Last week of 2008

So this past week was one of the most stressful week of 08 for me and makes me happy it is over. Not only did we have the brilliant idea that would move Claire over to a bed this week, but Lizzie got herpes stomatitis. Which if you do not know what that is, imagine cold sores all over you toungue, gums, lips, throat. It was an awful week. Lizzie was running a fever for the better part of a week and miserble. She hardly ate anything. She was whiny and generally crabby and she got up two to three times every night. She is starting to get a little better! Thankfully, but it was a long process. That is probably the worst she has ever been sick and I do not want to go through that ever again. It does make me grateful she is generally healthy. I know some parents have kids who are sick for their whole lives, so we are very fortunate.

On the Claire sleep issue- She sleeps awful laying on her back. We have successfully kept her from sleeping in a swing for the whole week, but it has been a painful process. In one night she got up 8 times. Babies with acid relfux generally sleep very poorly on their backs and she is no exception and excessive crying makes acid reflux flair up, so we decided to lay a screaming baby on her back. yeah, that was fun. Anyway, we have rocked her to sleep a few times this week (for our sanity.) But overall she has fallen asleep on her own. So that is good, but the wkaing up 8 times a night thing is making me crazy. Between her waking up and Liz waking up some nights I was up 6 times. (Bad math i know, but my loving husband took half.) She has slept on her tummy on occaision for naps. (Mostly when she was in the same room with me.) So we experimented and layed her on her belly one night. She woke up once for a bottle and went right back to sleep. Needless to say she is a tummy sleeper now. I know no pediatrician would recommend it, but the research I have done says babies with acid relfux tend to relfux less when laying on their sides or tummies. Some relfux doctors will actually recommend infants with severe reflux sleep on their tummies. And with much prayer, worry and deliberation this is what we have decided. Now I am hoping sleep can get a little more normal. I do not think I or my poor husband, who takes the brunt of my stress, can take much more.