So, if you follow me on Twitter, you know that I tweet often about Binary Boy’s challenges with taking naps (and the length of them) and I’ve blogged off and on about his (lack of) naps, too. Every baby has his or her own challenge. Napping has always been Binary Boy’s challenge. Mostly, it’s napping, not sleeping, as he sleeps through the night pretty often (or only wakes once), and has from a relatively young age, too. I believe around 6 months he started sleeping 10-12 hours through the night.

After our “before sleep” routine for every nap and at bedtime (with added bath before bed), I lay next to Binary Boy and sing a song, then quiet.. shhh… until he is past REM and into a deep sleep. I then carefully move him into his crib. Even though it takes up more of my personal time during the day, I relish those moments with him. The quiet, hushed stillness of relaxing into sleep.

Now, if he doesn’t fall asleep, that’s a whole different, frustrating story, but I talk enough about those times. I want to remember the good nap times, which truly are most days.

He used to be a cluster nurser, “snacking” for almost two hours at a time, then napping for an hour, then waking hungry again, so a nap schedule just never took with him. Up until about 4 months, he used to just fall asleep nursing (he still nurses twice a day, but rarely falls asleep during anymore) or in the Ergo baby carrier and I’d place him in his co-sleeper next to our bed or keep him in the Ergo. That was easy.

At 4 months, he grew out of the co-sleeper, so I’d lay next to him in our bed to get him to sleep and just sneak away quietly. I used to love hearing his soft breathing and gazing at the silhouette of his peaceful face while I hummed and watched him slip into sleep.

When he began to crawl around 5 and a half months I moved the whole routine into his room. We bought a twin mattress and put it on the floor and that is what I still use to get him to sleep. Though, it was then that I truly realized that napping was his challenge. He is a very light sleeper and very sensitive to any out-of-the-ordinary noise.

I tried letting him cry-it-out for two days while we had family visiting here. That was enough for both of us to turn completely in knots, even though it was no longer than 45 minutes to an hour. I know that works for many parents, but it did not work for us, and especially did not work with Binary Boy, as a high-need baby. I have not done it since and don’t plan to, ever again.

Instead, I got creative. I use both a white noise machine and a music soother. Those help a lot. I eventually hung black-out curtains. They also helped, but I hated them. Even during the day it was pitch black in his room, so it was hard for me to see him. Eventually, however, my eyes would adjust and spot his sweet face. The dim light of the monitor helped cast very dim shadows, enough so that I could barely see the outlines of his nose, cheeks and lips. Sometimes a very stubborn ray of sunshine would make it’s way through the cracks in the curtains. I secretly loved those sunrays. I took those curtains down a few weeks ago. I hated them that much. He seems to like it better now, too.

The nap routine is still the same to this day, though he is really only taking one nap a day now. He still needs two. I know it’s normal to move to only one nap a day, but he gets really tired without two. I do not try to get him down twice anymore, though. So, I opt for a slightly earlier bedtime. It seems to be working out okay.

In a couple of years, I know he might not want to nap at all, and I will love our extended daytime adventures when that happens. For now, though, I still enjoy watching the silhouette of his chest rising and falling in the time just before he takes a long exhale and drifts off to dreamland.

PS – I was looking for a photo or two to include in this post and then I realized that we have no photos of Binary Boy sleeping, because, well, he is such a light sleeper that taking a photo would wake him up (seriously). We do have a few snapshots of him asleep in the car seat, however they are on Kevin’s iPhone. Next post will hopefully include some current photos.

I managed to keep it together while reading “The Going to Bed Book” and my voice cracked a few times while reading “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”, but I didn’t cry until I closed the door behind me after I put him down for his morning nap. He didn’t nurse yesterday or today (Dec. 13). He’s not yet 14 months, yet he’s already [almost?] weaned.

It’s been all him. I still offer him the option to nurse twice a day (morning and evening) and up until the point he is about to latch, he seems interested.. and then, he squirms his way up to sitting and points to another book on the shelf for me to read.

I know one of my jobs as his mom is to make him not need me, but why is it that I still want that closeness with him. Mother Nature can be so cruel.

I’ve been babywearing Binary Boy since he was born. I first started with a sling, used it for about a week and decided that I didn’t really like it. Then I switched to a Mei Tai and used that for a while, but felt it wasn’t supportive enough for my back.

After doing some research and reading some blogs, I got an ERGObaby Carrier. And that is all I’ve ever used since. I am hooked! I still use it on a daily basis and especially enjoy shopping while babywearing Binary Boy. It keeps him close and I never have to worry about him if I have to leave the cart for a minute.

Ms. Babywearer herself, Stephanie, over at Adventures in Babywearing, asked for favorite babywearing photos. I only have a few, unfortunately. I will have to remedy that! However, choosing from the few that I have, here are my favorites:

I’ve removed the photos themselves, but here are the details:

• Babywearing at the Texas State Capitol Building in Austin – March 27, 2009 – Binary Boy is 5 months old
• Babywearing while sporting shades, June 1, 2009 – Binary Boy is just over 7 months old
• Babywearing at Whole Foods, October 11, 2009 – Binary Boy is about two weeks away from his 1st birthday.

She has been featuring the winners of the Sakura Bloom Triathlon contest and it’s been fascinating to read about others who practice babywearing! Go take a look. Even if you’re not into babywearing, Stephanie’s writing and photos are captivating.

It’s a good thing that I write down Binary Boy’s milestones in my trusty Moleskin notebook, because at this point, one of the last things I want to do at the end of the day is try to remember anything.

In addition to being physically tired from chasing the little guy all over the house (yes, sometimes I literally have to run to keep up – he crawls that fast now), my brain is mush by end of day. Combine the two and, after dinner is done, all I want to do is veg out.

Binary Boy is so happy he's finally mobile. Betcha can't catch me!

So, here are Binary Boy’s milestones during his seventh and eighth months! Better late than never, right?

Seven Months

• “Real” crawling – Binary Boy started crawling the traditional way of tummy up off the floor. See photo above. No more army crawl!
• Babbling and words – Started saying “ma-ma-ma” and “da-da-da” more clearly.
• Pulling up to standing – This was a fun milestone to watch the progress of. One day he would pull halfway up, then the next day he was standing tall!
• Standing steady – After he would pull himself up, he would usually drop back down, but towards the middle of month seven he could stand for longer periods of time and very steadily.
• Regular sleep (and nap) schedule – This was a BIG one for both of us and it is all due to the amazing book “Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child“. Binary Boy has always been a light sleeper and would not stick to a sleep schedule on his own, so I had to do it for him. Let me tell you, I wish I would have started the sleep scheduling earlier. It’s been a real reliever of stress for both of us, I think.
• Understands “No” and simple commands – I looked this one up, because the pediatrician said Binary Boy is very advanced for this particular skill. This one is usually mastered around 10-11 months! Wow.

Eight Months

• Eating much more solid food – Both morning and evening (and soon to be lunch time), Binary Boy gets at least a serving (for his age) of solid food. I introduce new foods (with the help of “The Petit Appetit Cookbook” – love this book!) every 3 days or so and I still have several left, as the summer months bring a large amount of fresh organic food!
• Walking using non-stationary object – His balance has improved greatly and he is using all sorts of objects to use as “walkers”. His favorite is rearranging the dining room chairs, which slide easily on the tile floor and the laundry basket, which, when full (I do not let him use it when it’s empty as it tips over too easily!), is easily pushed across the living room rug.
• Started cruising – I think cruising is the right word to use. From what I understand, it means he walks while constantly holding onto something. His favorite is cruising around the living room couches and his Baby Einstein toy. Fun!
• Words, words, words – In addition to the traditional “ma-ma” and “da-da”, he has now added “ba-ba-ba”, “day-day-day”, “nay-nay-nay” and “nigh-nigh”. The last one, I think, means “night-night”.
• Dancing! – Takes after his mom with this one. He LOVES to bop to any music playing and gets this huge grin on his face. It’s seriously cute!
• Started feeding self – Consistently, that is. He would do it intermittently in month seven, but in month eight, especially towards the end, he got really good at it. His pincer grasp still isn’t quite perfected, yet, but ohh.. he’s so close! His favorite foods to eat by himself are HappyBaby Apple Puffs and HappyBaby Banana Puffs. I want to try the Greens Puffs soon, as Binary Boy really enjoys veggies. (Also, do you see a running theme with the puffs? I had been trying O-type cereal for a while and he never quite took to them, but after I found something that melted in his mouth – the puffs – it was like he was a different baby when it came to feeding himself!)

So, hopefully, for this month (nine), I will post sometime within the actual month. No promises, though! I’ve learned my lesson with that. Mom of nine-month-old = makes no promises with her free time.