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This fifth month has been full of ups and downs - from sleeping progression and regression (the main theme for month 5) to our first long road trip for Thanksgiving, and even developmental growth.
Sleep Training
So the saga continues.
After coming back from Maryland, James had a 4 day work conference which put our sleep training on a one-week delay. There was no way I would be able to do it alone. I'd probably cave 30 minutes in (if even). Thankfully for the week that James was gone, my parents came up to help with Zion. Most of the days were filled with lounging around on the play mat.
We took the crying it out cold turkey approach based on our cousin's recommendation and for the most part, Zion did great after a few nights! Night one started with 30 minutes of crying (while I hid in the garage and James sat in the room to reassure me) and by the third night, Zion was down to about 10 minutes. He was able to sleep longer 7 - 10 hour segments pretty consistently for a week... until we drove down to SoCal for Thanksgiving... which brings me to...
Thanksgiving Back Home
A 14 day trip that was cut short to 10 days because I couldn't wait to get Zion back home in his own crib.
There were two wild variables that I was anxious for on our Thanksgiving trip: 1.) how Zion would do on a long car ride given his aversion to the car seat and 2.) how Zion would sleep in a new environment when we had just started sleep training the week before. Both were about what I expected - not ideal :)
We decided to break up the drive down by staying overnight in Santa Barbara (a slight detour but at least Zion would only sit in the car for 4 hrs vs 6+ hrs). We timed the drive to start after he woke up from a nap and was fed so that we could squeeze a 3 hour chunk of driving before taking a break. For the most part, things went according to plan and we only stopped once in SLO to pick up dinner too. However, the last 1.5hr to Santa Barbara felt SO incredibly long and Zion was losing his patience. It didn't help that we were driving in the dark so he couldn't be easily entertained (noted for future trips). By the time we got to the hotel, we quickly rushed to get him set up and put down before eating in a corner of our hotel room to not disturb him. The setup was pretty comical (and likely to repeat for future trips :)). Thankfully, we had a shorter drive the next morning so we made a stop at the pier and downtown before heading to my parents' house.
It was so nice to be back home with the (grand)parents and see their interaction with Zion. My parents graciously came up to NorCal to help with Zion when James was at his work conference so being able to be with them for Thanksgiving again was a sweet blessing. After having Zion, I have a newfound appreciation for my mom (and all moms - superheroes with invisible capes) and feel soooo spoiled having her help.
Our days in SoCal were pretty relaxed and filled with comfort food, visits with friends, and walks in the neighborhood. It was so special for Zion to finally be able to meet my closest girl friends back home who will hopefully be aunties in his life for good :)
James ended up flying to Atlanta for a family matter while we were down in LA and Zion must have known that mama was alone because coincidentally, that is when his sleeping significantly declined.
For the first few nights down in SoCal, Zion regressed a little but would still manage to give us a 5 or 6 hour stretch of sleep. By the time James left for Atlanta, Zion's longest stretch of sleep was only 3 hours or so and he started waking up almost every hour after that. By the time James came back, I was a zombie. Exhausted and ready to go home.
We originally planned to do a straight shot drive back without stopping anywhere overnight but I knew that it would be very tough for Zion (and likely result in a not so pleasant drive with a crying soundtrack). We found a hotel deal and decided to stop overnight in Pismo - the halfway point. The only challenging parts of drives with Zion (besides him not liking his car seat) is timing wake ups from naps with a place to stop and feed. Sometimes he can wait for 30 min+ to eat and sometimes the world is ending if milk isn't available within 5 minutes.
The next morning, we left Pismo and planned to stop only when Zion needed it so we could get home as early as possible and settle in. The drive was supposed to take 3.5 hrs. Apparently Zion wanted to make a few stops along the way because in the end, we drove for almost 8 hours :)
Sleep Training V2
After we got back home, Zion immediately slept better without much intervention (back to 7 hours of sleep!). We've had some regression here and there but it's been a world of difference. I absolutely love that he loves home and find comforts in his crib but this also makes me worried about him being a good traveller. We're tackling one thing at a time for now.
We're still working on independent sleep (he cries when being put down) and working in longer stretches throughout the night. The saga continues...
The Day In Between
November was filled with a lot of days at home as it started to get colder outside. We dressed up in costumes that didn't make the cut for Halloween, went on a quick local trip to Santa Cruz where Zion missed the beach views but woke up in time to watch mama and papa eat :), and hung out in the coziness of home.
Christmas!
The end of this month also marks the beginning of the Christmas season and I could not be more thrilled to make memories for Zion as a family. There is much on our list and this year just feels extra cozy to be able to enjoy these cherished days at home together. On the list
- Bring home a freshly cut tree
- Christmas lights walk through
- Pictures with Santa
- Homemade ornament
- Christmas in the park or at the gardens
- Friendsgiving / holiday get together
- Christmas baking
Developmental Changes
Zion has become so interactive and aware of his surroundings. It's surreal how quickly he can change even from day to day much less month to month! This month he:
Started rolling (half?) over independently! He can go from belly to back but is still working on back to belly. Generally, he doesn't enjoy being on his belly for that long and now that he knows this skill, tummy time requires many resets haha.
People recognition. Z knows who his mama is and is now more and more aware when I leave the room or am not around. He is also starting to show preferences so we're trying to socialize him a bit more.
Mouth exploration. Everything goes in the mouth. Part of this may be signs of teething but the other part is likely just a way for him to explore the world around him. Chair? He'll try to eat it. Paper? That too. Apparently bland things taste good ;)
Grabbing and hand coordination. By trying to get everything into his mouth, Z has also improved his hand eye coordination and now reaches pretty well for things around him. He is a so curious and we constantly find him moving his head to see everything. We also also way more mindful now (more so than we already were) about things like phone and screen usage around him.
Working on sitting so that he can try solids later this month! He's shown so much interest in food and he enjoys the different vantage point he has sitting vs lying down
Z is overall a happy baby and I'm so thankful for his sweet little personality! Days are filled with smiles and giggles which continue to melt me. He is fairly calm unless he is tired and is always joyful to just be with us. Mommy and daddy are indeed his favorite toy.
We love you so much our sweet 5 month old little boy! Our days are so much brighter with you - even the endless laundry is more pleasant when its 100 articles of little clothing :)
You are our joy!