Come together right now!

Things are really coming together here at the Davis-Wagner house. We're starting to get a real nighttime routine going.

Nate leads off with a good bout of fussiness and needyness, starting around 6 or 7. I turn into a human pacifier from then until 10, when it's bathtime. Stewart gives him his bath, sings silly songs to him, and gets him ready for bed. Bedtime attire is a disposable diaper one size too large (to hold everything in), and the super-secret-double-swaddle that we've perfected. While Stewart has time with Nate, I rush downstairs and frantically try to accomplish something like catching up on e-mail, or just staring at the wall. Hey, anything's fun when you get to do it by yourself every now and then!

Stewart then delivers the burrito baby to me for one last nurse, or a suck on a pacifier, whichever the prince prefers. He nods off, I put him in the crib with the white-noise machine going, and that's it! Last night, he went 6 hours before waking, the night before was 4, and the night before that was 5. He eats, back down for 2 hours or so, and then up again. Sometimes a third short rest after that feed, but usually he's up for good.

Daytime is stil a total mess. I'm trying to be so firm about having him nap in the crib, but he's equally determined not to. So I get him to sleep, put him in the crib, and he settles in beautifully. I go downstairs, sit down at my desk, and hear him crying. I make sure he's up for real, go up and get him, and repeat this process 5 times. Then I let him sleep in his swing, or on top of me, since at that point he's so sad and tired that I can't stand to let it go on any longer. Today I'm going to try swaddling him for daytime rest, too; I've been resisiting since I don't want daytime naps to be too deep, but I can't let him be so tired anymore.

A little about me: I was shocked to see my weight the same after Milano Fest 2005. Friend Beth came into town for 5 days to soak up some Nate time, and we spent it either walking briskly around town or sitting glued to the couch stuffing cookies into our faces. Who knew that you could burn calories eating that quickly?!

Off to pay some bills before the prince awakens. Ain't it a fancy life?