These past few nights Daphne has been waking up and crying multiple times, usually around 1am and again at 4am.   Which is a throwback to the days of 90-minute sleep increments and nightly bottle feedings.

I do not miss those days.

We assume that she’s having one or more of the following issues:

A:  She’s teething.  It could be that the occasional discomfort associated with sprouting bones through one’s gum tissue is what’s waking her up.  I can’t really fault her this one; I’m sure that’s painful as hell.

B:  She’s hungry.  Since moving her to the “real food” diet, it’s difficult to tell if she’s getting enough to eat. Sometimes she’s ravenous and devours Pavarotti-sized portions.  And sometimes she pushes her dinner away like it’s Chipotle fugu.  Jen and I have come to the realization that this unsettling period in a child’s life is why parents constantly try to feed their children, and worry about them getting enough to eat, even when they’re 30.

C:  She’s scared.  I think that, in the past, Daphne just assumed we were there with her all night.  So now when she awakes, and stands up in her crib to look around, she realizes that we’re not actually in the room.  And so she panics a bit.  I’ve been trying to alleviate this by going up to her room as quickly as I can when I hear her awake.  If at all possible, before she starts to cry.  Whereupon I gently lie her back down, tuck her in with the afghan that my mom made, and place my hand on her back for about 10 minutes until she goes back to sleep.  My theory here (and this is just a theory; your mileage may vary), is that doing this will cause her less abandonment stress, and ensure she doesn’t begin to actively dislike bedtime.  Thus keeping her crib a “happy place.”

Like this.

See you tomorrow.

j.s.