Thursday, 7/8/10- Lyra is 3 1/2 months old (15 weeks).
Kip & I have been growing increasingly suspicious that Lyra is like Mary in temperment. As a baby Mary was SO interested in people and what was going on around her that you could NOT feed her if there was anyone in the room or even if the television was on. She would constantly pop on & off the bottle, turning & looking anytime she heard anyone talking. She did this from very early- at 4 or 5 days old she was doing this. If we had company over & it was time to feed her, I would have to take her back into her bedroom and feed her in there. Otherwise she was so distracted by talking, etc. that she couldn’t eat and then she would start crying, almost hysterical because she was so hungry. But as soon as I took her to a quiet room she would settle down and eat voraciously. She also really wanted her crib to sleep in fairly early- by 4 months old it was the only place she would sleep and she wouldn’t sleep without her “meme”- the blanket Great Gramma Johnston made her. I remember one time when Mary was 4 or 5 months old my sister, Sarah, stayed with Mary while I had an OB appointment (I was pregnant with Nathan by the time Mary was 2 months old!). I told Sarah that when she put Mary down for her morning nap to be sure to cover her with the meme because she wouldn’t sleep without it. I think Sarah thought I was full of nonsense since most babies do not attach to anything that early. When I came home that afternoon she said to me, “you know, Kelly, you’re right about the meme! I put Mary down for her nap & she cried for 45 minutes! I couldn’t get her settled until I finally gave her the meme and she went to sleep right away!” Also, Nathan & Savvy were pretty portable, sleep wise, for quite a long time. They would sleep well in the infant carrier or stroller and slept fine in the playpen or anywhere out in the house. Mary would cry & cry- it was just to much stimulation for her. As soon as I put her in her crib she would do the “tuck & roll” as Kip and I called it. She’d grab hold of that meme in her little fist, roll to the side a little and she was out.
Lyra, 7/3/2010
SO- On to Lyra! We have been thinking for some time that possibly the tv and Kip & I talking in the evening was keeping her awake. She wasn’t falling asleep on our shoulders as well as she had early on. She’s been having a really difficult time settling down for naps during the day- I’ve been keeping her downstairs with us during the day & I think the noise and commotion of the other 3 kids has been disturbing her. We decided to see what would happen if we started to occasionally put her down in her crib in the nursery. On Sunday, we put her in the crib when she got fussy in the late afternoon and we couldn’t get her to settle. She went right to sleep and slept for an hour, hour and a half or so. On Tuesday evening, we were were putting the big kids to bed and we set Lyra down in her crib just to free up our hands for the other 3 kids pajamas, teeth, etc. We came back 10 minutes later and she was sound asleep. This was around 7:30pm. Around 9:30 or 10pm, we got her up, changed her diaper & I did her “dream” feed. Then we put her down in the bassinette in our room and she slept until 5:30am
Last night, (Wed. 7/7/10) we decided to see what would happen if we skipped the dream feed. I gave her one last nursing at around 7:30, changed her diaper, put on her pj’s and laid her down in her crib by 8pm. She slept all night in her crib, waking up at 5:20am for her morning feeding. I must confess, I am SO disappointed! I really, really liked having her to ourselves in the evening. Kip & I enjoy the 1-on1 time with her and I like having her close to me in the night. BUT, obviously that is more about what I want then what she apparently needs. 
SO- although I expect there will be a few bumps here & there, I think she will be sleeping in her crib now with an 8pm ish bedtime.
Lyra in her crib, 7/7/2010
