tie-dyed shirt... so cute!)