I've been having a hard time blogging since I came back from the beach. Guess I just don't feel like I have anything interesting to say, but I'd like to stay in the habit so I'll plow on and just be boring.
An update on the Maren-climbing-out-of-the-crib situation: At present time, things are Not Good. After I posted my original "I'm going out of my mind" message, things actually improved. We had a few small struggles but for the most part Maren went back to her normal naps and not once did she climb out at bedtime. At the beach house we rented a crib and the first night we were there she got up at something like 3:30 a.m. and got out of the crib and I didn't get her back to sleep until 6:30 a.m. She got out of her crib several other times during that trip as well, including one morning at about 5:30 a.m. Her whole sleep schedule that week was a mess, but then once we got home things seemed to get back to normal.
Fast-forward to now. In the last few days things have gone all to hell. Saturday morning we did a 5K, with Maren walking/running a good part of it. We thought that would wear her out and she'd have no problem napping, but we were wrong. At one point that afternoon, Quin put her back in her bed again and laid down on the couch to take a nap himself. While he was asleep, she climbed out of bed, came downstairs, pushed a chair over to the counter and grabbed a big black Magic Marker and proceeded to decorate herself, the counter, the chair, and the garbage can lid with permanent black scribbles. He only woke up when he heard her bang on the garbage can lid, and she never did go back to sleep. That evening she behaved like a wild hyena because she hadn't had a nap, and when bedtime finally came she climbed out several times before finally falling asleep.
Yesterday Quin left at noon to fly to Hawaii for the week for work. Or rather, 'work'. After church I put her down for a nap, only to have her climb out of the bed a few minutes later. I've been trying the Supernanny method of just putting her back in the bed without a word and finally after a very long time, she stayed up there for about an hour. Whether she slept or not, I'm not sure but she did stay in her bed. Of course, she behaved again like a wild hyena yesterday evening while we were at the neighbor's house because she'd had almost no nap. I knew she was tired and put her to bed at about 8:00 p.m. (after she was almost falling asleep on the couch while we read books) and continued putting her back in the bed for a good hour and a half past that point.
Today hasn't been any better. I even waited until a little after Maren's usual naptime, hoping that combined with her late bedtime last night (and early 6:30 a.m. wake-up this morning) she'd be good and ready for a nap. Wrong again! I put her back in her bed at least a dozen times before I just gave up. I could actually hear her out of her bed upstairs but since she didn't come downstairs I just ignored her, which of course led to a mess for me to clean up when I finally did go upstairs. DH doesn't come home until Friday and the thought of going through this fight at every naptime and bedtime until then makes me want to poke my eyes out. Oh, and let me remind you that my DH is in Hawaii, all-expenses paid, while I'm stuck at home cleaning up the disasters wrought by a kid who won't sleep. If you think I sound bitter and cranky right now, you're right.
And because I hate to end my post on such a down note, I did visit 2 garage sales this weekend. They didn't look like anything interesting from the street but at one I bought 4 old blue glass Ball jars (the kind with the wire bail) and 2 huge picture frames for a dollar apiece. At the other I went though the owner's mother's costume jewelry and came up with 3 great pairs of vintage earrings and 3 vintage pearl necklaces, all for $5. Lesson 1: garage sales in the cookie-cutter suburbs can still have neat things, and 2: it's always worth a closer look, even though at a distance all it may look like is old VHS tapes and baby toys.
Hope you're having a better Monday than I am!
Oh Heidi, Bless your heart. I know that you life is not fun right now. But, I must admit, that I did chuckle at it. DH off in Hawaii and you stuck in CO with the baby from H E double hockey sticks (for the moment). I wish I had advice or words for you, but I really don't. I remember DS having an ear infection and then the medicine made him projectile vomit across the entire living room and I had to bathe him, bathe me, do a load of laundry and shampoo the carpet - all at 3:00am. DH got up to go to work and I was literally sobbing and told him it just wasn't fair, "You get to go to WORK," I said. As if work was a barrel of fun. I remember him looking at me like a) I was crazeeee and b) he was really happy that he DID get to go to work! Here's to better days, Pal.
ReplyDeleteI don't have kids so take this with a grain of salt...is she coming down with a cold? Could some Benedryl be helpful!! Maybe some for both of you! Seriously, kudos to you. I know how hard it is in the classroom when I am sleep deprived and they are 8 yrs old and it's only six hours. Even so I often joke, don't bother drugging them, just give me the meds! My cousin's daughter was much the same and a Sharpie Marker magnet. She did outgrow it and in the meantime Mr. Clean Magic erasers kept the house just shy of needing a new a paint job at all times. And, on a more serious note, thanks for sharing both the ups and downs. We hope to have children and it is good to be prepared that all of this is common and normal.
ReplyDeleteWhen my daughter did this, I took the mattress out of the crib and let her sleep on it on the floor. My parents ordered her a big girl bed and after about a week of her not napping, she started again.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
Oh Heidi.
ReplyDeleteYou have my complete and utter sympathy. Jack is not sleeping over here, and his behavior is COMPLETELY atrocious from being overtired. Wild hyena would be putting it nicely. LOL
I have a few more ideas for wild hyena patrol, but maybe you could email me about them. :-)
Good luck! Hang in there. And you'd better be getting a really great present from Hawaii!
ReplyDeleteAlso, are the blue jars a good buy? I passed up a bunch a week or so ago. Stood there and wondered what I'd do with them. If I thought they would mail well, I would have bought them for someone else.
I love your blog and have been reading for a few months now. I live in Indianapolis, IN...aka Ball Jar Central. What do you do with them? I see them everywhere but never thought to purchase them until I started reading your site.
ReplyDeleteBeen there, done that! I too just took the crib down and bought a toddler bed. DS started sleeping better in his "big boy" bed. I put a baby gate at his door, which of course he quickly learned to climb over. But we took away his dessert if he did and in no time he decided to stay put. Sometimes he would sleep, sometimes not.
ReplyDeleteGood Luck and as they say, this too shall pass.
Linda
I'm lucky that my elder daughter didn't climb out of her cot but she refused to go to sleep during the day so we resorted to driving around to get her to go to sleep. It passed though after a couple of weeks - and we have learnt the lesson for daughter number 2!!
ReplyDeleteGood luck:)
Oh Heidi! That sounds like a nightmare. Isaiah's has not been going to bed until 9pm each night, but at least he's getting his naps in. I can't imagine how tired you must be!! I think when hubby gets back you should get some alone time in Hawaii!
ReplyDeleteI think the comment above about the big girl bed is a good idea. My SIL went through the same thing with her daughter. You can also take her out to buy something she really loves for her bed (special sheets, a new blanket), and tell her she can only have it if she stays in the bed for naptime.
Wishing lots of luck and naptime!
If it's any consolation my daughter did this...for 3 years. After about 6 months of bearing it my doctor prescribed her travel sickness meds to knock her out.
ReplyDeleteWhat eventually broke her habit was finiding out why she didn't want to sleep. It turned out she hated the paint on the walls, said it made her feel icky, so we painted it a shade she picked and she slept. See if you can find out what would make her sleep. Ask her, talk to her, get her to draw pictures. Or stop trying to force her to nap, just to stay in her room and play quietly or look at book so Mummy can have some time to herself.
The other thing that helped was that I totally denied her naps. Every time she started nodding off I woke her up and made her do something else. Reverse psychology does work at times:) She was desperate to have nap time back after a while.Good luck.
When mine were that small I found no cure for the climbing-out-of-bed-bug. We did, however, begin locking the door with a little hook and eye lock so they could not get out. (Balance this with fire safety -- our doors were wood so one adrenelin-fueled adult shoulder could open them.)
ReplyDeleteThe kids climbed out of the crib, played in the room and often fell asleep on the floor. It was not too long before the crib disappeared and their beds became a mattress on the floor. That lasted until they were big enough for their big beds.
Hope you find a way to get that marker out and to get some rest soon!
Sounds like you are having fun with Miss Maren, my Zoe did this, she was in a bed, she still procrastinates at night but it does get better. Some children just need less sleep ( or so they seem to think!)
ReplyDeleteOh Heidi, so sorry... sounds like she has outgrown the crib and needs a big-girl bed. Mine went to big beds at 2 1/2 and had to stay in their rooms.
ReplyDeleteWe made it a big deal, new sheets, a little tape recorder to play stories or music, change the room so she feels special. They learned pretty quick to climb back in their bed to sleep rather than on the floor.
So not fair that you are facing this alone. Keep us posted Heidi.
Oh my goodness! I feel for you! At the moment, my middle banshee is giving me fits at bedtime, I have my fingers crossed that it passes soon. I haven't experienced anything like you've described yet, but then kid #1 was out of the crib by 1.5 yrs and kid #2 was out of the crib ar 2 yrs because baby #3 came along. Why does getting kids to bed, and staying asleep have to be so much trouble?
ReplyDelete