My son’s sleeping patterns have been altering a little bit. I notice this because he still sleeps with Mom and Dad (something we really enjoy). It seems that he sleeps less often during the day than he used to when he was less adept at tasks like playing. It makes sense though: why sleep if you can have fun? Last night he had laughing fits with his Mom (and Dad was there to record with the video camera!) and he’s also been sitting up on his own with significantly greater confidence. All of this, perhaps, has led to his lacking desire to sleep while his parents are awake or there is something to do.
This sleeping less during the day would seem to indicate sleeping better during the night… but the ratio isn’t 1:1. Far from it. Other factors come into play: teething, growing, and new foods. Lately he’s been very fussy at night and tends to nurse pretty much throughout just to stay calmed, comforted, and asleep. Once he falls asleep, however, he’s rocking and rolling back and forth to find a comfortable position. His constant movement is a little much for the queen sized bed and I often find myself hugging the edge and hoping for two things: not to wake him up and not to fall down onto the floor.
Our son has also started to sleep on his back (in between his rolling). It used to be that we’d lay him on his stomach, he wouldn’t move, and would stay not moving for a period of time called sleep. During the past week I got home one night to find him sprawled out in the middle of my space. Thanks, son. Dad, knowing Mom needed the sleep, moved to the sofa for half of that night. My wife lovingly came to get me in the middle of the night when he was being fussy again. Thanks, dear. The night is so interesting in our house that I don’t even need to dream anymore. It’s taken up by daydreams… of a king-sized bed.