Conor goes to bed around 7:00pm each night. We've reached the point where on Conor's best nights, he sleeps until 2:00 - 2:30am, at which point he eats, and then again until about 5:30am, when he eats again. He then goes back to sleep until about 6:30 - 7:00am. This has happened a small handful of times. On his good nights, he does the same thing but also wakes about two more times during the night not to eat but because he wants his pacifier. Because he doesn't yet have the manual dexterity to pick up his pacifier and put it in his mouth (and even if he did, his hands are locked inside his swaddler), this means I have to get up and pop his pacifier into his mouth and then he quickly drifts right back to sleep. On his not-so-good nights, he's up more often, sometimes up to 7 or 8 times a night, eating three times rather than two and waking for his pacifier multiple times. These nights are not much fun, but to be honest, it doesn't really bother me that much either. (I guess just another one of those things that seems terrible pre-mommyhood, but once you become a mommy just goes hand-in-hand with the job.) Thankfully, no matter how many times he wakes up, he always goes back to sleep very easily. I never pick him up out of his crib unless it's time to eat. All it takes is 2 seconds to pop the pacifier in his mouth, and he's usually good.
I'd say that now, most nights are good nights, but it's not really all that consistent yet. Three nights ago was a not-so-good night. The next night was one of his best, only waking twice, and then last night was a good night, waking up four times - twice to eat and twice for his pacifier.
We're hoping that the not-so-good nights fade away and the best nights increase. He's definitely better rested on the days after nights that he's woken up less, and I want to do what I can to help him get the best night's sleep he can. They say that around four months you can begin sleep training. The book I've been reading says that you should only go to them when it's time to eat. At the other times, if you go to them, you're interfering with their ability to learn how to soothe themselves back to sleep. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Supposedly, after a few nights of us not going to him except when it's time to eat, he'll learn not to wake up at the other times. I'm not sure, though. The thought of not going to him when he's crying is scary. It goes against human nature. So, right now it's just in the thinking stages. We'll see.
As for his daytime sleep, he's doing great with his naps. He takes a solid 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 hour nap each morning at home. This is his best nap of the day, and he's always so happy and rested afterwards. The way I know he's awake is because I can hear him talking to the animals on the bumper in his crib. Too cute! :-) He then usually takes about a 1 - 1 1/2 hour nap in the early afternoon (longer at home usually, less long at daycare). Then in the mid-afternoon, he takes about a 45 minute - 1 hour nap. Sometimes, if this nap is early, he'll need another short nap in the early evening. However, on most days he's up from the time we leave daycare until bedtime, so we get in some good playtime in the evenings.
Overall, I know we're incredibly lucky. As I read my sleep book, there are all these stories of babies even older than him who cry much of the night and parents who spend the night walking, rocking, bouncing, and dancing to pacify their babies. Even though Conor isn't one of those star babies who sleeps through the night yet, I know we've got it good. Funny how waking up 4 times a night is now "having it good!"
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