I think we are on to something.....

I just reread several of my last posts and the common theme is lack of sleep--both my son and daughter and therefore me too.  Just last night I had a lightbulb and I think I've got it....

My son.

Not last night but the night before we had the most epic night--and not in a good way. My son had the worst night he's had since being a newborn. He woke up at 8pm, 9pm, 10pm, my daughter at 11-ish, my son at 12, my daughter or son at 1 can't remember and at 3am  my son started crying again so I picked him up to feed him.  THEN he started screaming like I've not heard him scream. I told myself okay, I can handle this....I tried to burp him...he just didn't want the bottle at all. Then I tried shushing him, rocking him, putting him in the stroller, putting him in his rocker, walking him, etc and not one thing was working. I started to get scared/panic a bit because I worried it was a pain cry. His cry was different and he just wouldn't stop. So, I called my babysitter after 45min at about 3:45am...she has always told me to call her if needed and I save it for really rough times. She came down quickly and after another 10 minutes she agreed something might be wrong. She suggested calling the Dr. line, which I did, and all the Dr. said was give him some tyl.enol and gas drops. I basically thought, WHAT? You think that's all this is???
In the meantime my babysitter had put him in his stroller, took him outside, and started hoofing it up and down the street--sometimes the stroller is the only way to calm him. I can hear him inside the house crying outside. I went out and gave him the tylenol and gas drops and my babysitter whisked him around again. I then gave her a break and she came in to check in my girl. I kept thinking the neighbors are going to wake and wonder why a baby is crying outside.
Lo and behold after about a half an hour of this he did finally calm down. Think the Dr. was right.
We came inside, she went back home, and I continued to rock him in the stroller--I did this by propping myself on the couch and held my head up w/ one hand and rocked the stroller w/ the other....back and forth....back and forth.....
THEN at about 5:30am my daughter woke up screaming. THEN my son started really crying again.  At that point I could barely think straight and I simply called my babysitter again and said S.O.S.. I was a total wreck and due to the sheer worry and panic I was feeling and the fact I hadn't slept pretty much all night.  She was back down again and took over w/ my son while I comforted my daughter back to sleep while laying on the floor.  She went home again and my son slept for maybe an hour after that.
Then my daughter was up for the day.

To tell you I was exhausted was an understatement. There is a reason a form of torture is sleep deprivation.

I think back to my girl at this age and I have never had these kinds of issues....just unusual things that cause a momma to panic.  My poor son, not only did that happen night before last, but last night after bath time my babysitter runs out and says come here....he had red welts all over his body and he was crying/itching/scratching.  OH EM GEE.....I started basically to panic again thinking he's having an allergic reaction to something, is he breathing, etc....my babysitter took him to my neighbor who is a retired pediatric nurse and she said as long as he's breathing okay, it must have been something like a contact dermatitis (even though nothing changed in his routine or products except giving him the ty.lenol and gas drops). We put hydro.cor.tisone all over his rashes and he seemed to calm down after getting his bottle.

This poor poor baby.  So, last night after such a steady decline in his sleeping and all the trouble we've been having w/ his eating/tummy issues I thought back to when it all started.  At first I knew it was around the time change but then I realized......it was when we started putting him in his crib.  I think all of the sleeping issues he's had over the past many weeks is due to his reflux acting up again because he's lying down (even w/ one end of his crib elevated).
I tested my theory last night and put him in his rock and .play to sleep which puts him at a 45 degree angle.
Guess what? He woke up at 8-ish, then at 11pm to feed, then slept until 6:15am!!!!!!  He hasn't slept 7 hours in almost a month....about as long as he's been in his crib. I can't say for sure this is what's happening but I have a good hunch it is.  I put him in his crib to begin w/ for two reasons 1) Dr. said he needs more room to move around and 2) I continue to worry about his flat head.
Based on how beyond rough it's been over last month--we're done w/ the crib for awhile and I'll get the kid a helmet to fix his head.

I do want to acknowledge that my girl just may be turning a corner......her major tantrum's have subsided at least for now. She is even whining a 'little' less and we've just been able to play together w/out major issue. Tonight we built castles out of stuffed blocks and made rivers out of paper that came from my shoe box. Great imagination building and she didn't whine the entire time.
She maybe has read this blog because she also has started to become more snuggly and verbally sweet lately. Just today she said to me 'I wuv you mommy' at least 5 times and said 'I missed you mommy' just as many. She came up to me and gave me many snuggles and laid next to me in the bed for awhile and let me hug her AND she came up on the table/chairs set and laid down on my lap while I ate my dinner.
Are we talking about the same kid?
I honestly think she was going through a brain growth phase or just growth phase in general. I can just notice a shift in how she thinks and communicates and I wonder if all of her antics/meltdowns/ attitude, etc. has been tied to growth.  I believe this because I've noticed over the past week or so she is starting to be even more verbal.....her thoughts and commentary is blossoming into a little girl--more like a 3 year old and less like a 2 year old. As an example, I was trying to get a dvd to play and for some reason it wasn't. I said AGH! She said, 'It's okay  mommy, it will be on in just a minute'. Just tonight as my babysitter and I were making dinner I said something 'colorful' and she repeated it. My babysitter and I busted a gut laughing and she looked at both of us deadpanned face and said, 'That's not funny".

Oh and I forgot to mention over the last week: both my daughter and son have head colds; I think something is wrong w/ my poor cat. I found him on my bathroom rug tonight and he won't move off of it--very unusual behavior; I put an offer in on a house; I set up a nanny interview for next week; got my Dentist appt moved for Tuesday morning; scheduled an inspection on the house; shopped almost everyday for a new wardrobe for work and clothes, etc for my children.......I am sure I'm leaving out a thing or two.  All on the limited sleep of no more than about 2-3 hours at a time for weeks. And I start my new job next week.
Tired yet?

After writing all of this out I have to say I am kind of proud of myself. While in the middle of all of it I have just tried to weather the storm....but there really is a crap load of things I am trying to manage.
Kudos to this mama for keeping it together!!