Okay - a day and a half later and I finally got back to the computer. Needless to say, someone did not go back to sleep when she woke up yesterday. As I sit here and type I am listening to the giggles, laughter and some tears (hair washing time) coming from the bathroom! I have to say I have an awesome husband who is so good with Sophie.
So, back to sleep. Starting last Monday we started trying to put her into her crib awake but not forcing her to cry it out. I just can't do it anymore. Not only is it torture for her, it is for us too. This way if she wakes up in the night she can put herself back to sleep. So far, knock on wood, things are going well. We have had better, consistent sleep for a week now. Again, knock on wood!
She gets between 10 1/2 and 11 1/2 hours a night straight through. Definitely making for a different child in the mornings. Naps are okay but not great yet. We will see anywhere from 25 minutes to 3 hours. See what I mean.
I am actually wondering if we need to re-institute two naps a day for the next bit. Around 9:30/10 she seems to be running out of steam. Problem is, I am not sure this will work for our current schedule - we are at the gym for 9 a.m. Monday/Wednesday/ Friday and have Little Gym Thursday's at 9:15. Pretty much every day, she will fall asleep on our way home even if for just 10 minutes. She then is usually down by 1:30 at the latest which is good. Any later and she is a barracuda! Also, later throws off bedtime which is now between 7:30 and 8:00. We are trying to get her to bed earlier these days because she is beat, and well it seems to be working too!
I think the one real thing we have learned through all of this is to listen to our guts and go with our instincts. We have read enough sleep books in the past 17 months to be able to deduce what is going on pretty well, but for some reason each book is missing the chapter on what to do specifically for Sophie!!! I guess they were saving that for us to write.
Good night, sleep tight!!!
Monday, March 29, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Sleep
I need sleep! This is not really surprise, everyone does. But this week when I have probably had more consistent and better sleep at night, I am finding myself more tired. What's up with that?
You see, it all came to a head last weekend. For 8 months, we have been attempting the Cry It Out (COI) method to teach our daughter to sleep. Well it isn't working - at all! One night last week we listened to her cry for over two hours in the middle of the night. And we aren't just talking whimpering - this was full blown bawling. As her mother, it tore out my heart to have to listen to her but this was what we had decided to do and needed to stick to it. Needless to say, we all woke up exhausted, grumpy and less than ready to face the day. It was after this episode that we realized that COI wasn't working and we needed a new strategy.
How did this happen. Well it wasn't over night that's for sure. Unfortunately she has been sleeping horribly since about the middle of January. When the experts say that teething shouldn't/doesn't impact a little one's sleep - those experts must have children that are outside the norm. My child has always been bothered by teething pain at night. You can usually get her back to sleep but after lots of snuggling, Tylenol and/or Advil, and maybe some bottle. So since January Sophie has dealt with four molars arriving and possibly some eye teeth development, flu twice and an endless cold and runny nose that I think are finally gone (knock on wood). All of these things can impact sleep.
So I looked into a different program - A No-Cry Solution. In fact I am still reading - that is hard to do when you fall asleep every time you pick it up! Maybe I should give it to Sophie to read! LOL! In the meantime, we started to dissect what was happening with her during the night - then it came to me. I don't think my daughter has learned how to fall asleep on her own. We had gotten into the habit of rocking and feeding her into a deep slumber and as a result when she awoke at night she didn't know how to do it on her own.
I must pause - it appears someone has woken from her nap after only 25 minutes!
You see, it all came to a head last weekend. For 8 months, we have been attempting the Cry It Out (COI) method to teach our daughter to sleep. Well it isn't working - at all! One night last week we listened to her cry for over two hours in the middle of the night. And we aren't just talking whimpering - this was full blown bawling. As her mother, it tore out my heart to have to listen to her but this was what we had decided to do and needed to stick to it. Needless to say, we all woke up exhausted, grumpy and less than ready to face the day. It was after this episode that we realized that COI wasn't working and we needed a new strategy.
How did this happen. Well it wasn't over night that's for sure. Unfortunately she has been sleeping horribly since about the middle of January. When the experts say that teething shouldn't/doesn't impact a little one's sleep - those experts must have children that are outside the norm. My child has always been bothered by teething pain at night. You can usually get her back to sleep but after lots of snuggling, Tylenol and/or Advil, and maybe some bottle. So since January Sophie has dealt with four molars arriving and possibly some eye teeth development, flu twice and an endless cold and runny nose that I think are finally gone (knock on wood). All of these things can impact sleep.
So I looked into a different program - A No-Cry Solution. In fact I am still reading - that is hard to do when you fall asleep every time you pick it up! Maybe I should give it to Sophie to read! LOL! In the meantime, we started to dissect what was happening with her during the night - then it came to me. I don't think my daughter has learned how to fall asleep on her own. We had gotten into the habit of rocking and feeding her into a deep slumber and as a result when she awoke at night she didn't know how to do it on her own.
I must pause - it appears someone has woken from her nap after only 25 minutes!
Monday, March 15, 2010
One day closer to 38
I know it is soooo hard to believe, but yes, I will be 38 next week ;) Actually 38 doesn't bother me, in fact I am very calm about the number, unlike my late 20's. I can honestly say that 26 to 29 really sucked. When I turned 30 I resolved to stop worrying about what others thought of me or expected me to be, stopped worrying about whether I would meet the love of my life, made smarter choices about money and to become the person that was dying inside of me to get out.
As I move one day closer to 38 - the "new me" is still a work in progress. In fact, if anything I am happier with my life than I have ever been. Where am I today? I have many loves in my life - a dear sweet hubby, my beautiful child, furry kitties, incredible friends, crazy family, and believe it or not the gym.
I am blessed to have met the man of my dreams shortly after my "30" resolution. We will celebrate 8 years together and 5 married this year! In many ways it feels like so many more. That love created our incredibly adorable and active, 17 month old. She is a handful, but I can't expect less from her. If you know anything about her parents you know that the apple sure doesn't fall far from the tree! The support networks I have, made up of my incredible friends and family, make getting through the day to day that much easier. It is so important to know that I am not alone in this journey.
A lot of my friends have blogged about pets and animals lately! I love my kitties (deep breath M), especially when they snuggle up close for a nap but there are days when I would like to shave both of them (long hairs) bald! There are only so many hairballs and times a week you can sweep your house!
So usually you don't see love and gym in the same sentence. Let me be clear, I still struggle daily to get to the gym and have a long list of excuses why not to go ready in the back of my head, but once I am there and halfway through my workout I am rejuvenated and so glad I came. The other kicker is the changes in my body I am beginning to really see. Yesterday when getting ready to go to church I put on a pair of dressy capris and tank. Both were very tight and showed way to much the last time I wore them. Yesterday I walked out the door with a rejuvenated sense of me - confident, comfortable in my skin and clothes, happy with how I looked - and yes I had a coat on too! When was the last time I felt like that - well let's just say that it has been a very long time.
There are a few things I had hoped would have happened by now but am not worried like I was. If they are meant to be, they will be. I believe that everything happens for a reason and think that right now is the time I am supposed to focus on my health and taking care of myself. So come on 38 - I celebrate you and everything you have to offer.
As I move one day closer to 38 - the "new me" is still a work in progress. In fact, if anything I am happier with my life than I have ever been. Where am I today? I have many loves in my life - a dear sweet hubby, my beautiful child, furry kitties, incredible friends, crazy family, and believe it or not the gym.
I am blessed to have met the man of my dreams shortly after my "30" resolution. We will celebrate 8 years together and 5 married this year! In many ways it feels like so many more. That love created our incredibly adorable and active, 17 month old. She is a handful, but I can't expect less from her. If you know anything about her parents you know that the apple sure doesn't fall far from the tree! The support networks I have, made up of my incredible friends and family, make getting through the day to day that much easier. It is so important to know that I am not alone in this journey.
A lot of my friends have blogged about pets and animals lately! I love my kitties (deep breath M), especially when they snuggle up close for a nap but there are days when I would like to shave both of them (long hairs) bald! There are only so many hairballs and times a week you can sweep your house!
So usually you don't see love and gym in the same sentence. Let me be clear, I still struggle daily to get to the gym and have a long list of excuses why not to go ready in the back of my head, but once I am there and halfway through my workout I am rejuvenated and so glad I came. The other kicker is the changes in my body I am beginning to really see. Yesterday when getting ready to go to church I put on a pair of dressy capris and tank. Both were very tight and showed way to much the last time I wore them. Yesterday I walked out the door with a rejuvenated sense of me - confident, comfortable in my skin and clothes, happy with how I looked - and yes I had a coat on too! When was the last time I felt like that - well let's just say that it has been a very long time.
There are a few things I had hoped would have happened by now but am not worried like I was. If they are meant to be, they will be. I believe that everything happens for a reason and think that right now is the time I am supposed to focus on my health and taking care of myself. So come on 38 - I celebrate you and everything you have to offer.
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