On Saturday, while David stayed home with Sylvie, I took Luke to our annual local exhibition. He was big enough to go on almost all of the rides but not quite big enough to go by himself -- so I had to go on them with him. Carousel? Check. Dragon roller coaster? Check. Whirling strawberries? Check. Whirling bears? Check. (I'm not sure why it was necessary to offer two of those sickening rides that do nothing but spin in a circle until you're ready to throw up. One is more than enough.) Flying bumble bees? Check. Bumper cars? Check. House of mirrors? Check. Giant slide? Check. Giant jungle gym? Check. It was about 30°C with nearly 100% humidity and the rides were set up on a mostly dirt field. By the end of the afternoon we were both coated in filth, stuck on with sweat. Good times. And by "good" I mean "ugh."
Actually, it was much more pleasant than spending the afternoon with an increasingly cranky seven-week-old. Apparently fussiness and extended bouts of crying peak between six and eight weeks in newborns -- and Sylvie is right on schedule. I've been trying to research this phenomenon in the few spare moments I'm not swaddling and swinging and shushing her -- some experts say it's due to a six-week growth spurt. Others imply it has something to do with brain development. At this point infants are awake more, and therefore they're stimulated more, but they're still not able to turn themselves off (ie tune out or go to sleep) when they've had enough. Whatever the reason, it's not fun. And it's very labour intensive. Plus she's still eating every three hours round the clock, so no one in the house is getting a lot of sleep. She sleeps best when someone is holding her and rocking, which is what Renee, our babysitter, is doing right now as I type.
It's wonderful that you got out for a fun day with Luke. Happy memories and a great break for you.
A friend of mine recommended "Secrets of the Baby Whisperer" for me when my son was going thru the same thing. I came home, read the chapter on sleep in 15min and a light went off! I'm not one for self help books, but this was FANTASTIC!!
Basically you get your baby into a "rythm" not a "schedule" by following these easy steps for E.A.S.Y.
E - eat (feed your baby)
A - activity (baby plays)
S - sleep (shhhh)
Y - you! (nap, read, play with Luke, etc.)
You can do this no matter where you are and it's so easy because now you know what to expect too. Best of luck :)
www.babywhisperer.com is the website
Posted by: Sarah @ Mum In Bloom | August 03, 2009 at 02:40 PM