19 weeks- 4 month sleep regression. AKA Eff the 4th Leap.

This week has been a bit rough in the Lorenz household.  First of all, I had a tricky shopping trip all on my own with Max yesterday that required me (for many reasons) to nurse him while I pushed the cart around and shopped.  Thank goodness for my Beco Gemini.  I was able to rotate Max while he was screaming in the carrier so that he was at boob level on his side, threw on the nursing cover, and whipped out the boob.  I managed to get everything on our extensive shopping list (of course this was the week where we needed to replenish a lot of our household staples), while breastfeeding.  Luckily, he finished up right as I finished shopping, so I propped him upright in the carrier while checking out.  This was by far, the most impressive feat I have accomplished while breastfeeding.  I didn't even get any weird looks.  I'm pretty sure most people had no idea what was going on, and that he was just cold, so hence the "blanket" covering my sideways baby...

Maxwell McFussypants has decided that he wants to wake up about every 2 hours, and it's been taking its toll on all of us.  He's been a bit fussy with my mom this week (and though she'll never fully admit it), I'm sure it's wearing her down as well.  Winter break could not come at a better time- I need to be able to just spend time lounging in bed with my baby after these difficult nights.  I'm not sure if this new sleeping and waking pattern is due to being in the 4th Leap (according to The Wonder Weeks), or if it because we have been working on getting him to sleep in his crib for the first part of the night.

Max has been growing out of the Rock 'n Play, so we realized that it would be best to start having him sleep in the crib.  Now, instead of nursing him to sleep in bed, and then transitioning him to the Rock 'n Play, I have been feeding him in his room with the lights off, and the white noise machine/projector on until he's pretty passed out (typically by about 8:45pm).  Then I place him in the crib, and even if he starts to stir, I can typically get him back to sleep pretty easily right away.  We've been sleeping in the guestroom (right next door to Max's room), so checking in on him is much easier.  He has been waking up at about 11 or 12 wanting to eat, so I attempt to rock him and give him his paci first, but when that doesn't work after about 5 minutes, I pull him into bed, and nurse him until we both fall back asleep.  That wouldn't be so bad if he would just stay asleep, or be easily comforted by using me as a human pacifier for the rest of the night, but now he wakes up pretty upset.  I attempt to nurse him back down when he gets all huffy, but he refuses to be calmed by the breast, so I have found walking him around for a little bit (even if he's screaming) helps, and then he's willing to latch on again and fall asleep for the majority of the rest of the night.

I know this is all a phase, and one day, my child will no longer want anything to do with being cuddled by me at night.  I am going to look back on these days and miss holding my little bug in one arm, continuously kissing his cheeks and the back of his neck where he rocks his mini-mullet. I'll have blurry, sleep deprived memories of the first year of his life, and I'll have troubles remembering all the little details that have blended into a beautiful foggy memory.  That day is going to come faster than I'll ever be able to imagine.