Well, we think Mister Cameron Lauren is teething.  We have thought he was teething before, he's been drooling and biting an chewing for the better part of two months now.  However, the past two nights, he hasn't been able to sleep peacefully antwhere but in bed with us, right next to Mommy. It started about 10:45 pm night before last, when he woke up crying.  Cam does not wake up crying.  He will wake up, fidget, kick, roll, grunt, and it my escalate to "COME GET MEEEE! I NEED SOMETHIIIIIIIIIIING!!!" whines, but he NEVER all-out "WAAAAH! WAAAAH!" cries.  And I really do mean NEVER, as in not at all ever, until that night.  When he's really worked up, it becomes a choppy, "Nyah, nyah, nyah" and that is when we know he's really lost it. 

Well, that night, he was doing that and Jeff got in there and picked him up only to learn that he was still sleeping, crying in his sleep. So, he brought him into Mama where he was instantaneously fine and nursed himself back to sleep in under two minutes.

Jeff cleaned out his bassinet in the corner of our room, we put him in there, and it lasted about ten minutes. Crying again, still fast asleep. Bless his heart. And this was not "I'M IN MY CRIB AND MAAAAAAAAAAD" crying, this was for reals, something was wrong, "I'm by myself and something is not right, I really need my Daddy and Mommy" crying. So, he spent the night with us.  He cried a few more times, but I could soothe him back to sleep very quickly.

Last night, he couldn't even go down in his crib.  He was  just sooooo, sooooo not having it. Again, not mad, just sad and done.  So, he slept with us again.

We have been very blessed in that our nightime routine fell into place VERY easily and we generally have no tears at bedtime. I know we are really endangering that by allowing him to sleep with us right now and not continuing to try to stay in the routine as much as possible.

But, here's the thing.  He's five stinking months old and something is not right. We think he's teething and he hurts, this is a telltale sign apparently, but even if that' not it, something is not right.   I would much rather be there for him and meet whatever his little needs are and pay the consequences later (if there even are any) than keep him at arm's length in order to keep our routine established lest we regress too far. 

He CLEARLY needs us right now.  He lays next to me, flops over on his back, but still turns his head so his nose is buried next to Mama, and he inevitable ends up rolling on his side again and scooting himself and nestling into me in his sleep, just like he used to do when he was a newborn and would scoot across his bassinet up next to the bed where I was.   There have been times in the past few months where he has slept with me for one reason or another and has been much more independent, even times he's been happier when NOT up against me, having his space to stretch out.  This is not one of those times.  He needs Daddy and Mommy, so Daddy and Mommy he shall have.

His latest milestone is trying to sit up.  Well, I'm trying to get him to sit up, he doesn't really know he's supposed to do it. :-)  I know other babies his age who are sitting up on their own and I know he will just LOVE it when he can have that independence and sit up in the tub, sit up to play, sit up to eat... so, we practice every day.  This is as far as we've gotten:

This was last Friday and he couldn't stay in that position without toppling over for more than five or ten seconds, but now he can do it indefinitely! Now, he just needs to sit up straight so the fun can begin!