So What! Wednesday

It's Wednesday again which means I'm linking up with Shannon from Life After I Dew for her So What! Wednesday series.    This week I'm saying So What if...   ~ the candidate I voted for didn't win.  I heard him speak on the radio this morning and I was so proud that he humbly stated "Ann and I will stand behind President Obama and pray for him during his term earnestly.  God Bless America!"    ~ I'm super excited that I'm making lasagna for dinner tonight, we haven't had it is so long!   ~ every year I say that I'm going to get a head start on Christmas shopping and every year I don't.  UGH!   ~ our bedtime struggles with Olivia have changed from getting her to fall asleep to getting her to stay asleep.  Lately she's been waking up at 1AM or 2AM and she refuses to go back to sleep unless one of us is in bed with her.    ~ I struggle with being super strict with her bedtime because I flip flop between wanting her to be able to fall asleep on her own and knowing that she's only small once and I should take the cuddles while I can get them.  There are Mama's out there who've lost babies and would do anything to be able to sleep beside their children so why am I so dead set against it?    ~ I'm still drinking iced coffee and it's about 35 degrees in the morning when I'm on my way to work.    That's all I'm saying So What to today.  Happy Wednesday!     

Sleep update - Night 1

Thank you for all of your awesome responses from yesterdays post!  I received a variety of comments with all different suggestions, which just goes to show you that no one thing will work for every child and it was a great reminder to stay open minded and try different things with Olivia if my original plan didn't work.    All day yesterday I talked to Olivia about going to bed like a big girl.  I explained that Mommy wasn't going to be able to lay down with her but I'd sit in her room and she shouldn't be afraid.  During our conversations she did get a bit upset and cry at even the mention of going to sleep but I know it was just nerves from the stressful experience we'd had the past few nights.    After dinner I gave her a bath, got her jammied up, read some books and gave her a drink and brushed her teeth all while still talking about going to bed like a big girl.  I knew she was tired and I didn't want to chance her getting overtired so at 7:30 we said our goodnights to everyone, gave hugs and kisses and went into her room.  We said our prayers and I had her get into bed herself.  I turned on her sound machine, sat beside the bed and turned off the light.  She did ask me once to lay down but I gently reminded her that she was going to bed like a big girl.  There were no tears shed, she turned over, got comfy and fell right to sleep.  I waited about 5 minutes and was able to get up off the floor and walk out of the room with no problems!  She woke up earlier than normal at 6:30 but that's simply because she went to sleep so early...and she was probably so much more rested since bedtime wasn't a screaming, crying battle.  Night #1 was a success.       My method for putting her to sleep will be to stick with not getting into bed with her but sitting by her bed and gradually moving closer and closer to the door, away from her bed.  I need her to be confident enough to go to sleep on her own.  I know she can do it.    Now, let's all say a little prayer that this easy bedtime routine continues!  ......Amen.  

So What! Wednesday

I'm linking up with Shannon from "Life After I Dew" today for her So What! Wednesday series.  This week it's going to be a little different because I need some Mama advice so I'm incorporating my original blog into SWW style...  If you have advice, please, please share it!   So What ~ if bedtime with Olivia lately has reduced us both to tears for the past several nights. So What ~ if my first mistake was never letting her fall asleep on her own as an infant. So What ~ if my second mistake is never letting her cry...not talking cry it out, I just mean cry a little. So What ~ if this is coming back to bite my in the behind. So What ~ if I lay in bed with her (she's in a full size bed) to get her to fall asleep. So What ~ if every damn time I tried to get up after she was asleep last night she woke up. So What ~ if it took me 3 hours to get her to bed last night on her own. So What ~ if I was crying out of sheer frustration during bedtime for the last 2 nights. So What ~ if I lost my temper because she just wouldn't!go!to!sleep! So What ~ if I really, really need some advice on how to get my now 2 year old go to sleep on her own.   ....so, if you can offer me advice, please do.  I'm willing to try (almost) anything.  Bedtime has become dreadful and it shouldn't be this way.  I need to be able to put my daughter in her bed and have her fall asleep without screaming, crying, snotting etc. for hours.    

The Post Where I Whine...

...I'm allowed an off post once in a while right? 

Well, today is the day. 

I'm tired, Olivia isn't sleeping well and I'm getting a cold.

Woe is me. 

I'm just out of sorts today and I want to go home,

crawl back in bed and catch up

on the precious sleep I've been missing because my

teething 15 month old cant put herself to sleep yet

and cant seem to keep herself asleep either.

I've tried earlier bedtimes, later bedtimes, rocking, not rocking, bottle, no bottle etc...

Olivia will not just fall asleep on her own. 

Maybe I'm misunderstanding this whole "putting your children to bed" thing because

I thought that at 15 months old, Olivia would be able to have her bath,

read a book with me, have her bottle/milk, brush her teeth and I'd be able to

place her lovingly into her crib, close the door and she'd be able to go to sleep by herself. 

What am I missing?

She whine's/cries for a while, starts talking, stands up, "drops" her bink out of her crib and proclaims

"I drop, I drop"

over and over until I go in there and give it back to her,

pick her up and rock her to sleep.

This wouldn't be so bad if it lasted about 15 minutes and she slept though the night...

but lately she's been up 4 or 5 times throughout the night. 

She's either lost her bink in her crib and whines,

or she's fully awake and wanting a drink and a diaper change. 

Mama's TIRED!

Any and ALL advice is appreciated!

~Laura