A few things to catch up on... including sleep

It's been a while hasn't it?

After the 4 month regression period I heard that another one occurs between the 8 to 10 month period,  and that this is the one that is tough to get through.  Boy was that an understatement! 

By 5 months, sure enough Caiden fell back into his fantastic sleeping style (basically falling asleep on own, waking up only once, at most twice,  through the night). All was well,  we were well rested,  then it came...hits you hard and all of a sudden...the sleep regression...again.

Sometime after turning 7.5 months,  just before 8 months,  Caiden started waking up ALL hours of the night and hated being put down...there was no more sleeping on own. It's definitely rattling as you immediately think "what am I doing wrong?  Am I not feeding him enough?  Is he teething?  Is he uncomfortable or in pain?"  There were nights he woke up hourly,  and he would cry if I placed him in crib, the second you put him in; this lasted almost 2 months! During this,  you surely start losing your mind,  Vick and I took turns blaming eachother when we got frustrated due to exhaustion; keep in mind I stopped my afternoon naps at this point because he had reached a stage of basically sleeping through the night prior. I asked other moms and our doctor, and reassuringly found out that this is normal.  Sometimes it's just good to hear others are going through the same thing! 
Here's what happening during this time:
-HUGE development stage (learning to sit, crawl, explore)
-discovering that they are not attached to you,  so separation anxiety even from just leaving the room for a moment.
-may be starting to teeth, even if teeth haven't pushed through,  something is likely occurring below the gums (poor guy)

This was all true in Caiden's case. So because of all this, it's expected to go through this phase of disturbed sleeping. You think it won't end, but it does. It's as  tough as they warned, and you do get worried that he's sleeping enough (even though naps are ok), and you try different things just in case...but it's all ok, this too passes.  Just a few weeks ago we noticed he has started almost sleeping through the night again,  he is starting to sleep in his crib without a fuss again,  and he plays in his play pen without crying if we momentarily step away. It was a phase!

Mind you,  I still put him to bed,  but honestly my baby is only going to be a baby for so long that I really don't mind that. In fact I cherish that moment of reading to him,  then singing and soothing him to sweet sleep.

So what has my little monster (not really a monster,  we lucked out he's a good baby...not a crazy whiner or crier...yet) been up to?
-He learned to sit completely on his own...like a pro. He sits up always,  even during a diaper change.
-He learned to clap his hands, on command and for fun...in fact even when he first learned he wouldn't stop!
-He is officially crawling! He was practicing for a while and would just get angry but surely be figured it out. Though recently he likes to just do the military crawl/slide...funny guy
-He baby talks ALL the time now.  Most of it is discovering sounds but just very recently started saying "momma" then "dadda" and to us!  BEST FEELING EVER!

It's been a busy couple of months, despite less sleep...but amazing!  Now it really feels like time is rushing by, as he is growing and learning these new things which are propelling him to be less dependent on us for movement. It's kind of sad how fast he's growing.  Every day now is literally a new discovery or learning,  there is so much for him to explore and try that it's no surprise why time won't stand still. We are right there watching with excitement and pride and sheer glee...enjoying all these moments is what makes it go all that much more faster.

I'm just trying to capture it, photographically yes, but more in my heart in mind.  It's an indescribable feeling to watch your baby grow.

Ohhhh my bear,  mommy and daddy love you!