(written on Monday)I'm starting to develop theories about when and why Emily has a good night's sleep or not. Last night she did not. It was the worst in recent memory. She didn't nap much yesterday since we were at church most of the day and inevitably her naps get interrupted there.
(Written Wed)
Well since none of my theories are panning out I won't bother finishing the previous post. Emily had another lousy night followed by a slightly better night. The good news is that she had good naps in the car yesterday and good naps at home today.
Let's see if I can remember some Claire quotes...
She was looking at a book in which a momma duck kisses her duckling and she said. "It was a wet kiss." A little while later she said, "I sure do love my daddy. He's nice to me."
I am really struggling with what to do with Claire while putting Emily to sleep. Since visiting grandparents have all gone back home it has been a challenge again. I had her pretty well trained to sit by my closet and look at books or play quietly till Emily was asleep. Now she's in a phase of constantly testing me... probably because I've been extra grumpy with being sleep deprived. She will sometimes start out reading books quietly but then come over and pester me so I end up buckling her into her high chair in the kitchen. During this transfer Emily cries and so I have to begin the soothings to sleep again.
Okay I will say something about my theories. I think the disruption of the weekend interrupts any progress we make during the week. I also have noticed that having house guests and traveling (especially travel) messes up our sleep routines. In December before our big Oklahoma trip I had Emily going to sleep on her own in the co-sleeper and sleeping for 5-7 hours. I've never been able to return to this. I thought we were making some progress recently but then everyone got sick...
If you're wondering why I harp on this issue so much it's because I am not the person I want to be when my sleep is interrupted every 45 minutes during the night or I am kept up for an hour and a half during the night in addition to other interruptions. I suppose this is why God keeps allowing me to experience this over and over these 3 years now. I've been drinking coffee lately to perk me up a bit but I think it is causing Emily to have a rash on her legs so I am giving it up.
Monday, June 08, 2009
Theories
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3 comments:
I am so there with you , Jen. It is so hard to mother well with sleep deprivation. Mary Sue was a bad sleeper too and Edmund was the kind of child that LOST every step gained with sleep training once there was ANY disruption in the schedule. It sucked, to say the least.
I have no new ideas for you...I am sure you have tried everything. I would only suggest you change your expectations. Make small goals that you can feel triumphant over when they happen. Like, in two weeks, I want her to have a stint of 3 hours sleep regularly or smthg like that.
For Claire, you might want to put together a special box of toys for her to play with while you put Emily to bed so that she'll look forward to that time. Have you ever tried lacing/sewing projects with Claire? The kids basically take a big piece of string and thread it through holes on a piece of wood or cardboard. They can be bought at toy stores and are pretty cheap. That might be a fun activity for her while you put Emily to sleep.
Jen, You are a beautiful person, inside and out. You will get through this difficult stage. Thank you, Ma Torg, for your empathy and encouragement to my dear daughter-in-law! God bless you both, young mothers, dedicated to your families! Sorting out priorities is always a challenge for all of us. We can do most all that needs doing, but not all at the same time. And sometimes we need help. And then there are some things beyond our control, no matter what we would like, and I think those are the things I learn the most from. Love to the beautiful mommy, the daddy that is loved by his girls, and the sweetest girls I know, Nanna
I don't know how you do as well as you do with all that constant, severe sleep deprivation, Jen.
What to do with Claire? Well, it sounded before like Mark might be oppposed to it, but 1/2-hour educational videos save my life when I have to take a shower or am about to loose it with Katherine and Gary is at work. So far, she has only ever watched Youtube videos, Letter Factory and Word Factory videos by LeapFrog, and Signing Time videos which we borrow from the public library. She's learned a lot from these and she really enjoys them. I strap her into her high chair and put the video on before I get in the shower and we both remain perfectly happy. :o)
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