PT and sleep update

After these first few nights in his crib I am finding that Rhys seems to sleep much better than he did in the pack 'n play. Hopefully that isn't a random occurrence. That isn't to say he doesn't still pull the cannula (and yes we use the little mittens but he gets those off, but thanks for suggesting it), but overall he sleeps much more peacefully and much longer. He more or less stays in the same position through the night, with minimal movement, so that to me says he is sleeping well and not tossing and turning. In the pack 'n play he always ended up in the same corner no matter which direction or position you put him in. He is sleeping through the night, with only the occasional exception. The last few days he's eaten very little, think ~12 ounces/day, and when he has woken up during the night I've fed him. The nice, long hours of uninterrupted sleep at night is making his nap times somewhat shorter during the day, but we are on a roundabout schedule for the first time since he came home. He wakes between 7am-9am, goes down for naps between 10am-11am and 2pm-3pm and is then in bed between 6pm-9pm depending on the events of the day. To those who think this doesn't sound like much of a schedule, it is relative to what we started with and I'm loving it!

We had PT again this afternoon and his therapist was pleased with some progress she saw in Rhys from his last session two weeks ago. His legs are much looser than they have been (making it easier for him to sit), he is grabbing for many more things than he has previously and his sitting "technique" is improving. In addition to his foot work with his toys, he is also increasingly showing more interest in pulling forward to sit while he is in his swing, bouncy, etc. He isn't pitching himself backward nearly as much when we practice sitting, though he is still lazy and slumps when he doesn't want to work. She keeps telling me his inability to organize things is very common in preemies, and I do believe her and accept that even though it doesn't make it any less frustrating. I am lugging around an 18 pound sack of flour that should, in a perfect world, be sitting, crawling and not rely 100% on me to do everything for him. She said she sees good markers of Rhys's development and he'll get it all when he's ready to get it. The boy knows how to get what he wants! I think that is one reason he frequently screams during PT... the therapist doesn't let him quit working and that is good for him. I do the same thing with him at home, but to a lesser extent since we don't have hour long sessions.

Recently I ordered a baby sign language activity set with flashcards and a book to teach me what I need to know. I am trying my best to identify things for Rhys - telling him about whatever behavior I do/do not like, what he is holding, what he is doing, etc. He is getting to the age that he should begin learning cause and effect and I'm hoping the baby sign language will be especially helpful for communication for us both. We'll have to wait and see what he thinks about it.