5 Months Old

At the five month old mark, while sleep was still not happening, we had new neighbors move in right next door. Ugh! I felt terrible knowing that they could hear Henry wailing at all hours of the night. I wanted to bring over some baked goods with a side of ear plugs to welcome them to the neighborhood. Kyle wasn't sure that was such a good idea. But I did run into the new neighbors on the way into the house one day during the Great Sleep Deprivation of 2011 and did what a wise mother of three told be to do in instances like this. She said whenever your baby does something that embarrasses you (tantrum in public, bites another kiddo, etc.) say, "He must be teething." And people are instantly more understanding:) I think it worked...
Henry had also gone through a recent growth spurt around 5 months so it was time to do a little spring cleaning. Kyle and I packed up all Henry's infant toys, clothing and accessories. As I folded up the bed side bassinet for storage I was a little sad knowing this phase of Henry's life had already passed. It really did go by quickly. But I found comfort in the thought that some day, not any time soon and God willing of course, we will pull these infant items out again for a Henry sibling. Infant Henry was fun while it lasted but on to bigger and better things!

Baby Jet Lag

The flight home from Hawaii was the overnight flight. Henry slept most of the flight but it still wasn't as good a night of sleep as if he were in his crib. So when we arrived home we were all tired. Henry had zero problem adjusting to the time difference in Hawaii so my hope was that the same would be true when we got home. Not so much. Baby jet lag is not fun! Kyle and I hunkered down and with the glow of Hawaii still over us figured it would be a few rough days...well we were wrong. Our good sleeping baby was still no where in sight after a week! I called the pediatrician and said the words I'm sure he hears from new moms all the time, "There's something wrong with my baby!" Is he teething? Is it another growth spurt? I don't know! I just know Henry hasn't slept since we returned from vacation.
After a thorough exam our doctor explained Henry was going through 4 month sleep regression. It can be triggered by illness, teething or in our case vacation. Great so how do we fix it? The nurse tried to comfort my concern by telling me it usually lasts less than a month. A MONTH! I was a week and half in without sleep and was barely surviving!
And I tried everything! EVERYTHING! I begged, I pleaded, I even promised Henry a car when he turned 16 (if he has straight As of course), if he would just sleep for more than an hour at a time! But he was a tough negotiator and wouldn't give.
Well I'm happy to report that after three weeks and a few days Henry is back to sleeping like a rock star! THANK GOODNESS!! It was the most difficult three weeks since Henry's been born. More difficult than when he was a newborn - FOR SURE! I learned a few things from this experience - the BIGGEST being that Kyle and I were very spoiled by how easy Henry was and what a good sleeper we had! This experience hasn't scared me away from vacations though. Among the SEVERAL sleep baby books I've now read, I learned how to avoid this in the future and will take all the precaution necessary because a tired mommy is not good for anyone!

Maui Baby

Our first family vacation was to Maui, Hawaii. It was really fabulous. We met our friends, Lindsay and Jake and their lil baby girl at the airport, loaded up our rocking mini van to capacity and our vacation began:)
First night there we had dinner outside on the Lani with my Dad and Kay and a perfect sunset.
The vacation was filled with first for Henry and about a million pictures:) We took him swimming almost everyday in the pool and even tried the beach twice. He's a little too young to appreciate the beach though. He kept putting the sand in his mouth and rubbing his eyes. I was having mommy anxiety about him scratching his cornea with a little sand pebble. And I definitely changed a diaper or two that contained sand. Now if that sand got in through the sides of the diaper or went all the way through him...we'll never know. That's when I decided the beach might be better once he's older. We did however enjoy the beach with daily walks and Henry secured in a stroller:)
The first family vacation was a success! And I can't wait for the next one!