Sleep Update

I long for the days that I will not need to write a blog with that title. But for now, unfortunately, we're still there. However, we're feeling better overall about the situation (or maybe our expectations are just really, really low).

The biggest thing that has changed is that we feel much more in control of the situation. This feeling is due to two decisions:

1. We put a child-proofing knob on the inside of her door. In other words, she can't get out of her room. I was against the idea for a while, but then Seth pointed out that it is really no different than if she was in her crib. And I know many people have to use them if their child's room is on the second floor and they are worried about stairs. Either way, I'm over it. It was the best thing we've done in a long time.

2. We are in hard-core cry-it-out mode. We were in it before, but in hindsight I got a little weak. One night it worked to open her door and give her a kiss. She went right to bed and we didn't hear a peep. But the next night it didn't work. My bad. Played by a 2 1/2 year old, once again. The difference now is that we only open her door if she needs a diaper change. So far she hasn't played us on that one, so let's hope that continues.

Since the lock and the crying it out, she has spent many nights sleeping on the floor right by the door, which is where she falls asleep crying. We can sometimes see her little hand sticking out from underneath her door. She often spends anywhere from 15-45 minutes crying, "Mommy...I...give...you...just...one more kiss...and...then...I...go...back to beeeeeeeddd." The nights vary a little, and we had several in a row mixed in where she stayed in her bed and didn't make a sound after we left. But more often than not we have the pleasure of listening to that sentence over and over and over before she finally drops off to sleep.

I told Seth one morning that even though it is brutal to listen to, I feel in control, which any parent will agree is a very important factor.

One of the toughest things is just getting out of her room when I put her in bed. We all three read stories together, but I am usually the one to rock her in the chair and actually put her in bed (one of the few remnants of her Mommy phase). We have a little routine once she is in bed, which ends with me warning her two times that I am going to give her one more hug and kiss and leave her room, but no matter what I can't seem to get out the door without her chasing after me asking for one more kiss. I typically end up shutting the door in her face, not wanting to give in to the continuous streak of demands. Not a good feeling, but oddly feels like the right thing to do.

Middle-of-the-night waking is much, much better. This is what was having the biggest impact on our sleep, so that has been a very welcome improvement. She has been waking up between 5:45 - 6:15 in the morning. I can handle this, too, as long as I continue to be in bed early enough.

Naps are so inconsistent they are not even worth discussing. Right now we're listening to her cry about her pony tail coming out. There's always something...