Congratulations on your healthy boy!
From the information that you have provided, I can see that the major issue here is that your baby is only able to stay in a sleep state for about 9 hours at a time (of course, with the awakenings during the night as well). If you think about it, this is much more than he was able to do just a few months ago. Also, it is not unusual for babies of this age to have periods of lighter sleep during which they may awaken. It sounds like you are dealing with those awakenings.
Your baby reaches an active alert state at 4 AM now. In order for him to not awaken until 6 AM, you should be putting him to bed around 7:30 to 8 PM.
The bedtime ritual is wonderful and you certainly should continue that, but your bedtime is just too early for him.
Try not to allow those cat naps during the day. Instead, use your bedtime ritual for morning and afternoon naps.
No napping after 4-5 PM.
Keep the little guy active, but be careful not to overstimulate after 5 PM.
If you haven't aleady, read the books by Dr. T. Barry Brazelton. All are available on Amazon.com
One of the best:
Touchpoints: Your Child's Emotional and Behavioral Development, Birth to 3 -- The Essential Reference for the Early Years (Paperback)
Please let me know if this was helpful!! Also, feel free to request more information and to ask follow-up questions!
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