girlfiend

Baby sweater

Thursday night, with two days to spare until the shower, I managed to finish the sweater for my future niece or nephew. It’s adorable. Just as cute as the Fiendling’s sweater only it’s probably not as cute in the picture because a handsome baby’s not wearing it.

When I sewed it together I realized that I’d accidentally ironed one side so that it was close to an inch longer than the other side. I nearly had a nervous breakdown trying to iron the other side and the back to match. I also managed to fuck up the decreases on one of the sleeves, but I think I was pretty much able to compensate for that when I sewed it together.

Anyway, the baby’s due right around Christmas. They think they’re having a girl based on the lack of genitalia visible in the ultrasounds. Boyfiend is convinced it’s a boy, which is nothing but wishful thinking on his part. Girl or boy, I certainly hope the baby’s cute, because our Fiendling has really set the standard for cute babies in the family. I am such an obnoxious mom.

An obnoxious mom who’s sore and cranky. Last night, for what seemed like the kajillionth night in a row, I slept with the Fiendling draped across my stomach. He went to bed early for him, around nine (phc- you may have been right about the clock change) but awoke an hour later and went back down in his crib after a good cuddle, awoke an hour after that and nursed back to sleep, then woke 45 minutes after that screaming his little heart out so I gave up and brought him into bed with me so I wouldn’t have to get up to get him every hour.

He sleeps like shit when he’s in bed with us, waking up constantly and he’s been sleeping like shit in his crib- up too often  for me to go and get him all night,so it’s a no-win situation. The absolute worst thing about this is that he used to be a good sleeper. Starting at six weeks old he’d sleep five hours straight. This seems like it’s been the longest stretch of not staying asleep. Even in the beginning of the month, after similar sleep patterns to what’s happening now, when I experimented with 15-20 minutes of CIO he’d fall asleep and stay that way for at least five to seven hours. But lately when I let him cry for a bit he just gets more and more upset. Rather than fussing himself to sleep he’s fussing himself awake. When I peek in he’s on his knees, clutching the bars of the crib, tears streaming down his face, and the screams are heartbreaking.  As soon as I pick him up he slumps against me and sleeps. But once he’s down he’s up 45 minutes to an hour later.

I know he’s not hungry because half the time when he wakes I automatically offer him the breast because I’m asleep and it’s easy, only he’s totally disinterested and just wants to be held. It could be the teeth- the third popped through and now one of his top teeth is visible, yet not through yet, but he’s not actually showing signs of discomfort the way he did with the first two. And the one night I gave him tylenol just to see if it would help it didn’t and I felt bad for needlessly drugging my baby. Maybe he’s working on trying to stand and walk and that’s keeping him up? He pulls himself up pretty well, but he doesn’t seem to be anywhere near walking yet, so perhaps that’s keeping him up?

I don’t know. All I know is that he sleeps on top of me and he has been every night for weeks and my whole body hurts from sleeping like that. But I finished the sweater. And it looks great. And I picked up a new pattern and yarn for the next project. It’s a bear cub cardigan with a hoodie. Cute as can be. I’m knitting it in a size 3/4 so you’ll get to see it some time in the next year or two.