Wednesday, July 9, 2008

What is happening?

Since we have gotten back from the river, these things have been happening:

1. Emerson has decided to start her days at 6:30 a.m. instead of the usual 7:45. In the past, if she woke up early, we would put her in the swing in her room and she would fall back asleep. She is not playing that game anymore. The only good thing to this is that she is still napping well and basically on schedule.

2. Emerson wakes up super sensitive and crabby. This is very abnormal for my happy baby who used to love waking up and was all smiles and giggles in the morning. Not now. She has been waking up fussy, crying and clingy. So bad that when Steve leaves for work in the morning she has a major breakdown.

3. Emerson is starving all the time. Monday morning she started screaming after I fed her breakfast. I mean really screaming, there were tears streaming down her face. After a quick check that the food had not been too hot, her mouth did not have any cuts inside and I could not feel any new teeth coming in, I ran to get a jar of fruit out of the pantry and fed it to her from the jar. She ate almost the entire thing. Since Monday, we now have an extra side of fruit with breakfast.

4. Emerson is really trying to crawl and pull up on things. She has been successful in pulling up a few times- it just depends on what she is trying to pull up on...her play table=yes, a pillow leaned against the wall=no. She is no longer content sitting still and playing on her own. After a couple minutes she starts leaning on one side or the other in an attempting-to-crawl position. She stays pretty focused for a while...really sticking with it. She will change positions, grab things to help propel herself and even sit up and start over again. It inevitably leads to more fussing though because her attempts are unsuccessful.

So, my questions are these: Are these things all related? Will the sleeping and attitude go back once she has figured out how to get around???? Any advice is welcome- please send me a comment or shoot me an email!

Love,
Sabrina

4 comments:

Amy said...

Growth spurt? Don't you love how I'm the first one commenting on this matter! Of all people! Ha ha... I doubt this change is permanent. So the trip to the river was personality altering? Doubtful. If it was maybe you should try taking her back to get her to switch back? I'd offer to help, but I think she'd take one look at me and scream. She wants Mama.

It'll be ok. I'm betting the bank it's just a phase...
ac

Amanda said...

I think number 4 is causing number 1 which is causing number 2. When they learn new moves they get too excited to sleep. Jackson had a hard time napping when he was learning something new. Don't lose hope because it is highly possible that she'll go back to her regular sleeping pattern. Jackson started waking up an hour earlier when we moved but 2 months later he finally was back to his normal waking time. Also, as far as number 3 goes, I think her little appetite will build until she's two and then it will level off. Love you friend and can't wait to see you soon!
Manda

Erin said...

maybe sister's just frustrated that she can't move like she wants to and the frustration wakes her up earlier in the mornings and she's finding comfort in baby fruit and she wants her Daddy home because he's secretly helping her crawl and sneaking her more fruit...I don't know, just a thought :)

J A Hynek said...

It sounds to me like she has one or more of the following occuring: 1) growth spurt (hence the increase in food consumption; 2) developmental leap (pulling up to standing (cruising around furniture happens within a couple of weeks usually); 3) normal shift of naptime schedule due to age group (kids naturally move from 3 naps per day to 2 naps per day to 1 nap per day at different age ranges - the sleep book I sent you has a table with all the average age rangs for these normal changes in sleep patterns)

Changes in sleeping and eating habits are normal as a function of growth spurts and developmental leaps. Worry not, she will shift back to a some what normal routine again. It may not be precisely the same routine that she had before but it will not be the strangeness that has you scratching your head now. It's all part of the joys and mysteries of motherhood. =)