What haven't we tried

Below is the document that we decided to make in order to be prepared for T's 6 month doctor's appt. on Friday. It is seriously depressing. Mr. T. tricks us every time. Last night we went in there because he was crying and he appeared to be entirely asleep. It was a little creepy.

Sleep Notes

What we have tried:

Early bedtimes
Falling asleep on own for naps and bedtime (he does this)

Feed-on-demand
Dream feed
Eliminating feeding (one of three)
Not feeding close to sleep times
Bottle at first feeding of the night (both parents)
Starting solid food
Water
Reducing milk volume at night
Feeding frequently during the day

Controlled crying
Rocking
Comforting in crib
Having father comfort only

White noise
Music
Regulating temperature
Transitional object
Comfortable bedding

Pacifier
Swaddle (tried on and off)

Inclined Crib
Co-sleeping
Prilosec at 10PM


Consistent naps (Three consistent, consolidated naps daily)

Prayer
Magical Thinking
Alcohol (father, not child or mother)
Crying and Cursing


Current Routine (always the same):

6:30pm: Bath
7:00pm: Breastfeed
7:10pm: Story
7:15pm: Put in crib drowsy but awake

When did this happen?

As much as I try to chronicle my baby's milestones things happen so gradually that I seem to miss them until they are either totally gone or fully developed for days or weeks. Obviously they aren't incredible milestones like crawling or sitting up without support but they are important because they mean my baby is growing and developing. I've begun to notice over the past week or so (and who knows how long this has been going on) that my baby understands that when he shakes a rattle it makes noise and he does it on purpose. That is an understanding of cause and effect which can be generalized to so many other areas of life including night time i.e when I cry they come and give me food.

But there are so many other little things that I will never be able to chronicle because it is just my baby opening his senses to the world. For example he loves to have bare feet rub against the stroller, the carpet, anything really. He has learned that sleeping on his side is the most comfortable, that lunging toward Mama with an open mouth and outstretched arms means "I love you" (well at least that is my interpretation. He anticipates my actions and gets excited when I blow raspberries on his tummy. He notices things around him and lunges for them including my cell phone, computer, TV remote, the box on our mantel, and his humidifier.

I really want to chronicle everything but it is hard when you live with a baby everyday to notice these small changes. When I look back at the end of this year I hope I can remember what an amazing transformation it has been.