sleepytime blues

[velvetpage]

Out of sheer frustration with the usual naptime antics, I put the baby in her crib exactly 14 minutes ago to see if she'd sleep on her own. She cried for about three minutes, and since then she's been talking in a loud, complaining voice, with occasional sobs thrown in, and long periods of near-silence. I'm debating my options at this point - leave her until she falls asleep, pick her up and comfort her then start again, or give up and try (again! Sob!) to rock her to sleep.

If it weren't raining, I'd put her in her stroller and walk around the block until she fell asleep. But wind and weather prevent.

Comments

[pyat.livejournal.com]

How was her visit with Oma and Opa?

Poor kid. :)

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Great. They all went to Ikea, and she played with the toys there, and looked at stuff, and had about half a lunch. They brought her back earlier than usual, just after twelve, but Oma had tried to keep her awake in the car because of last week. (She fell asleep in the car, Opa put her down in her crib, but he forgot to close the blind so she woke up. I think Oma thought I didn't want her going to sleep in the car anymore, because she kept her awake this week!)

I think we should try the crib thing again, though not at night - she gets too scared. Today she wasn't scared, just angry. I can handle angry, when I'm frustrated enough.

[anidada.livejournal.com]

Ah. See, I can't get that far. It's too painful for all concerned. :( We wind up going downstairs and playing, or she has a snack, or we try lying down together.

Good luck -- I know how it is when both parties in question need some rest. *sigh*

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

I was just in the next room, and I think she knew it. You can hear the computer keyboard from in there if both doors are open. I answered to e-mails, then realized she'd stopped the serious crying in favour of the whine and get rescued version.

Finally, I picked her up, realized she was poopy, changed her, and took her for a walk. Naturally, it started to rain before she fell asleep. When we got back, I tried rocking her, which didn't work, then I was going to try the crib again. By the time I got upstairs with her, she was asleep. I almost wish she hadn't been; if she was that sleepy, maybe we would have had a breakthrough this afternoon.

[anidada.livejournal.com]

Arrrgh. That sounds like the exact opposite of fun... *sigh* But tomorrow's another day! (She said, a little too brightly. *chuckle*)

I think babies have radar. I know that it's pretty much a given that, when nursing, they can smell mama and so can't be fooled into sleep if they know that milk's nearby. But more than that, I think there's either superpowered hearing going on, or instinct, or psychic powers... Even when we're painfully quiet, it's like the bunny knows when would be the most inconvenient time to wake up, like when we're up to our elbows in dishes. Weird.

[sassy-fae.livejournal.com]

My mom was one of the strict sleeptime ladies. As a baby, once I was in bed, I could have a fit as much as I liked, until I ended up asleep. It was her aunt's idea, but apparently it worked!
My sister, by the time she was maybe a little older than Elizabeth, flat out refused to take naps anymore, because she knew I was up, and maybe doing something interesting :)

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

My mom did eventually teach all of us to cry it out, but I just can't stomach doing that. I was on the point of going in, after three minutes, when the serious distress stopped. Besides, I don't think it's really fair to be rocked to sleep for months, then have your parents abandon you suddenly. The reason I was able to stomach it today was simply that she's old enough to understand that I'm not far away. She knows that if she's seriously upset, I'll come, and that makes all the difference.

[sassy-fae.livejournal.com]

I can definitely see your point. Elizabath's a smart girl, she knows it's naptime, and you're around, but if she was younger, I could see it being more traumatizing.
I saw a good example of the attention-seeking kind of upset today. A little boy didn't get what he wanted, made an angry face for a second, then started wailing, sinking to the floor. (Apparently this works well at home) The two of us in the room ignored him, and suddenly he was fine, and wandered to the play area for his play time.
I hated it when my mom changed my routine when I was little. I remember the fateful night that there wasn't time for a snack before bed, and I recall wailing about it for a good while :)

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

My sister, who worked as a nanny for a while, said that the best way she'd ever found of dealing with temper was to say, "We'll talk about this when you stop crying," and walk away, out of sight but not out of earshot. She had those kids trained out of their tantrums within a week.

They still threw them with their parents, though. :)

[sassy-fae.livejournal.com]

That sounds about right! Your sister sounds like just the person those kids needed to know!
Another little boy at work threw a fit on Thursday (well, it happens daily with most of the kids, but I was in the room for this one) and his therapist looked at him levelly, said "Use your words" and waited for him to work his way out of it. Even the kids who are lower functioning understand. The first boy I ever worked with was a screamer (as in, high-pitched screams at the top of his lungs, until he escaped the sitution). Whenever he started up while working, I'd block him into his seat, and turn my head away from him. So he's stuck at a table with no one in the world paying attention to his screams, and nothing to do. After some practice, he'd stop right away. It sounded like we were torturing him, but he was just used to getting his way. He made such good progress that to this day (over 3 years later) the parents have told me that if I ever go into business privately, they'll be my first customer (screaming and all!) With so my frustrating incidents in my field, he's the guy I think of when I need to feel positive about my job again :)

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

I've had very few experiences like that with parents, though fortunately I've had a couple. They kept me going through times when it was clear that my principal thought I was a liability and I didn't want to be there. They never quite seemed to balance some of the jerks who were parents of my kids, though. But new school, new start!

[sassy-fae.livejournal.com]

Good!!
I was going to comment that you're up early for a Saturday, then remembered Elizabeth likely keeps you busy in the mornings :)

Off to garage sales! No one else is up yet, so I'll get some "me" time.

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Cool! Actually, Elizabeth was sleeping peacefully - on my side of the bed, nestled in Daddy's arms. I couldn't get back to sleep, so I got up and did livejournal. I've been doing that a lot, lately.

Let us know if you find anything good!

[sassy-fae.livejournal.com]

Excellent finds! An entertainment center, a tall set of drawers, two short ones, a glass topped hall table, a single bed comforter, a stereo with speakers and several small items, coming to about $130. I didn't spend that whole amount today, as I've only put a deposit on the bedroom furniture, since the folks need it til they move. I couldn't beat the price, and their furniture is in such nice shape! Their moving to a fully furnished place, and just want to get rid of the extra furniture.
If I just had an extra $240,000, I could buy the house, too! :D

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Aw, shucks - $240 grand, is that all? I just spent that much last week. . . :) Congrats on the good finds!

Now when Ian gets a job, you'll be in a good position to start moving down that timeline of yours. :)

[sassy-fae.livejournal.com]

Yay, timeline!! My womb demands progress! ;D

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Now, now. . . start with the house and the wedding. Life is much more stable, then.

[sassy-fae.livejournal.com]

That's why it demands progress! It used to just demand babies, but I've explained the timeline to it, and it's changed demands accordingly :D

[sassy-fae.livejournal.com]

That's why it demands progress! It used to just demand babies, but I've explained the timeline to it, and it's changed demands accordingly :D

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

This reminds me of one of the lines at my sister-in-law's wedding. Her new father-in-law was the MC. He told us all that he'd been praying for years for his sons to start providing him with grandchildren. Then the Lord slapped him up the side of the head and said, "You dummy! They need wives first!"

I told Anney that I'd taken the pressure off on our side of the family, but I couldn't do anything about Summerfield grandchildren.