As I sit here at the dining room table writing this post I can hear Abby fussing upstairs. She was exhausted so I put her down for a nap. This entailed putting her in her sleep sack (we finally broke the swaddle habit!!!!), rocking her, and holding her pacifier in her mouth because somehow she never learned to keep it in very well. All this labor resulted in a nap that has now totaled 20 minutes. Such an exercise in frustration.
I think Abby's sleeping, or lack thereof, has been the hardest part about motherhood. She has never been a good or consistent napper, she is just now slowly beginning to put herself to sleep, and she doesn't sleep through the night. I want to tell her, "Enjoy your naps, soon it won't be socially acceptable to sleep three times a day and, trust me, you'll really want to sometimes."
So, off I go to try to get her back down. Then I think I'll read another chapter or two in my most recent riveting book -- "How to Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems" by Dr. Ferber. Might as well add that one to the list of sleep books that I've already read.
4 comments:
Hey! I know it's been a while but I wanted to tell you how adorable Abby is. And I love your hair! (It's been too long, hasn't it??) xoxo -Christine
Hi Heather! It's Kelly, Susan's sister. Cam NEVER has been a good napper. I finally resolved to not try and fit him into the typical nap "mode" I read about and just went with what he did. He took probably 4, 30 minutes naps at Abby's age it gradually went down. Anyway, I feel your frustration, but know that she isn't the only baby that is a stinker when it comes to naps!
Hi Heather! It's the other Kelly, Maren's mom. :-)
I agree with Kelly above. Some babys just don't nap much. It's really frustrating, but might be less so to just go with what she does. Yes, I KNOW that is hard! :-) You're not alone though!
Oh, and I keep meaning to ask you... Do Chloe and Maggie "guard" Abby? Zoe guards Ryan, the little 5 month old I watch, like you wouldn't believe. It's really funny.
OH HOW I HEAR YOU!!!! Sleep was SUCH an issue for us too!! Savannah napped like Sister Kelly's Cameron. 30 minute naps until she hit about 18 months when her afternoon nap lengthened to a whopping one hour. =( Soooo hard to talk with my friends whose kids napped 3 hours. =(
I read Ferber's book too and liked it. I thought it was really good and helpful. He's often quite demonized but I think it's mostly by people who never honestly read the book. I think he knows his stuff.
I think I read them all!!!! =) I think my favorite was: "Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child" by Marc Weissbluth.
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