Precious sleep

Last night, Ryan went for 6 hours and then 4 hours without eating. Alyna went 7 hours and then 3 1/2. Using the pacifier has helped us to help Ryan sleep longer.

We've also gotten into a nighttime routine that seems to be working for us. The times change some depending on when they've eaten during the day, but they seem to know that it's bedtime now when we put them in the cribs around 7:30 each night.

Here's how last night went...

5 -6 - twins eat
6-7 - Mommy and Daddy eat, watched a 2 week old episode of Heroes while holding the twins and playing with them (they like Peek-a-boo now)
6:50 -bath time
7:15 - change twins into sleep clothes and put in cribs to watch mobiles (they are in separate cribs now because Ryan kept bonking Alyna on the head and waking her up when he'd cry)
7:30 - 8:15 - catnap before evening feeding
8:15 - feed and change Alyna
8:40 - feed and change Ryan
9:05 - Mommy is done... time to get ready for bed
10:15 - Mommy goes to sleep
1:40 - Ryan cries, Mommy goes in and sticks pacifier in his mouth
2:50 - Ryan cries, Mommy goes in and feeds him... that's 6 hours since he last ate
3:15 - Mommy wakes Alyna up for a change and feed... that's 7 hours since she ate
5:30 - Ryan cries... Daddy goes and sticks a pacifier in his mouth
6:00 - Ryan and Alyna are crying... Daddy goes and changes each one and brings them to the swings that are in our bedroom
6:45 - Alyna is fussy... Mommy feeds her
7:05 - Mommy gets Ryan out of the swing to eat
7:15 - Daddy gets ready to go to work, and Mommy takes the babies into the bedroom to be changed, then out to the living room while she eats breakfast

The funny part was that Ryan thought it was playtime at 3 am because he'd slept so long. He was all smiles and laughing at the mobile for about 15 minutes after Alyna had finished and gone back to sleep.

The long sleep wasn't totally unexpected. Ryan has slept for a 5 hour block 3 out of the previous 5 nights. That usually includes one or more times of us putting the pacifier in his mouth to sooth him back to sleep, but it seems to work. We always try that first now. If he cries again within 15 minutes, we know he really wants to eat or be changed.

I am hoping the trend will continue, and am dreading the thought that teething may start soon. He's been unusually fussy, drooling a lot, had elevated temperature (in the 99's), and been chewing his fingers the last couple days. But he's just now 3 months old.

I feel so much better when I've had at least one block of sleep over 3 hours. It's a nice feeling.