A New Sleepsack for Ellis

Shortly after we brought Blanden home from the hospital, we discovered that in order to sleep -- if there was any chance of sleep at all -- he had to be swaddled, tightly. In fact, he liked it so much he was swaddled until he was six months old, even while sleeping right next to us. Here is a photo of Blanden in the "super swaddle," as we called it, taken on June 23, 2008.

The night we brought Ellis home from the hospital, we pulled out the beloved super swaddle, sure that it would come in handy once again -- only to quickly discover that little E hates having his arms tucked in so tightly. He squirmed and fought and protested his way out -- and he is a mellow baby. So he has been sleeping like this instead, perfectly happy to have his arms free and clear.

Thus it seemed the time was right for a brand-new sleepsack Ellis can call his own. Blanden didn't start using these until he was much older, so big brother didn't have one this small to hand down. Here is Ellis modeling his new blanket.

I think he likes it!

And just for fun, here is another photo of Blanden taken on June 23, 2008...

And one of Ellis taken this morning, wearing the same outfit. Now this Blanden could hand down. :)

Two cuties for sure!

Who Is This Little Boy?

Is this really the same toddler who as a newborn absolutely required the most ideal conditions for sleep? Less than three minutes before this photo was taken, Blanden was climbing on the couch wrestling with his Dad. Suddenly, Blanden grabbed his giraffe and pushed Dad's hand away. Wanting to reaffirm Blanden's independence, Dad went to make an espresso and upon his return came to find this once "delicate sleeper" contently slumbering. This scene is made even more implausible given that Dad's early-90s electronica was playing in the background. Amazing!

Sleeping through the Night...

Last night, Blanden slept until 7 a.m., all on his own. The night before, he slept until 6.

He usually sleeps from about 8 to 10 p.m. in his sling, then we give him his bedtime bottle and he sleeps in his crib from around 10:30/11 to sometime between 4 and 5. Then I usually bring him into bed with us and we all sleep for another couple hours.

Unfortunately, it seems to have come with his first cold. He has a stuffy/runny nose and a slight loss of appetite, but otherwise seems to be okay. We'll keep you posted.