a rough patch

We are going through a rough patch in the sleep department. At least I hope that it is a brief interval of abnormality and this regression is only temporary. Eddie is no longer sleeping through the night; he hasn't for over two weeks. Rather his nighttime sleeping is more like a newborn's - he is waking up every three to four hours. Luckily all I have to do is give him some boob and he falls back to sleep in 15 to 20 minutes, but he is getting too old to be waking up 3 to 4 times a night. And I am getting too sleep deprived to handle it. Everyone I have talked to seems to indicate that it is normal for night wakings to occur at this age and when babies are trying to figure out major developmental skills, like standing and walking. Eddie has been pulling up on everything, standing and making motions to walk...so it could happen within the next month or two...or sooner. But I also think that maybe he is waking up so much because he truly is hungry. He eats a decent amount of solid foods these days, but he gets so distracted during nursings and wants to always be on the go, that he may not be getting enough breast milk during the daytime, hence the need to refuel so much at night. I have been trying to give him bottles throughout the day as a snack but he only drinks an ounce and then is on the go. I am also concerned though that the nighttime feedings could become a habit that is hard to break and that he could be doing it solely to be comforted throughout the night. We are going to give it one more week and then start to try to see if he can fall back asleep without the boob.

During the day, sleep is not any easier. Often he gets put down for a nap and spends 45 minutes just playing or whining in his crib. He spends a lot of time standing and hanging onto the bars and chewing on the railing. He has been drooling a lot again and really biting things (including us) and so maybe he is getting more teeth too. I have felt around his mouth several times though and don't feel anything yet. A few times he has started wailing really hard in his crib and we go check on him and he is standing and seems to be stuck, as in, cannot figure out how to lower himself back down. I have read in books that this can happen, but figured that it wouldn't for him because I see him successfully lower himself down from standing position all day long...maybe when he is tired the act of maneuvering his body in such a way takes too much thought and energy. So we feel like we are constantly in a battle with sleep and it is undoubtedly the most draining and stressful part of my existence as a parent. My hope for all my friends about to have babies is that they will have babies who are good sleepers. I wish this for all new parents.