Sleep Experiments and Teething

So after three nights in a row of Cyrus staying up until somewhere between 2 and 4 am, we came to the conclusion that we needed to intervene. So we started limiting the naps. It did cost on a few extra seizures first thing in the morning (when the meds have worn off) and late in the evening (when he's super tired) that were a little more intense than normal and we got to see some super irritated pronounced eyebrow ridges after being awoken from a nap!  But after two days he stopped having these and seemed to have adjusted completely! With bedtimes around 11:30 pm! Woot!!

And that lasted about a week.

Then he started teething again.  And now he wants to go to bed at midnight (most of the time), but the poor guy just can't sleep. He's whimpering and crying or chewing on anything he can get his... well, teeth on. And whatever he wants to chew on we have to hold in his mouth for him. Even the teething pacifiers only stay in for like 20-30 seconds before he needs help getting it back. He's not really sucking on it. He's chewing on it!! Which doesn't help it stay in place. We've tried teething tablets and oral gel, and they work for a few minutes. And if he's super tired they even maybe work long enough for him to fall asleep. We tried a teething necklace too, though sadly I've not noticed any difference. It's cute on him though! It's got the amber and every third bead is amazonite, which is supposed to "calm the nervous system" (shown in next picture). Seemed symbolically appropriate.

But anyway, I find myself wondering why the pain seems so much worse in the evening! I mean, who thought that was a good system? He's fine during the day, but the sun goes down and suddenly he wants to chomp on everything and the crying is so pathetic sounding... It makes me sad.

To make matters more interesting, he's been having the more intense breakthrough seizures again. Though really I still think it's because of the disrupted sleep patterns caused by teething! But his third tooth just broke through today! So hopefully, we'll have a more peaceful day or two at least before the fourth tries to push its way out. And if they insist on only coming in one at a time, hopefully the rest will wait until summer, so we can be nocturnal together!!

In other news, Cyrus was assessed for his equipment needs today. And we have received a prescription for a squiggle chair with both a kimba stroller base and high and low seating base (His will be green!). Apparently the chair will transfer back and forth between the two bases. The stroller is way better for getting around and the high and low seating base allows us to bring him low to the ground so he can be social when we're on the floor, or raise him high so he can sit with us at the dinner table, and can be used as his high chair for eating. Super excited about these, but apparently it may take 2-3 months before the order is complete, so we have to keep making do with our infant stroller. They are also recommending a bath chair, but that is a lower priority at the moment.

After his assessment, we went to the Pulgas Water Temple and took lots of cute family pictures. While we were there it occurred to me that Cyrus has never had the chance to roll around in the grass, and seeing as it's been recommended to expose him to high sensory experiences and sensations we did just that! He was definitely squirming around on the grass - I'm not sure he knew what to make of it. I found his reaction amusing. Next goal is to take him to the beach!! So we can experience sand! And waves!

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