Yay! I'm not crazy! Oy. Alex is still sick.

Well, not sick, really, but he still has an ear infection. Again, I'm getting ahead of myself. Alex started a round of antibiotics two weeks ago to treat an inner-ear infection. We were supposed to give it to him for 10 days. Well, at the end of 10 days I had the nagging feeling that the ear infection had not gone away. He wasn't running a fever and he wasn't displaying any sure-fire signs of feeling bad. But he just wasn't the happy-go-lucky Alex I know. Not to mention the whole not eating or sleeping thing. But I thought maybe I was just being paranoid and I didn't want to have to pay another $25 for the doctor to tell me he was just fine (I know, shameful, but we had gone to the doctor twice already!). Then, on Wednesday night, a miracle: Alex slept through the night! He was a happy baby all day Thursday (even his teacher noticed a difference). Then yesterday evening he started screaming bloody murder. It wasn't his normal cry. I looked at his ear and it was all "boogery" (doctor's adjective, not mine); blackish-yellow crusties all in and around it. I panicked, took him to the doctor and told Andy to meet us there (he was headed home from work). Long story short: there's good news and bad news. The good news is that because of the building pressure, the infection had bored its way through his ear drum and finally made its way out. The bad news is he still has an ear infection. So we're on a new round of antibiotics and some ear drops. The antibiotics may turn his poop orange or red. We're pulling for orange so he can show his Auburn pride. Joking aside, I think there's a lesson to be learned here. That is that I need to trust my motherly instinct. I knew, just KNEW, he wasn't 100 percent. But with the rising cost of gas (Andy's 120 mile round-trip commute is a killer) and groceries I have become uber-stingy. Luckily, the doctor felt bad about this being our third trip in two weeks, so he knocked $15 off our co-pay. What a nice guy. If only the oil companies were so understanding.

CIO sucks

CIO - that's online parent-speak for "Cry It Out." It's just what it says, a method of getting the baby back to sleep by letting him cry his sad little eyes out. Well, it sucks. We gave it an honest-to-goodness try last night for the first time. We've kind of tried in the past, but usually caved in after a few minutes. But I'm getting ahead of myself ...

About a month and a half ago, Alex got sick for the first time. Before then he was sleeping through the night, but after he got sick he started waking up several times a night. Then, about two weeks ago, he got another ear infection. Ever since then, his sleeping has gotten even worse. With one night being the exception, every single night for the past two weeks, Alex has ended up on the couch or in bed with us. He may wake up off and on the first couple of hours, but then it's like clockwork: at 2:30 a.m. he starts screaming crying and will not stop no matter how long we stand there and pat his bottom or give him his pacifier. Andy suspects that Alex has got us figured out - he knows that we will eventually give up. I'm not so sure he's that smart yet, but I don't have a better explanation.

Anyway, last night we were at our wits end. At 2:30 on the dot, he started crying. We lay (laid?) there in bed and listen to him cry. Five minutes. Ten minutes. Fifteen minutes. By this time, it was blood-curdling, on-the-verge-of-vomiting screaming. And crying always sounds worse over a baby monitor, for some reason. Andy caved. He brought Alex to bed. The crying must have worn him out, though, because he slept very soundly the second he hit our bed (he usually wakes up a few more times, just for fun). For about an hour after being brought to our bed his breathing was staggered, punctuated by hiccups; the way you do after a good, hard cry. I felt a little guilty, but I also have visions of trying to convince a seven-year-old little boy that it's not normal to still sleep in the bed with his parents. Besides, if Alex ever wants a little brother or sister, he has got to cut this out. 'Cause it ain't happening otherwise.

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Worst. Night. Of. Sleep. Ever.

Last night was terrible!! Alex woke up about four times, then at about four a.m., he woke up screaming bloody murder. I'm amazed the neighbors didn't call the cops (of course, two houses on our street are owned by cops ...). Anyway, Alex was screaming his little head off. I think he had gas because when he screamed particularly hard, he would sqeeze out a fart. It would have been funny - if it hadn't been 4 a.m. So we gave him some Tylenol and Mylicon and settled on the couch. The three of us slept on the couch together for the first time since he was a newborn. It would have been nice - if we didn't both have to get up and go to work two hours later. On a lighter note, we attended our first Water Babies class. It was a blast. Alex loves, loves, loves the water. He was splashing and kicking and only cried a tiny little bit when we put him underwater. The third time we dunked him, he spit up in the pool. Oh well. I guess that's to be expected. At least he had a good time! Anybody think, though, there could be a connection between the swimming and the 4 a.m. screaming? Does swimmer's ear occur that quickly? Is there usually a fever with swimmer's ear? Do I need to buy a parenting book or what?

Sleep ... finally!

For a while there, Alex was a dream baby (well, actually, he still is). He was sleeping through the night - every night - and eating like a champ. But then, about a month or so ago, he got sick. Not just the sniffles, but a fever and a virus that caused blisters in his throat. He projectile vomited for the first time. Anyway, he got over the illness quickly, but hasn't been quite the same ever since. He has been a horrible sleeper; on Sunday night, he woke us up about six times in the night (Andy and I each got up three times). But then last night, we had an honest-to-goodness full night of sleep! It was amazing. Even more amazing than when he first did it months ago. But we still need to figure out the eating thing. Before he got sick, he ate everything we gave him except peas and apples (I know, weird). He ate carrots and sweet potatoes and prunes and more. His favorite food, though, was peaches. Ever since he got sick, he will only eat peaches. Anything else we give him, he cries and shakes his head back and forth and slaps the spoon out of our hands. He won't even eat baby food that has peaches mixed with something else (like "fruit medley"). And, yes, we have tried airplane motions and noises. He thinks they are funny until the plane comes in for a landing. Any recommendations?? Anyone???