Calder vs Boone
I have 2 entirely different babies. Hugh and I often find ourselves comparing Calder and Boone. I wasn't blogging when Calder was a baby and since I don't want to forget the intricacies of his first 3 months, I decided it was time to face the two babies off in writing!
Sleep
Calder was a TERRIBLE sleeper. He would struggle to nap for the required 1.5 - 2 hours between feeds. I remember Hugh coming home multiple times and finding me leaned over the crib crying, trying to soothe Calder because he had spent most of the day awake and crying. I was physically and emotionally exhausted. Calder did not have colic. He just fought sleep and was a crank. Hugh affectionately called him "Frank the Crank". The name stuck, but now Hugh just calls Calder, "Frank." Calder got up AT LEAST every 3 hours at night to eat (and frequently it was only every 2 hours). He did this until he was 4 months and I had had enough. At this point Hugh and I sleep trained him! More on that another time.
Boone on the other hand naps like a champ. He has only just started staying up a bit more than an hour at a time. For the first month and a half he was only awake for about 50 minutes. Put a 20 minute feed in there and it didn't time for much else! About 1/2 the time Boone will wake up at about the hour point in his nap. A little cuddle (with some crying) or some back tapping will get him back down for the remaining hour of his nap. Almost from the get-go, Boone was giving me a longer stretch at night of between 4 - 5 hours. For the first 2 months he would eat at about 9 pm and then sleep until 1 or 2 am. Right around 2 months he started skipping the 2 am feed every few nights. At 2.5 months, I realized that he didn't need the 2 am feed (Boone would barely eat at 5 am if he ate at 2 am), so I cut out the feed. At this point a little cuddle was all he needed to soothe himself back to sleep at 2 am. He would then sleep for another 3 or 4 hours. Recently, I haven't had to soothe him at all at 2 am. What a treat!
Awake Time
Calder was cranky. Boone is not. It would be nothing for me to have to hold Calder in 8 different position in 4 different rooms in order to keep him content. Boone can sit on my lap for the entire time and be perfectly happy. Calder smiled at us, but was always tight with them. Boone will smile and coo for anyone. Boone has only cried twice at bath time. Once at the hospital and once at home. I would actually say that Boone likes his splash time. Calder screamed for at least the first 4 months during his baths. And to this day would rather not bath! Boone has no problem being on his belly for some tummy time. Calder would almost immediately start crying when we put him on his belly! Boone LOVES his swing. Calder, not so much!
Out and About
Calder and I didn't leave the house a whole lot in his first few months. We didn't have to and I was EXHAUSTED! Boone has had no choice. At the start there were mulitple doctors appointments and ultrasounds we had to attend and he has a 4 year old brother who likes to be outdoors and visiting with friends. I think because Boone has been required to be flexible he has become flexible. Where Calder would not do well if his schedule is interrupted, Boone goes with the flow. I am sure the variations in their personalities influenced their flexibility as well!
Overall, I am finding Boone a very easy baby. The hardest parts of bringing him home were breast feeding (which requires its entirely own post) and my recovery. Calder was a crank from about week 2 on and I struggled functioning with the lack of sleep. I can only imagine what it must be like for mom's who have colicky babies.
Unfortunately, poor Calder comes up short in every "baby" category - except for cuteness - and in this category it is definitely a tie!
Sleep
Calder was a TERRIBLE sleeper. He would struggle to nap for the required 1.5 - 2 hours between feeds. I remember Hugh coming home multiple times and finding me leaned over the crib crying, trying to soothe Calder because he had spent most of the day awake and crying. I was physically and emotionally exhausted. Calder did not have colic. He just fought sleep and was a crank. Hugh affectionately called him "Frank the Crank". The name stuck, but now Hugh just calls Calder, "Frank." Calder got up AT LEAST every 3 hours at night to eat (and frequently it was only every 2 hours). He did this until he was 4 months and I had had enough. At this point Hugh and I sleep trained him! More on that another time.
Boone on the other hand naps like a champ. He has only just started staying up a bit more than an hour at a time. For the first month and a half he was only awake for about 50 minutes. Put a 20 minute feed in there and it didn't time for much else! About 1/2 the time Boone will wake up at about the hour point in his nap. A little cuddle (with some crying) or some back tapping will get him back down for the remaining hour of his nap. Almost from the get-go, Boone was giving me a longer stretch at night of between 4 - 5 hours. For the first 2 months he would eat at about 9 pm and then sleep until 1 or 2 am. Right around 2 months he started skipping the 2 am feed every few nights. At 2.5 months, I realized that he didn't need the 2 am feed (Boone would barely eat at 5 am if he ate at 2 am), so I cut out the feed. At this point a little cuddle was all he needed to soothe himself back to sleep at 2 am. He would then sleep for another 3 or 4 hours. Recently, I haven't had to soothe him at all at 2 am. What a treat!
Awake Time
Calder was cranky. Boone is not. It would be nothing for me to have to hold Calder in 8 different position in 4 different rooms in order to keep him content. Boone can sit on my lap for the entire time and be perfectly happy. Calder smiled at us, but was always tight with them. Boone will smile and coo for anyone. Boone has only cried twice at bath time. Once at the hospital and once at home. I would actually say that Boone likes his splash time. Calder screamed for at least the first 4 months during his baths. And to this day would rather not bath! Boone has no problem being on his belly for some tummy time. Calder would almost immediately start crying when we put him on his belly! Boone LOVES his swing. Calder, not so much!
Out and About
Calder and I didn't leave the house a whole lot in his first few months. We didn't have to and I was EXHAUSTED! Boone has had no choice. At the start there were mulitple doctors appointments and ultrasounds we had to attend and he has a 4 year old brother who likes to be outdoors and visiting with friends. I think because Boone has been required to be flexible he has become flexible. Where Calder would not do well if his schedule is interrupted, Boone goes with the flow. I am sure the variations in their personalities influenced their flexibility as well!
Overall, I am finding Boone a very easy baby. The hardest parts of bringing him home were breast feeding (which requires its entirely own post) and my recovery. Calder was a crank from about week 2 on and I struggled functioning with the lack of sleep. I can only imagine what it must be like for mom's who have colicky babies.
Unfortunately, poor Calder comes up short in every "baby" category - except for cuteness - and in this category it is definitely a tie!
So Boone must have read this post and not liked being called the "good" baby. Tonight when I went to put him down he screamed for 20 minutes - basically unheard of. I had Calder in the bath, so I gave up and put Boone in the swing. He was completely content for an hour (did not fall asleep though!) and I was eventually able to get him down! Hahaha! Keeping me on my toes!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to add one more category to this post. "Spitting Up". This is FINALLY a category Calder is miles ahead of Boone in! LOL. Calder spit-up, maybe 4 times totall. Boone can spit up 4 times per feed! Well, it isn't that bad all the time, but he basically spits up at least once after every feed.
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