We had a rough weekend. I visited a friend on the west side for lunch on Friday and got caught in 2 1/2 hour traffic on the way home; even the radio said they'd "never seen the 110 look like this". Normally it wouldn't matter - B could catch a nap and I could zone out and take a break from parenting. But for some reason, B wasn't having it - screamed the entire way, inconsolably. By the time we got home I was exhausted and frazzled; I just held B for a long time because he was so worked up. Saturday I passed on three things I really wanted to do because I was invited to an old time dancer's house (the widow of the guy who died shortly before B was born). I wasn't sure about bringing B but in the end decided everyone would be bummed not to see him. And he did charm everyone...but boy, was it tiring! We were there for four hours and I had to just chase him around the whole time, pulling breakables out of his hands and making sure he didn't wreck anything. I was completely worn out when we got home; I shuffled him to bed at 8:30, an hour and a half after his usual bedtime, thinking "he'll sleep hard tonight!"
...umm...no. Two hours later he woke up screaming fit to beat Jesus. He never does that, so I went in to help him lie down and sleep again; no go. I turned on the light and picked him up and rocked him; he clung to me. But still wouldn't be comforted. I gave him some Tylenol thinking maybe he was teething; he does have several teeth coming in at once right now. He eagerly sucked it down and wouldn't let go of the plastic syringe, so I let him keep chewing on that, and gave him his toothbrush also to munch on. I got him to go back to sleep at that point...only to have him wake up several more times. I finally just had to let him cry it out - after about five minutes of screaming he settled down and slept. But it was awful - we haven't had a night like that since he was itty bitty. And now I'm wondering how many more nights are going to be like that...is tonight going to be like that? And what, exactly, is the problem? Is he in physical pain? Is he just having some kind of sleep regression and I need to stick to my guns and insist he go back to sleep? It's agonizing making that call. Several times last night I wondered if he should be taken to the ER. Oh, it's just awful.
It's not surprising that these days I loll around in bed as long as I can - I just can't get up the energy to start the day. It's the only time I have a moment to myself where I don't have to be "on". I'm just so tired all the time and have so many things hanging over my head - still no resolution on my hotel bill, now my Internet isn't working and I can't figure out how to fix it and I can't use my computer to get any work done, and I'm facing weeks of my house being a construction zone. I know these problems are minuscule compared to what some people are enduring right now, but I just feel exhausted and overwhelmed.
Sometimes just putting a toddler to bed later than usual can cause them to have more awakenings in the night so hopefully it was just a hic-up from staying out later and you'll be able to get some good sleep tonight.
ReplyDeleteI think having a room for him to play will be so helpful to you especially with the new baby. That's one of my frustration about my house is that her bedroom is upstairs. If I want her to play in there I need to be up there also. I've created some play areas downstairs and also have a gate in case I need to keep her out of the kitchen (that's about the only room I can gate off).
I had a minor bout of food poisoning last night and was nauseous and weak all day - it gave me a taste of what it just be like to be a pregnant mom of a toddler. Hopefully lest night was a fluke and won't happen again soon!
ReplyDeleteI feel you on the inconsolable nights. I have found no pattern to them myself. Although I have discovered going to bed late does not equal sleeping late (nor does less napping). They say sleep begets sleep. While I would love to say I am the loving mom that comforts her upset child throughout the night without fail, I eventually do give up and let him cry it out. And he eventually goes back to sleep (in my room, in the pack n play) and we both get a little more sleep to function better later. He usually wakes up as if nothing unusual happened.
ReplyDeleteSorry you have had all those troubles. Regardless of how they might compare to someone else's, they are still struggles for you. And I cannot imagine that car ride. Aidan got like that once, and it broke my heart and made me absolutely crazy!
Although I keep having to increase the child proofing, I love having a big room where they can play for hours on end without me and for the most part I can even open up the gate and as long as certain doors as shut and I listen and monitor when things get quiet, they can actually go back and forth between the living room and their bedroom. I cannot imagine not having that liberty. I hope his room creates that for you.
Isn't that the kicker? They wake up screaming bloody murder at 1 AM, then at 7 AM it's all relaxed smiles. Felix greets me with a casual "Hi!" every morning, even after the roughest nights b
DeleteIsaac frequently has a rough night when he gets to bed late, especially if it is after a very busy night. I read some where that sometimes they have a hard time going from one stage of sleep into the other when they are too tired. Many times I have tried to soothe him on those nights, in the long run it ends up much better off when I leave him alone to work through the issue on his own...still breaks my heart a little though to hear him so upset. I hope that it was just a one night deal for B.
ReplyDeleteMaybe all of our kids were revolting via cyberspace because Sidekick had a similar night that lasted FOUR hours! This kid has been sleeping 12 hours straight since he was nine weeks old, so I never seem to know what to do when he wakes up in the middle of the night. Hope it was just a fluke
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