Sleeping Beauty

Little Benjamin is the sleepiest eater ever. It seems no matter how hungry he is, once he starts eating, it's off to dream land. Consequently he doesn't end up eating very much and then is hungry soon after. Often just laying him down on a blanket so he's not all warm and cozy next to me will wake him up, but when that fails, I've tried tickling his back, feet, hands, and/or face. I've also shaken him, blown on him, talked loudly to him, and sprinkled water on his face. Last night Kelly went so far as to stick his foot in a cup of cold water! It did the trick for about 5 seconds before he dozed off again. Yesterday I thought I'd time him from the time he latched on to the time his eyes closed and he stoped sucking. Any guesses? 39 seconds. Yes, seconds. The other issue this creates is what the baby whisperer calls "snacking." He only eats an ounce or two each time and then is hungry again right away, once he's awake enough to realize it (usually about 15-20 minutes later). She says to try to drag out the time between feedings at first by 10 minutes, then 15, and so on until they're eating every 2.5 to 3 hours like they should. I've tried that. What happens is that he cries those whole 10 or 15 minutes and wears himself out so that by the time I finally give up and feed him, he's even more tired and he eats even less!! Not effective. The strange thing is that at night he goes 3-4 hours at a time and eats a full 4+ ounces before going back to sleep. I can't figure out why he can't do it during the day. Alas, this is the newest battle we're facing. I'm sure it'll will change in a day or two.

In other news, Benjamin has now been taking real baths. His cord finally fell off at 4 weeks. Here's a picture from our first bath attempt using a fancy baby bath tub. (With a carefully placed wash cloth.) I decided immediately I didn't like the tub because he doesn't actually sit in the water, so it's just like the sponge baths he was taking. Plus, he gets cold sitting wet like that. You can see on his face he's not too enthused. So, since then it's been bath time in the sink, but I've been alone doing all those, so no pictures just yet. (Bath time with a baby makes you wish you had 5 hands - 2 to hold him, 2 to wash him, and 1 to grab all the stuff you need, like shampoo, towels, etc.) It's so cute seeing his face as I lower him into the water. His eyes get really big in surprise. Once he's in, he seems to enjoy it. Today he smiled at me the whole time as I washed him. Plus, he looks so cute in his little baby towel with the corner that folds over his head. I noticed he's got a rash around his chest and neck and into his hair, though. I'm not sure if that's just baby hormones and skin issues or a reaction to something. Just in case, our bath today was just plain water, no baby soap. We'll see if it clears up. It doesn't seem to bother him, so I hope it's not serious.