If you follow me on facebook, you might have seen my status from a few days ago: "Devan Gaddie attemped to let Avery cry it out last night. It will NEVER happen again. I may be a wuss, but I couldn't listen to my baby crying for more than 10 minutes before I was crying myself. Guess I just have to accept my fate as a mommy of a 5 month old that gets up multiple times a night!"
I guess I can call myself a liar. I did it again. After many hours of research and talking to other mommies (including my own), I embarked on night 2 of "Letting Avery Cry it Out" a.k.a. "Trying to Distract Myself with the iPad While Sitting in Avery's Floor Listening to Her Cry it Out." Horrible. For the first two nights, Avery cried for an hour and a half....I cried for an hour. I tried everything to distract myself: playing on Pinterest (I DID find some great organizational ideas), listening to music, writing letters (I re-read them the next morning and tossed them when they were filled with sleep-deprived gibberish). I would sit in the floor, wondering why I was doing this to my child and scolding myself for being a horrible parent. And then she would stop. And we would both get a couple of hours of sleep. The next morning, I would have hope that things would get better. I am happy to announce that, on day 4 of "L.A.C.I.O," she slept through the night. I am aware that this might be a fluke, since it's the first night she actually slept through, but I'm thankful nonetheless. I, on the other hand, have been up since 4:30 am. During this peaceful time when my baby was sleeping quietly, I was up every hour checking on her to make sure she was breathing. Apparently, the secret to getting Avery to sleep is letting her sleep on her stomach....with her face buried in the mattress. I've tried moving her face to the side, but to no avail. As soon as I let go, she'll move it right back. My pediatrician and nurse have assured me that, while panic-inducing for mommy, this is normal for baby and it's how Avery prefers to sleep. If she becomes too hot or can't breathe, she'll automatically move her face. I don't know if I believe it yet, so I'll probably still be up multiple times in the night checking on her. Baby steps people.....
In other news! I am on my way to fulfilling 3 of my "2012 Resolutions!" Yay, me!
1. Since I was up at 4:30, I was able to pack my lunch. This helps me check off 2 resolutions in one: lose weight and save money. No more McDonald's fries. No more $1 menu adding up to $15 a week. 
{please don't judge my nasty sink....those are dishes from our corner cabinet that was cleaned out last night (post to come later)}
Doesn't it look yummy?! I'm actually looking forward to lunch today...something I normally dread. What's better than a balanced meal and a 3 Musketeer Truffle Crisp bar to reward myself?
2. I'm making dinner as we speak! How so? My Crock-Pot. A few days ago, I asked for some recipes for my long-neglected slow cooker and I was amazed at the responses and amazing recipes that followed. Last night, I cleared off some counter space and pulled out my Crock-Pot. Tonight, we'll be having Italian Chicken (thanks Ali Scott). It couldn't be easier...3 chicken breasts, bottle of Italian dressing, 6 hours. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Yay Crock Pots! Yay for resolutions! Yay for babies sleeping through the night!!! {if I could make that a thousand font in super bold, I totally would.} Happy Monday everyone!
1 comments:
Have you read No Cry Sleep Solution? We found it to be super-helpful in finding ways to make bedtimes easier. Five months is still SUPER young, tiny baby territory. It's 100% normal and expected for a child up to the age of 2-2.5 that still wakes up at night. My 3 year old frequently wakes up right before the sunrise and comes in to snuggle with us.
Don't let other people tell you that you've gotta tough it out or harden yourself to your baby's cries. Look around and you can find some support in approaching this gently. If you still want to cry it out, please don't just leave the baby to cry. That is NOT what cry it out is about. Cry it out is a controlled extinction process that is not about shutting an infant in a room overnight.
I hope you can find something that works for your family.
Post a Comment