To sleep or not to sleep?

One of the biggest challenges we have had with Jax is his sleeping pattern. As a newborn, we were so blessed! He never slept less than 3-4 hours in a stretch. Then, around two months he started getting fussy and irritable during the day and his sleep patterns at night were starting to shorten :( So, we got two books - "Baby Wise" (the updated and revised version - much less harsh, quite flexible actually) and "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child." We tried the second one first and it was a difficult read and not very user friendly. However, 3 things we gained from it have helped immensely! First, recognizing the signs of when Jax is getting "overtired" and putting him to sleep before he gets there when he is in a sort of "quiet awake" state. Don't wait for him to show signs of tired that is often too late and makes it more difficult for them to go down. Second - Putting him to bed for a nap after 1-2 hours of awake time (which includes feeding and changing diapers). For Jax this was more like 45 minutes we discovered for about a month. He is just getting to the point where he can stay awake 1-1 1/2 hours at a time before "overtired" kicks in. Third - putting him down for the night between 6 and 7 pm. The first night we did this he slept for about 6 hours and the second he slept for 8 hours. He is now sleeping 7-10 hours per night in one stretch. From the first book (BW), we got the routine of sleep, then feed, the play which allows some structure with him eating every 3-4 hours during the day. Before this, he was starting to eat every 1-2 hours only small amounts which was not good for anybody (unless it is a growth spurt). This routine gave him some structure with flexibility that has made for less irritability and easier nap patterns. So, after six weeks of experimenting this is what has worked for us! And though 6p seems early it ha been really nice to have our evenings and he is sleeping better and noticeably happier! PTL! It is amazing how sleep can completely effect our attitudes, our efficiency, our perspectives, our spirituality, everything! Now I just need to get my sleep patterns in order :)