Cranky

This is a post that will be full of me whining. If you are wanting to read cute stories of Ephraim, such as how he has started stomping his feet when he is either really excited or mad - you have come to the wrong place. However I might put cute pictures of him in this post just so it makes it seem more interesting.

I am cranky today. I don't like being cranky. My crummy sleeper of a son has been really on (or off) of his game the past week. I am talking not normal behavior which equals really crappy sleep for both of us. I have gotten really good at surviving on sleep that is interrupted every few hours, but I lose all patience when he stays awake for long periods of time (last night he was up from 1-4) or seems to not be trying to go to sleep (stubborn - you bet).

We have a great bedtime routine. Forrest reads him stories, I nurse, we snuggle/sing and then he goes down in his crib. He sometimes falls asleep nursing and other times fall asleep after being laid back down several times. We don't do a night time bath because that seems to energize him and not relax him. Ephraim seems to have a really hard time shutting his brain off and relaxing enough to go to sleep without help. He is a crummy self soother and always has been. He doesn't take a pacifier and hasn't attached to a stuffed animal or other "lovey." On a good night Ephraim will sleep in 3-4 hours intervals. On a great night he will go 5-6. Great nights happen every couple of weeks. I try to let him fuss/cry for awhile before I go into help get him back to sleep, but 9 times out of 10 he needs help.

I know that eventually will sleep through the night. I know that when that happens, I might actually miss the late night snuggling (buy probably not for awhile). Most days I am content to continue with things the way they are (he sleeps 10-12 hours a night, just not consecutive, and is a pretty decent napper.) Today, though I needed to whine - so thanks for putting up with reading.