Sleeping through the night?

We think Lexi slept through the night the last 2 nights! Last night she went to bed between 11 and 11:30pm, and she woke up at 5:19am. (Sleeping through the night is considered 5 hours or more by the people who measure baby milestones.) The night before that, I don't recall getting up, and I do not recall not getting up. Since it is difficult to prove not getting up, we are assuming that she slept from 11pm to 7am.

This IS a significant milestone, but as mommy, I don't mind getting up at night to feed her. That is such special time to us. The look she gets on her face as she starts eating is the same that you or I would get on our face when taking our first bite of our favorite meal. It's a 'oooh that is so good' look. It's something that is just between her and I, and I treasure it!

Lexi will be 4 months old on Saturday. We continue to WOW at her every accomplishment. Here is a video of her talking about how happy she is!

I know, I know...

She is gorgeous. I know. We went to Tot Shots near Babies R Us to get pics done, and frankly I was hoping that they would get 2 good shots, and I was prepared to come back a different time if it didn't go well. She looks like a baby model in most of the pics. It was a great experience. She is three months old in this picture. She is sixteen weeks old now. It seems like just yesterday she was cuddled in my arms after feeding...

Well, it was just yesterday. After she ate, she cuddled up to my chest and slept. That pulled my emotional heart strings back to the first few weeks when we spent such time together getting to know each other. Nothing is sweeter than her briefly opening her eyes to make sure I'm still there, smiling, and then drifting off to sleep!

Things are going well for us. Lexi and I are venturing out more. Meeting people (as long as they don't show any flu like symptoms), playdates, dining out, etc. She is a pretty laid back little person. Of course, she has now found her voice. As soon as I get a good video of that I will post it. She screams and laughs and smiles and has such a great time being a baby.

As for the sleeping- we did 2 things. I read a book called the No Cry Sleep Solution, which our cousin Jenny sent to us. I learned so much, but mainly I learned that babies don't adhere to a 24 hour clock, so we need to read her cues as to when she is ready for a nap, and we need to put her down before she is asleep and just be there as she drifts off so she doesn't freak out about being alone. This way she'll also learn to put herself to sleep and not rely on rocking, feeding, etc. This book has helped so much. The other thing we did is invest in a swaddle me bag. I feel these are torture devices, they hold the hands down to her sides so she can't whack herself in the face and wake herself up. I feel like I'm being mean each time I put her in it, but the second her hands are secure she drifts off to dreamland. She'll only need this for another month or so until she realizes her hands are actually attached!

Jon just returned from a week in Boston, and I am happy to say that Lexi and I did well together. I learned that I can do it without Jon (although I'd prefer not to). Since he wasn't going to be home each night, I got the things done that I needed to get done instead of waiting and handing Lexi to him as he walked in the door. Of course we had lots of help. My parents and my friend Jenny helped by entertaining us so I wouldn't feel that I was alone. Lexi and Benji actually let me get sleep. I did drink a crazy amount of coffee during this time. I actually just opened my last package of coffee from Brazil that week. Once I'm out, I'll have to plan a trip back there. I can't believe it's been two years. It was an amazing vacation... we will return someday!

Time for a lazy weekend with my wonderful family!
-Jenni