Saturday, May 31, 2008
Abby’s Snoozing: A Sleep Update
First of all, THANK YOU to all of you who offered suggestions, advice or even just empathy! Your knowledge and support were such an encouragement. Several of you emailed me personally and I appreciate you taking the time to think about my troubles and respond.
For those of you who are wondering, Abby is doing much better. This past week she has actually slept solid every night. Yippee!!
Our plan of attack went like this:
1. No more naps. We turned “nap time” into “rest time”, and just let her play quietly in her room. No having to stay on the bed anymore. She has fallen asleep in the car a couple times, but only once transferred inside where she did nap for a good 2 hours. I realize this actually breaks the rule, but she still doesn’t function that well without naps, so I figure one or two a week as needed may be the ticket.
2. Exercise, exercise, exercise! Play outside, jump on the trampoline, walk at the grocery store, etc.
3. Turn off her lamp after she falls asleep at night. We put in a tiny wall night light so there’s some light if she wakes up, but not enough to possibly trick her into thinking morning has come at 3 am.
4. Watch her nutrition carefully, making sure she doesn’t eat certain foods at night that could cause wakefulness.
5. Extra love and attention during the day.
Since this week has gone so well, we think that there may have been lots of little things that were adding up to her sleep difficulties. So many of the things we are doing now seem so “duh”, but I needed the reminders about each and every one of them! I’ll leave you with this funny picture. On Monday night I came home from Bible Study to find our little munchkin on the stairs, having needed some night-time company, but not wanting Daddy to discover her body out of bed. She hardly woke up when I plopped her into bed.
So have I mentioned we have sleep issues? =)
Sunday, May 25, 2008
At a Loss
Mommies (and the occasional Daddies that see this), please help!
I have written about Abby’s difficult sleep habits before, and while I thought they had cleared up, apparently they haven’t. For the past two nights she has woken up around 3 and remained awake for over 2 hours. For those of you who are unsure, Abby will turn three in a couple weeks. I have never encountered anyone whose almost-three year old still woke up like this in the middle of the night. Please tell me if yours has and how you dealt with it, or if it finally just resolved itself. Let me tell you how I dealt with it and you can point out to my muddy, sleep-deprived brain what I did wrong and how to fix it. (Yes, Brian. It’s open season.)
The first night: Abby came into my bed, but then I walked her back to her own bed, took away all her books (she usually has a couple books in her bed) and turned the night light off. (Maybe any light at all is a distraction for her?) I then laid down with her because she’s not used to sleeping in darkness and I wanted her to be calm. She was angry with me, but eventually went to sleep after about an hour.
Last night : She came into my room at 3:15. Same thing. Walked her back, turned off the night light, made sure her bed was empty of any books/toys, and laid down with her. At 5:00 she was still awake. I wasn’t playing or talking with her. Abby was just laying there, wide awake. I finally went back to my room, telling her to stay in bed until I got her up. Of course she didn’t listen to me and got up several times, which resulted in some discipline and me firmly putting her back in bed. She’s still in there now, quiet, but I am afraid to even peek in at her.
This is not a new scenario. It comes and goes and I am at a loss as to how to deal with it. I know she needs more sleep. She doesn’t nap very much, and she definitely doesn’t function well on 7-8 hours of sleep a day. She’s miserable and crabby off and on during the day. Do I need to go back to a morning nap? Take every single book and toy out of her room and barricade her in at night? Stock up on Children’s Benadryl at Costco? (Just kidding.) I don’t usually lay down with her because I think that can lead to bad habits, but I was just so desperate for sleep the past couple nights. When I don’t lay down with her, she almost always winds up getting up and playing or dragging a bunch of books in her bed. I may get more sleep, but Abby doesn’t. I am wiped out and at my wits end. Do I need to take her to the pediatrician? I’ve never gotten very much out of talking to the medical profession about issues like sleep, discipline and eating habits. It’s always the same old party line. I don’t know though, maybe it’s time to try again. However, I’ve found that other moms are usually the best source of advice, so I am really, really, really open to your suggestions. I need some light at the end of this tunnel. That, or a good hotel room.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Ever feel like you’re just not getting this Mom thing right?
This was an encouraging read today. If you’re a mom, you will benefit from these words of encouragement!
Sunday, May 18, 2008
A Good Gift
The other day the kids and I were running errands. It was lunchtime and I decided we’d stop at McDonald’s for a bite to eat before heading home. I didn’t mention it to the kids, but pretty soon Jack hollered from the backseat, “Mom, can we go to McDonald’s for lunch?” fully expecting me to say no. I usually do. When I smiled and said “Sure, kiddo” you should have the seen the look of surprise and then excitement that swept over his face. He looked over at Abby and said, “Abby! Guess what? We’re going to McDonald’s! Wooooo-hoo!”
I feel like God just did that to me.
When we first moved out here I really struggled with leaving behind our good friends in Fullerton, especially our friends Dale and Melissa. Not knowing very many people out here I often prayed desperately and specifically for God to send this friend to me. I felt almost foolish praying for this because I just didn’t think it would ever be a possibility. Dale and Melissa seemed set in Fullerton for good. But through a turn of events in their life, things have changed and they’ll soon be moving only half an hour from us! Wooooo-hoo!! I know God didn’t move them out here just for me, but I enjoy thinking how He must have chuckled at my request, already knowing that while He would bring new friends into my life out here, He would also look with tenderness on my request and answer, “Sure, kiddo.”
So the past few weekends Tim has gone in to Fullerton to give Dale a hand with his projects while Melissa and the kids have come out this direction to get away from all the mess and hang out with us. The kids get along great and Melissa and I never run out of things to talk about. She’s like a sister to me, or at least what I imagine having a sister is like! Here are some pictures of our time together.
Last weekend we made Fruit Loop necklaces and here are Noah and Jack, dying to eat their creations
Cute Olivia
Breaking out the play-do
The gang
“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Luke 7:11
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Basketball!
Jack’s sports class has been a lot of fun! Today they played basketball and Jack had a great time! These pictures are all courtesy of Heidi. Have you ever seen a mom watch over three children all the while snapping such great pictures? It’s a skill, I tell ya! I’m so glad she’s gifted in this way because the pictures sure are fun to have! Thanks, Heidi! =)
Shelbi and Jack
Making a basket!
So what does Abby do while Jack takes his class? Some days she stays home with Daddy, and other days she plays at the little park right above the practice field. She had a fun time there today climbing, sliding and swinging with her friend, Maggie.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Update
Thankfully, Jack’s bite was not as bad as we originally thought. He definitely bit clean through a good chunk of the side of the tongue, but after the surgeon looked at it he decided it could probably heal up on its own. He told Tim that tongues heal fairly well, and don’t even leave a scar. (Would anyone really care if they had a scar on their tongue?) We knew that, but honestly, it looked really bad to us. There was a lot of blood, of course, but that wasn’t what concerned us. It was the nice flap he had going on on the side - yeesh! I’m still glad we took him in, just to be sure. I am curious to see how it looks when he gets home.
So what injury has your child had that freaked you out? Did it wind up being valid or was it just one for the parental learning curve?
Tongue Trouble
Tim is on his way to Urgent Care right now with Jack, who fell off a chair at dinner tonight and bit his tongue pretty badly. We think he’ll need stitches. My stomach is in knots for him. I know how badly he hates shots, and wonder how the recovery will be. Ugh.