"Sam" and "sleeping" will never go together in the same sentence

Right now she is upstairs in her crib. I haven't heard any screaming for at least 30 seconds so it either means that she isn't getting any oxygen or maybe, just maybe, she will really fall asleep somewhere other than my arms. I'm crossing my fingers but I'm typing fast just in case it is the former.

I think she must have her days and nights mixed up because so far the last four or five nights have been pure torture. **IF** she falls asleep and I lay her down I can barely creep out of the room before she is awake again. Since Hayley's room is right across the hall I don't feel it is fair to let her cry it out- it would mean that Hayley isn't getting much sleep either. I can deal with my own lack of sleep but I can't deal with mine, Sam's and Hayley's all at the same time.

Consequently that means that I have been terrible about leaving her in her bed. If she cries I go get her. Immediately. And for the last few nights it means that I have had no more than one hour of uninterrupted sleep. I shouldn't call it sleep. Literally if I get to close my eyes for longer than six minutes I pretty much pass out. Drool on my pillow. I don't think I have gotten to the REM stage for at least a week, which would explain why I look like death warmed over.

So I decided after yet another rough night that today was going to be the day for change. I wasn't going to let her sleep all comfy and cozy- I was going to wake her if she needed to be awake. I also decided that no matter how much screaming and crying I would have to listen to that today I would need to have her learn that it is ok to sleep in her crib. And wouldn't you know it? She has been awake and alert without me having to force her. Also she is now (sleeping?) in her bed.

I planned that she was going to fight me every step of the way so I also planned to hang our newest family photos that just came back from the framers and also planned to hang the shelf in Hayley's room that has been sitting outside her door for two months. Of course she would be sleeping. I planned projects. Now I am afraid to even make a sound lest she wake. Although I am tempted to run upstairs and try to capture a picture of a sleeping child- since my husband will never believe that 1) I put her down today and 2) she did sleep somewhere other than my arms.

Give me a minute....and wish me luck...

 

Look, a rare photo of the elusive sleeping baby!! She will probably wake in just a few minutes as no matter how hard I tried I could not get the flash to shut off and it didn't just flash once, it had to go through the strobe effect. Then my cell phone started ringing right across the hall. Then the super loud indicator that a voice mail was left went off. And the wind picked up and is howling and knocking things around. The construction guys building the addition to the house across the street are operating some sort of power tools. There is a delivery truck lumbering down the street and it sounds like it is parked right outside her bedroom. I don't know, a million things could wake her up.

Or wait, it is entirely possible that she NEEDS to hear all of these noises at night and THAT is why she doesn't sleep. Maybe it is just too darn quiet! I think I'm going to have to work on making it more noisy in her room.

And look at me, blogging when I too should be SLEEPING... What the heck is wrong with me?

Comments

[yvonne]

Oh Jenn - You do make me laugh! Did I tell you that both of my girls are tummy sleepers? Prior todiscovering this, neither would sleep at all on their backs - they could be sparked out & the minute I laid them down they would be wide awake!

[Robin]

Both my girls have slept with music and or one of those white noise boxes in their room to drown out whatever could wake them up since they were old enough to be in their cribs.... just my two cents.