Over the past 2-3 weeks Declan has developed a Love/Hate relationship for me, particularly after the sun sets. During the day, on any day, I can make Declan smile as wide as Lincoln did. The same open mouth, full body smile, occasionally coupled with a laugh. I often catch him looking at me from Shelley’s lap just smiling away. It’s very reminiscent of how Lincoln was around this age. I love it! Here is a post I wrote about Linc's smiley face when he was about Declan's age.
Now, Dex is a great sleeper both during the day and at night. But during the day he puts himself to sleep and doesn’t fight. At night though, Declan needs reassurance about every half hour. Shelley and I will put him down for bed around 7, and he’ll wake up around 7:30. One of us runs up there to coax him and get him back to sleep. If he falls asleep in his room, he’ll sleep for another half hour. Then the dance starts again. This happens until he finally falls asleep for good between 9-10:30 p.m. Lately, I have been trying to take the “early shift” with Declan before we go to bed. When he first wakes up and cries, I run upstairs to coax him and try to get him back to sleep. This is where the love/hate relationship takes on a darker shade. As soon as Declan knows it’s me (usually as soon as I open the door to a completely dark room – and he somehow knows it’s me) he starts yelling and crying inconsolably. Nothing I do will help calm him down, not even the 5 S’s (suck, sideways, shh, swaddle, swing). Nothing. This goes on for minutes until Shelley comes up to help. As soon as he hears her voice, he starts to calm down. As soon as she takes him, he melts into her arms. It’s pretty comical, and frustrating at the same time. I know it’s just a phase, but it can be difficult some nights. Luckily, I think the trend is starting to wane (knock on wood). The past few nights have been a little better!
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