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Monday, September 5, 2011

Will she ever be herself again?

Here we are again a day later and a day more exhausted. Yesterday we put her down for her morning nap and she cried for an hour again, but did fall asleep for twenty minutes. I was so excited I was thinking- progress, we're making progress!!!! After church she passed out on the way home. We had a few errands to run so she got a good forty minutes of sleep in the car. Then we had afternoon nap to contend with.

This time when we put her down we only let her cry for about a half hour and then I went in and got her (I'm upset with myself for doing this now- but I couldn't take it any longer then). So again, by Sunday night she was just done- all energy was expended. She was miserable and ready for bed. We went through the night time routine and she only cried for about forty minutes before passing out. The sad part again is when she passed out, she just leaning forward at the waist. The little girl just doubled over. I went in there once she was out cold and rearranged her (she didn't wake at all). I couldn't let her sleep all night like that.

Matt really helped me through it Sunday night- I was just beat and done. He really stepped up and talked me through it. I'm so grateful for his support.

I'm a glass half full type of girl- so the bright side is that she has slept through each night and woken up at 6:50-7 each morning without any issues. Well the first morning (Saturday) she woke up earlier and cried, but we didn't go get her until 7, because that is wake up time in this house and I'm not getting out of that routine. So the silver lining is that Sunday and Monday morning have been wonderful, she wakes up and lays in her crib babbling to herself until Matt or I comes in to get her.

Day three and morning nap was a fight. We put her down at nine, like we have been, but today we decided to not get her out until it has been in her crib for two hours. This sounds so painful and it was, but my reasoning is that she usually sleeps for two hours, and I think when we were pulling her out of the crib after the half hour we weren't giving her a chance to "fall asleep." I was afraid that naps from now on would be her crying for a half hour and then me rescuing her- only for her to never actually nap. She was on such a wonderful schedule before we took away this paci- I'm not willing to give that up and for her to be exhausted and miserable daily. So anyway, it took her an hour and forty minutes to finally pass out for morning nap. Again slumped over from exhaustion.

I busied myself with laundry, cleaning the bathroom, and writing this blog to get me through it. She woke after only twenty minutes of napping, but I feel like being optimistic- afternoon nap will go better!

Now I want to add that we aren't just leaving her to the dogs up there. We have been using a "controlled cry" technique. This is how it works. We lay her down, after five minutes of crying we go in and say "Mommy loves you, go to sleep", then after ten more minutes one of us goes in and says it again, then after fifteen more minutes we do the same routine. After that you go in every fifteen minutes and say "Mommy loves you, go to sleep." Now the SuperNanny website said that you don't touch them to sooth them because that is a positive reinforcement for the crying. They cry and you sooth them- then you've started a new habit.

As we continue- I'll keep posting.

"and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” Psalm 50:15


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