It gradually crept up on me... from 6 hours to 5 hours to 4 hours to 2-3 hours every sleep session at night. Yes, the dreaded 4-month Sleep Regression.

None of the fancy books written by MDs mentioned that. Nor did they mention stress incontinence, hair falling out, or any of the other nasty things that happen to all new moms. So save your money and buy MY book, um... when I do write it.

Anyhoo, 5 days of drastically broken sleep were about all I could handle. I was zombie by day and zombie by night. What concentration I had I channelled to work. What good humour I had were focused on baby. There was very little left that I had to call myself human. Then again, the definition of human is quite variable...

Over the weekend I zoned out watching Firefly and even got a little depressed after it was over, feeling a little abandoned by my new friends on their new yet-unscripted adventures. I've always wanted to explore space but don't reckon I'll be able to do so in my lifetime. I did inherit shiny and gorram so all is not lost.

Yesterday baby went for his 2nd innoculation. He squealed once when jabbed and then was okay when it was over. He is 7kg now and 63cm. Heavy for his age but a normal height for his age. His Dad was so proud.

Speaking of eating, we tried rice cereal on Monday since he keeps eyeing our food very enviously. He tried some but didn't show much interest. It didn't help him sleep as promised.

He has been a verbose baby since day one, crying GIIIIII when he was just 2 weeks old, saying Goo when he was about a month (or was it 2 months), and in the last week, starting on Boo, last Saturday saying Baba, and today saying Bebe (which I'd been calling him recently).

Oh yes, back on the sleep thing. It's apparently normal as baby is allegedly learning lots now and can't sleep because his brain is active at night. I can empathise.

Baby finally slept 6 hours straight last night but I was awake till time unknown with my old friend Insomnia on an unexpected visit. He did wake up and talked a little to himself, but fortunately fell asleep again after. I remember the important lesson about teaching your child how to fall asleep himself. I don't think he's forgotten.

I figured it was either: teething, sleep regression, or my diet. The one thing I did different last night was eat more meat. (I also fed him 3 times from 10pm - he slept for a bit after - 11pm, and midnight.) It is possible that the lack of protein in my diet in the last few days could have been responsible for his bad sleep. Now that I gobbled up more meat, he slept pretty much all the way through. My boobs had been pretty soft before too but they are starting to spray again today.

So the diet explanation has my vote...

For today.

At the 5am feed I found myself nursing Jack and adoringly watching Boy groom himself most thoroughly from head to toe. I love this little boy in a cat suit so much. 14.5 years together. It's been a wonderful journey that I hope would never end. Hence my constant worry about his health. Blockages can be fatal. I've been keeping an eagle eye on his litter box habits but between work and baby, it's been hard catching him in action.

So I did what any mother in my position would do. I raised the ire of the other kids and let him sleep in the bedroom with us. Since before bedtime till the last feed I fretted when he didn't use the pan. Twice yesterday afternoon he sniffed at it but didn't use it. I realise I'd forgotten to empty it after bringing it in. So I did. But still no dice. But he was drinking well and eating a lot.

Finally at the 8am feed he followed me to the bathroom and used the pan. After what seemed like eternity, he got up and cleaned himself methodically, from his feet to his paws. I stared into the pan and the anxiety drained from me. It was a large puddle, the size of my hand. I looked at Boy lovingly as he finished grooming and meowed for food. I told him later. I had to feed his baby brother first.

He understood, making himself comfortable while I nursed the baby, who seemed more interested in engaging me in a conversation than feeding.... He watched Jack fascinatedly, possibly pondering how something so small that looks and smells like Mom came to exist. We shared many blinks - cat language for I love you. I've never felt more content, with these two children close to me.

Update: He peed another respectable puddle at 920am and again, a palm-sized puddle at 11am (the latter time after his breakfast and I discovered he'd scurried to pee in the PeeWee pan which I placed in the hallway with newspaper shreddings of course!)

The theory has been refuted. :p But he does look so cute and snug in his sleeping bag.

The night before Jack slept 6 hours, played for 2 (530-730am), and then slept for another 3.

But last night we both slept at 0030am and then at 230am I was awakened by his cry. He fed while I kept dozing off sitting up. Thank goodness for the bed rail... He woke again at 6 and nursed till 7. I couldn't quite sleep till almost 8 and then woke at 9 for work. The cuppa green tea helped some but the compounded sleeplessness is taking its toll.

It doesn't help that I've been worried sick about Boy's condition. But good news came later today.

The other (very frivolous) good news is I can take chocolate again without him puking up a storm and I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight from sheer stress, sleeplessness, and having no time to eat.

I think I've found the Holy Grail of getting your baby to sleep through the night. The past two nights Jack slept 9 hours straight. He woke up once last night at 5am but sucked his hand and fell asleep without crying out at all.

The secret? A sleeping bag for babies. Mine cost 38.50 from Isetan. It is quilted cotton and polyester. It wears like a mermaid suit or a garment bag or with a zip in the front. I'd bought the largest size simply because it was the only size they had in stock which was blue. The constant temperature makes for a comfortable sleep, especially for a baby who has loved kicking off his blankets since he was born.

Sure this is just a sample size of one over an observation period of 2 days. But the simple reason of getting a sleeping bag to avoid your baby suffocating in his blankets is reason enough to buy the sleeping bag. The sleeping through the night is the icing on the cake.

Mike sent me the great news: Asunder, a poem we collaborated on and which appeared in Starline last year, has earned an Honourable Mention in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 2006: 19th Annual Collection.

Having gone on hiatus for 2 years now, I hadn't expected anything after last year (for work published the year before) so this has been a wonderful surprise! :D

I think I've figured out the culprit. Orange juice and very possibly chocolate and green tea. Jack's slept well and more fuss-free the last few nights without the violent spew fest of the week before. Just a burp or two and he was well off into slumberland.

It's been hard giving up my favourite drinks but for the sake of a happy baby and less sleep deprivation. Cumulative sleep deprivation can cause madness, albeit temporary. I'm starting to recover from last week now (or was it the week before?) but still need a + 3 sleep here and there.

Using my SPCA diary to chart sleep and food choices now. Baby still asleep after his third sleep cycle. Declared day time but let him sleep on.

Sleep: 4.5 + 3 (2) + 3
Dinner: Seafood crispy noodles + crysanthemum tea + dragon beard candy (some milk but no tea all day... *sob*)

Beautiful moment over weekend: Seeing 14 year-old Boy roll around playfully in the sun like a baby kitten. :D

Last night although there was quite some fussing, Jack did let me watch my weekly dose of TV, Lost. There were some moments I had to carry him standing but the viewing was pretty smooth sailing. Afterwards I changed him and fed him again. He seemed inconsolable at one point but I realised he might want to be put to bed already. And it worked like a charm. He cooed and gurgled and finally fell asleep by midnight.

He didn't wake again till 5am (back to normal!), nursed for half an hour. I took the opportunity to trim his nails while he rooted half asleep wiggling like a marionette, and changed his diaper. He slept almost instantly when he returned to his crib.

The next time he woke was 830am. He fed quickly and went to sleep within 15 minutes. I'm not sure when he woke again but he fussed, cried once (as I was getting ready to pick him up), and fell back asleep. The next time - daytime declared - was 1130am. He nursed hungrily (while crying "Gi!") and cooed when I changed him and played him his Mozart.

After a few nights of sleep deprivation, last night was a reprieve. I can only conclude that it was either something I ate or a growth spurt. Probably both.

My Dad is happily playing with him now. :D

Sleep: 5 + 3.5 (3) + 3 (2.5)
Song: Crazy by Gnarls Buckley - yesterday his Dad and I danced him to the song while he shrieked in glee. He likes it more than Be My Baby!

After some fussing and a little spit up, he slept like an angel at 1130pm. Woke at 3.30am, 6.30am, and then 9.30am. The night before must have been an aberration. His chart on Tuesday night looked like this: 2 + 2 + 2 + 2.

My Mom bought him bunny bunkins and he's been sleeping better since!

Meanwhile, he's been saying a lot of Goo and Ah Goo to me, himself, Daddy, Grandma, and Grandpa, shrieking with delight, and laughing a lot. :D

Sleep: 3 + 3 + 3
Song: Be My Baby by Vanessa Paradis
Fave Flashcards: Cat, Cow, Fox, Hare, Pig

Last night Jack woke every 2 hours, sometimes for a feed, sometimes for a burp. It wouldn't have been so bad if it had been a once-off. The previous two nights I had the hardest time putting him to bed. Monday night he didn't sleep till 2am. He kept crying and spitting up from 10pm - 2am, and then woke up again at around 5am, 7am, and 9am. The night before was the same except it was from 8pm to midnight. Hence, presenting zombie mom.

Possible causes? They may be separate as last night's 2-hourly thingy seems different from the puke fest the two nights before. Anyhoo, here's a few speculations:

* Growth spurt
* Teething
* Caffeine - been having green tea daily
* Food I ate: dairy, etc

Most likely culprit: growth spurt. It ties in with his age - 10 weeks.

Spoke too soon about feeling lucky. Heh...

Spotted at Rookie Moms:

Activity #423: Say Hola bambino

"Always wanted to polish up your Spanish or learn the basics of French? Do it! Borrow language tapes from the library, or buy them from a bookstore or at berlitz.com. Then practice them around your child. You can also find storybooks in Spanish to read aloud.

Your baby may not actually pick up any words, but research has shown that a baby’s exposure to another language can help improve her mastery of foreign languages down the road."

[Original source: Parents]

Hmm... I should turn on the Mandarin channel and let him immerse then. And maybe play my old Vanessa Paradis CD and sing-a-long with him. It's quite a fun one.

Je t'aime, mon beau bébé!