UPDATE: Mental Leap 7 – The stormy period (Wonder Weeks)

You guys, I know I posted about wonder week 7 when it began a month ago…. well, here we are with 7 days left (this wonder week lasts 6 weeks… talk about BRUTAL!) and I shit you not.. this is a DOOZY!!!!! If you are entering into this wonder week, or in the midst of it.. I will say that while it’s a nightmare, there’s also some REALLY amazing outcomes.

First off, I will say that B has been sleep trained. We did this around 5-6 months and 99% of the time he falls asleep by himself without any issue. Around 8 months we night weaned and he began sleeping through the night. For the past two months, we’ve had very little issue with sleep. He falls asleep by himself without any protest for 2 naps (9:30am & 2pm) and at bedtime (7pm), and wakes up between 6:15-6:45 in the morning without any wake ups. It has been 2 months of bliss!

When this wonder week began at week 42, there were a few days of crappy naps, but for the most part bedtime and nights stayed the same. B was also a bit cranky and clingy through the day, but overall it was totally bearable.

AND THEN F’N MONSTER BABY COMES TO TOWN.

Wednesday morning, B woke up at 3:20am and was absolutely refusing to go back to sleep (If he does wake up, I can get him back down fairly easily with a brief cuddle and a subtle twinkle twinkle). This time, it took me over an hour of holding, rocking, swaying, shh’ing to get him back to sleep so that my day did not begin at 3:20am! He was then up for the day at 6:15am with a giant middle finger in my face. Thank you.. Thursday –  5am rolls around and I look on the monitor to see him sitting up in his crib jabbering for me. Oh hell no! I go into his room to try and snuggle him back to sleep, and when I think he’s out I try to place him gently in his crib only for him to shoot back up immediately and start screaming. This went on for over an hour… at which point I gave up and began our day. Honestly, I feel like I am dealing with a newborn again!

Besides sleep, B has been a complete mess when he’s left on his own. I must be with him AT ALL TIMES. He needs constant contact with me, and if I am holding him and try to put him down it’s the end of the world! He doesn’t want to just sit on my lap either.. it’s mobility or nothing. Feeding times are also hectic! He has really come to like finger foods, and really puts up a fight when being fed purees. We are really lucky in that B will eat just about any food we put in front of him….but this past week or so has just been a disaster. He wants to feed himself, and that’s it. He even wants to take the spoon, scoop up the food and insert into his mouth.. or cheek…or eye. It doesn’t help that a few weeks ago he got his first tooth, and another one just now poking through.

There’s no level 5 to this kid. It’s 0 or 100…. and lately, we’ve been operating at 100.

Here’s the good news!!

The changes that have taken place in the past month are absolutely remarkable. I actually feel like B is a completely different baby now. Here are a few of his new learned skills:

• He is pulling himself up and cruising along the furniture, and has made a few attempts at letting go of the furniture to stand unassisted.
• He points at things and grunts as if to ask “what’s that?!” – and points where he wants to go.
• He is putting sounds together to form semi-words.. he can say “uh-oh” and almost says “hi” and “dada”
• He is getting into a sitting position from lying down. This one is great, but also super annoying because he does this in his crib and then can’t lay back down on his own.
• He starts to bounce and dance to music, claps his hands, and is almost waving.
• He’s been very vocal. It’s as if he’s really trying to talk and communicate.
• He can climb (sort of) up the cushions on the couch. We stack them in a stair like pattern and he can make his way up.
• As mentioned above, he can grab a spoon and bring food to his mouth. He’s also feeding himself finger foods like a champ.
• He’s opening drawers and cupboards – which needless to say has sparked some much needed baby proofing efforts!

If you can believe it, none of these milestones had been achieved prior to this last month… so if you’ve doubted the truth behind the wonder weeks then I encourage you to observe your child very closely through these periods and make note of the changes. It’s truly incredible how much changes so quickly.

While we still have a week left to go (according to the chart) I am going to stock up on coffee, buy some new concealer, and drink a lot of wine!

Check back next week, as I will update this post next week to share whether we’ve made it through the stormy period.