So Far, So-So

Friday night the Great Getting-My-Darling-Brat-To-Sleep-Through-The-Night Adventure began.

I had the spare room all prepared with the pack-n-play.  I set up the CD player with the Beatles lullabies that all my children have loved so much, but Sophie hasn't really been privy to much yet (I dunno--the CD player in my room sucks, and I never got around to switching it with the better one that happened to be in the spare room..?).  I put in a night light.  I inflated the inflatable mattress in the den for myself.

Sophia started getting sleepy around 9:30, so I lay down with her in my REAL bed and nursed her to sleep.  Yes, I know the first thing I'm supposed to do is put her down when she is sleepY and not Asleep, but there is only so much I'm willing to do as a sleep-deprived parent.  Anyway, I put her down in her crib (which is easier to type over and over again than pack-n-play) just before 10.  And...she immediately woke up, started crying, stood up, and started jumping in the crib.  I calmly left the room.

Twenty minutes later, there was no settling down of the baby, so I picked her up (Yes, I know, also WRONG. But again, there is ONLY SO MUCH....).  Sophia almost instantly fell back to sleep in my arms--which is what she wants to do EVERY night.  After a good 20 minute cuddle I lay her back down in her crib.  I kid you not, folks, the SECOND I even BENT OVER an nth of a degree, she WOKE UP and started crying again.  (Ah yes, THIS is how she ended up back in my bed every night last month! and for the last 11 months!)

So, we kept playing this game.  Scream and bounce in crib for 20 minutes; cuddle and fall asleep for 20 minutes.  John even came down at one point and said, "You know, this is a strange room!  And a strange bed!  Of course, she's going to be waking up and anxious!"  Yes, dear, I DO know that.  Hence the lullabies and night light!  And the cuddles!  But since you do not want a family bed, and I cannot possibly ignore a child screaming just one foot away from me, THIS is how we have to do this.  John picked her up and cuddled her (it was OK, it was time, anyway).

Finally, around 1am, just as I was about to get her again, the crying faded, and the poor baby fell asleep.  She slept until 5am.  Then I got her and nursed her and let her stay with me on the inflatable.  Because, seriously, after taking over 3 hours to fall asleep that night, I felt she deserved a good, warm cuddle and nursing session after a good 4 hour sleep.

On Saturday, Sophie hardly napped at all.  Good!  With little sleep on Friday night and no naps, Saturday night should be a piece of cake.  I didn't count my husband....

Izzy had a swim meet on Sunday, so John said he did NOT want the baby up all night crying again keeping up Izzy and/or him.  I think it's safe to say he meant HIM since none of the three eldest moved a peep through all the crying from the night before....  So, our darling spoiled baby got to sleep in our bed again Saturday night.  We all felt well-rested for that early meet on Sunday morning, at least.  *sigh*

Last night I nursed Sophia to sleep around 10:00.  I rolled her up in a blanket hoping that that would help with the transition from my arms to her crib.  Nope.  Again, my child apparently has a heightened sense of elevation.  After a good long cuddle, and many attempts to get the sleeping, now-NOT-sleeping child in her bed, I finally grit my teeth, set her down, and then tried patting her back to see if I could sooth her back to sleep.  No go.  I finally bolted out to my air mattress and resigned myself to another long night.

I let Sophia cry a bit longer because I, um, lost track of time a bit.  (That's a good thing, right?  Since it shows that her crying wasn't feeling like a Fist of Death to my stomach??)  Well, she also kept winding down a little, so I waited to get her in the hopes that she would actually, you know, WIND DOWN.  And then she'd pick it back up again.  So, after about 40 minutes (I still can't believe I was able to ignore her that long!), I got her, wrapped her back up in her blanket burrito, and cuddled her again.  And again she fell asleep.  And again she woke up with every attempt to lay her back down.  Ugh.  Well, I finally put her down and made a run for it again.  She woke up for about 30 seconds and then was quiet.  QUIET!  Ahhhhh....  After a few minutes, I tip-toed back in, and sure enough, she was asleep.  And she stayed that way ALL NIGHT until I finally WOKE HER UP at 8:30 this morning.  

Oh!

Well!

Stay tuned....