uneventful week

So ... not much is going on this week. Dan is out of town again on his last work training trip, so Olivia and I have been trying to entertain ourselves. My mom came over and helped me clean the house in preparation for a visit from the in-laws tomorrow, which was a huge help. We had some insulation blown into our attic today as well, in the hope that it'll keep the upstairs part of our house from reaching the 90s on warm days. I'm crossing my fingers it works, because the guest bed on the main level is really uncomfortable (though sleeping in a 90-degree room is even more unpleasant).

O is currently asleep in the pack n' play upstairs. This does not happen often, as you may know. Lately she's been even harder than normal to settle down for naps: needs lots of rocking/bouncing/shushing/walking; shoots awake at the slightest noise; wakes up screaming if you try to put her down anywhere, including the swing. She seemed pretty sound asleep after I'd held her for a while, so I figured I'd give it a try. So far, so good. Fourteen minutes sleeping solo! I have to admit that my heart is racing a bit because I know she'll wake up wailing at any moment.

I read in the 90-Minute Baby Sleep Program that most babies' sleeping habits improve between four and six months of age. It even goes so far as to say that naps lengthen and bedtimes get earlier -- as in between 6-8 p.m. Two hour naps? A few hours of time to hang out with my husband in the evening? That would be an absolute dream! Somehow, I don't think I can get my hopes up. I was googling "baby sleep issues" yesterday as she took a three-hour nap (in my arms) and came across an article on the Dr. Sears website about high-needs babies. That article said that babies like that can have sleep issues for quite some time. I hate to call her high-needs, because in all other ways she's an absolute joy -- quick to smile, so alert and observant, loves people, only cries when she's hungry or tired. They also use terms like "spirited" ... maybe I'll just keep reminding myself that she's extraordinarily intelligent and that's why she's not interested in sleeping. ;)

update: she woke up at 9:45. Not too shabby.