I've been encouraged by Ben's fans to write more about him. Last night, we moved him into the nursery after having spent his whole life--his whole life!--sleeping near us in a co-sleeper, which is a sort of bed sidecar. He now sleeps from 5 to 9 hours from when we put him down to when he nurses in the middle of the night, and then usually sleeps from then to 6.30 am when he wants to wake up or nurse again. We're working on that, as we're told by others and have read that if a baby can occasionally sleep 9 hours (he's only done that twice) that he could probably start sleeping consistently all through the night. He's just nearing 15 weeks, so we now have to work on turning that ship a bit.

He's gotten quite a bit more difficult to put down for a nap.

Lynn took the picture, and gets the photo credit of Ben and me on the profile page of Business 2.0's latest issue. Kind of a neat three-fer.

That's the little pumpkin in his pumpkin outfit and pumpkin socks (not visible), and the big pumpkin in his roll-neck pumpkin sweater.Happy Hallowe'en!

We've just started a new way of putting Ben down for naps yesterday that has promise. (Again, sample size of one: your mileage may vary.)

A post-partum doula we have been working with told us that infants generally need to sleep every 90 to 120 minutes during the day for at least 30 minutes and even up to 2 to 3 hours at a stretch. Less time isn't a nap; longer might mess up sleep.

We've been giving Ben crib naps (as opposed to "sleeping on us" naps, which don't count for as much sleep!) for about three weeks with generally good success. Sometimes he fights us all day but still sleeps well at night.

Yesterday, I figured out a new approach that works for him and is much less time and effort for me, Lynn, and Ben. We use a BodyBall--a big inflated bouncey rubber ball about three feet

Another parent, Andrew I. Jones, who read my sleeping tips send in his own advice:1) Wonderoos reusable one-size-fits-all diapers. In theory, they can last for the duration the baby is in diapers. I say "in theory" because I have a four-month-old. 2) Amby Baby Motion Bed. When we were shopping for a crib, I joked that we should just use a hammock for simplicity. Little did I expect my wife to find one. A key principle of the hammock is that when the baby wakes, it's own movements will sway the bed and help her back to sleep. The hammock comes with a travel case, so when we travel she is sleeping in the same familiar surroundings. 3) Phil & Ted's most excellent baby stroller. It has a jogging stroller design with a pivoting front wheel, light weight. There are only a few strollers with this design.

Lynn and I are going to develop a top X list -- 7, 8, 9 items? -- of things that put Ben to sleep because we have drawn advice from several books, our pediatrician, a post-partum doula, television programs, and friends. The combination is a blockbuster, with Ben sleeping for the last seven nights through the entire night. He nurses typically once after 4 to 6 hours of solid sleep, and then again a couple of hours later, and then around 7 to 8 when he's ready to wake up. This is great. We have a unique and lovely boy.In no particular order--we'll make it more formal later:

1. Swaddling. You've heard it, you know it, but you have to do it. We wound up buying the Miracle Blanket to help, but a tight swaddle in any receiving blankets that's comfortable for Ben and keeps him from swinging his

You know your life has changed (and changed again) when you excited to be awake at 6 a.m.Ben's sleeping schedule has apparently started to take three steps forward and just one back. Over the last seven nights, he's had five good ones and two bad ones. And the bad ones still had him sleeping a fair amount, just restless enough in the wee hours to keep us all from getting solid sleep. The last two nights he's slept 4 or 5 hours and then another 3 or so. I think I got about 7 1/2 hours sleep each of the last two nights. I can't really sleep more than that these days--my body says, okay, you're done. My back says, get out of bed, you've been in one position most of the night. My brain says, hey, a few hours of work before the family is up.

Here's a lovely photo of our increasingly not-so-little boy. It's a happy moment, returning from a trip out with mom. He did well in his car seat. Look at the size of that boy! And so fashionable.Lynn says that if everyone in the world wore striped socks, it would be a happier place. I agree. In any case, this expression is increasingly common, which we appreciate.

Our not-so-tiny baby Ben, now nearly eight weeks old, has acid reflux, a very common baby problem. You can either let them suffer for a few weeks or months as their gastric seal gets stronger, or you can intervene with an acid reducer. We opted for the latter, as both his parents have used such items in the past.

Well, the oral formulation of Zantac is mighty unpleasant to an infant who likes the taste of Mylanta, even (also recommended by our pediatrician during the time the Zantac needed to take effect). Our ped's office and nurses seemed helpless when we asked if there were a better formulation. They all said, yeah, babies hate it, whatcha going to do?

Lynn mentioned this problem in a new parents' group meeting, and someone suggested a compounding pharmacy. On the wane, these pharmacies can mix their own drugs, and often sell herbal remedies

I particularly like this recent photo of my junior. He's more and more often like this. We think he's got a touch of acid reflux, a very typical complaint, and we're working on that on all angles. But he smiles--oh, he smiles--and that makes it all worthwhile. He's an early smiler, and we're glad for it.

For my next trick, watch me put a baby into a swaddle! Swaddling newborns is a big deal. The nurses at the hospital where Lynn delivered were totally into it. It's supposed to be a big help for colicky babies, but even perfectly happy babies get overexcited and even flail in their sleep. Swaddling apparently mimics the tightness of the womb, restricting movement and adding comfort before babies can comfort themselves. So we tried it, following the advice in Harvey Karp's Happiest Baby on the Block DVD (the book came first, but the DVD is terrific)--and it worked. The first time I got the swaddle right at home, a squirmy, screamy, unhappy baby settled down in a few minutes and passed out and got a long, happy sleep, and was less unhappy when he awoke.

Swaddling is a little tricky, so I made this video for a friend, and

Meet Benjamin Warner Fleishman: The little feller took a few days to be coaxed out of his comfortable home, but as one maternity nurse said, "He thinks he bought it, but he's just renting." We're home, exhausted, exhilarated, and still sleep deprived, but we're told that we'll catch up on sleep over the next 10 to 30 years. He's a fine little peanut, and very personable for a few days old.If you don't hear back from me in email in the near future, remember, it's all about the Benjamin.