On my own

Ben is back to work this week, leaving me alone with Jack every day.  Yesterday we went to Fort Collins to visit Kristin.  She has a busy week with both her birthday and her due date!  It was great seeing her and Jenni for lunch.  But this meant a long drive with Jack and being away from the house for most of the day.  Despite him deciding he was hungry right when my food arrived, and then letting his poop leak out of his diaper onto my pants in the restaurant, we survived! 

Kristin lent me a book called Babywise.  I haven't read any parenting books yet but I think it was time.  Jack's feedings are chaotic and unpredictable.  I basically feed on demand.  I'm always anxious about when he next need me and feel incompetent about how to care for him all day.  Last night I got only 4 hours of sleep, split up throughout the night.  This book has a simple flexible plan that they recommend.  Apparently I was doing a lot wrong.  I'm going to try to enforce their "feed - waketime - naptime" routine and stop nursing him to sleep, except at night.  I haven't done any "naptimes" yet, just letting him sleep when it happens.  Today I put him down twice and he cried mightily.  But in less than 5 minutes he fell asleep.  Huh.  It worked.  With any luck we can both work out a routine that works for him, so I can feel more in control and less anxious.