Congratulations, Lucy! You have successfully night-weaned us!
For a few weeks, your parents got full nights of rest! from dusk to dawn! There was no nursing involved! Yes, that's right! full nights of sleep.
You quickly realized that you did not like this situation. You took advantage of the upheaval created by (select one) a) travel to Ojai b) teething c) developmental milestones d) something else? You started insisting on nursing again. To go to sleep. And during the night.
You have successfully weaned us off those full nights of rest. We're not sure how long this night weaning will last. We hope it's short.
Is there something we can do to make it shorter?
2 comments:
This is brilliantly funny, Heather -- the writing, that is! I laughed out loud. Perhaps because I can so relate. The past 2 nights, Sen has awakened in the 3am hour and, no matter what we try, not gone back to sleep. (I think we have only ever had one sleep-through night, and she was sick!)
I go through the possible causes (food? teeth? growing?), I wonder if it's something I did big-picture (night nursing, flexible sleep arrangements). Then, today, I thought of our WMU conversation this week. Diana, talking about her little M, saying "He came out this way," and you saying how we think we have more affect than we do.
It helps, as I think Senna was born this way, too, and I don't think we made it so or can make it not so. She's not a sleeper. I don't want to put it upon her but, I think she has actually put it upon us! Deep down, I do believe we've made these choices by listening to her (I certainly didn't plan to be waking up to nurse at this point!), and I don't think there's much we can do (she'll cry and cry and outlast us all, BTW). But I understand how others may look at us and think there is something we did wrong or should be doing differently. I understand because I know I've looked at others that way before I had one of my own. Silly me.
So, on a funny note, in my sleep-deprived delirium, here's our 5am conversation today, Sen and I sitting at the kitchen counter while Alex makes tofu scramble.
Me: "Sen, maybe you are going to be a powerful force in this world, with your energy and lust for life."
Alex: "Or maybe you'll work the graveyard shift at the liquor store."
(On that note, thanks for giving me something funny and interesting to read during our morning drama, best wishes on finishing the thesis, and congrats again on the latest pub!) :)
Here's my suggestion for making it go faster: every time she makes the slightest noise, get up, turn on lights, make tea, and settle down with a book to wait for her inevitable awakening. See, because you are waiting, she won't wake up. She'll sleep all the way through. She'll still be sleeping at 8am. Of course, you won't have gotten any sleep. Wasn't that the problem I was supposed to be helping with in the first place? Sigh...
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