Two year check-up

(Boring) update for family / friends / Jimmy's fan club: This afternoon Jimmy had his two-year check up. For the first time, our doctor didn't just give him the thumbs up and spend the appointment going through the milestones and safety tips.

When I told our doctor about Jimmy's sleep troubles--he sleeps from 7:30-12:00 am and then wakes every couple hours until waking for good around 4:00 am--she seemed concerned. It was nice to have her take what is a huge problem in our lives seriously. She said that by two years old children typically sleep through the night whether their parents have let them "cry it out" or not, and that children who go to sleep easily but can't stay asleep (besides occasional wakings) might have something else going on. She took blood to check his thyroid and said we'd keep an eye on it. She said in the meantime she wouldn't recommend letting him cry at night, since he's clearly stressed and his willingness to go to sleep at bedtime shows it isn't a behavioral issue.

While I'm a little nervous about the chance that something is off with Jimmy, I feel relieved that she doesn't believe we are to blame for his sleep troubles. I remind myself that we've followed the same routine with both our children, and that Charlie is a good sleeper (except when Jimmy is screaming in their room). Charlie started sleeping through the night when he was just a few months old, and when he regressed at about eight months, we used the Ferber Method to get him back on track. He'd sleep until 7:00 or so if Jimmy wasn't so loud in the mornings.

Jimmy's a different story. As an infant he only napped for 10 minutes or so at a time. I didn't think much of this until our pediatrician at the time made an offhand comment about how babies who don't nap for long stretches often turn into children who don't sleep for long stretches. I foolishly brushed her comment off, thinking "but we know the Ferber Method!" Looking back, I had no idea what sleepless babies are capable of.

In my heart I know Jimmy is doing his best to sleep, and truthfully I think abandoning him at night would be unbearable for both of us. I think I'm okay with continuing to get up with him as long as I'm committed to it. It's funny how having the blessing of our doctor makes me feel okay about going to him when he wakes.

In other news, Jimmy has gained a good amount of weight. At 24 pounds and 33 inches he's in the 3th percentile for weight but 13th for height. He seems on track for his other milestones. I'll let you know if we hear more about the blood tests.