I'm Not Tired....Really, I'm Not....

Grace has done so well in adjusting to life with us here at Kazembe Orphanage. Because she is younger than 3 months, I've been fairly flexible with her schedule while nudging her toward a 3 hour feeding plan. That is one of the big reasons I keep the littlest babies with me. I can use a bit of discretion to see if a baby needs to sleep a bit longer or eat earlier. Always moving to the goal of being on a schedule. 

Since we have 7 babies one year and below, we don't have the luxury of being too loosey-goosey with the feeding schedules. Unless they're sick, we need to feed them on a schedule so that no matter who is on duty, the way is clear.

I've been pleasantly surprised to see Grace settling in well to a schedule. She occasionally eats sooner than the 3 hour mark and every once in a while will wait 4 hours before being hungry (note: I never let her go longer than that during the day), but what never changes is that I noticed that exactly 1.5 hours after eating, Grace is ready to sleep. The normal plan is that she eats, burps, eats, does her business, gets a diaper change, cuddles, plays alone and then lets us know she's ready to sleep. I'll be working as she plays on a blanket nearby and when she begins fussing I can predict the time and I'll be correct within a few minutes.

The funny thing is, she is completely ready for the nap but doesn't like to give in to it. As soon as I cuddle her, she begins to thrash and cry. Not just whimpers, but full blown sobs and wails. At first I got upset and tried to make her happy. Nothing would work. Now I sit quietly and rock her just the tiniest bit and gently pat her diapered bottom from time to time. And it works.

Watch:

2:32 PM

2:34 PM

2:36 PM

2:40 PM

In less than ten minutes we have a perfectly peaceful baby girl. Such a good baby!

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Exactly One Year Ago: Good Samaritan