There’s nothing like ‘sleep-training’ a 10 month old to bring one into the world of blogging… AND cause one to go slightly insane!
I began sleep training my sweet, yet apparently sleep-deprived son just over a week ago. I chose a program that claimed to NOT be the “cry-it-out” method, but as I’ve discovered, many tears are inevitably involved. The first few days were agonizingly painful and I had many doubts that this ‘program’ would bring any sleep success. However, I also felt strongly that I needed to give it a fair shot and to do so, I needed to follow it consistently; at the very least, for a week.
To my amazement, Jett’s nights have stretched to 11-12 hours of straight sleep in less than a week! I feel a bit guilty, because I had let myself believe that my son was just one of those babies that didn’t need quite as much sleep as other babies. I thought, “Nine hours isn’t so bad, and so what if I have to get up with him once or twice, he’ll grow out of it when he’s ready.” Well, apparently my little boy WAS/IS capable of a full night’s sleep. I don’t regret the time I spent rocking him, bouncing him, and nursing him back to sleep, I loved those precious moments, but I felt, and still feel that it’s time for my Jetty to sleep more independently and consistently. He needs more sleep and so do I.
His naps have not come along so easily. For months now, he’s been a 20 minute napper, which is frustrating because there is not much you can get done in 20 min. Also, everything I read said that, at his age, babies should be napping for 90 min to an hour twice a day. Trying to change this 20 min routine has involved taking away Jett’s soother, putting him down in his crib while awake and letting him cry before and after his nap whenever the duration is less than 1n hour and a quarter.
I HATE listening to my baby cry! It’s hard not to attach an emotion to his tears. I imagine him feeling abandoned, thinking his mom hates him, etc. Yet, when I do go and pick him up, his crying stops almost immediately and he is happy and content once again. He smiles at me, kisses me, and is ready for playtime. His naps have actually gotten longer. They’ve gone from 20 minutes to about an hour fairly consistently. We’re not at the recommended 90 min to 2 hours yet, but the ‘program’ states that it can take up to 4 weeks for that to happen.
ANYWAY, how has this sleep journey turned me to blogging, you might ask? Well, as I have sat downstairs listening to the angry cry of my son protesting his naps, I have looked for anything to distract me and keep me from barreling up the stairs and cradling me sweet boy forever and ever. I spent a considerable amount of time reading the blogs of several friends of mine; enjoying their deep thoughts, contemplations and anecdotes. I even snooped on other people’s blogs who were connected to their pages! I found it very relaxing and, in many cases, even encouraging to read the words from the minds of others.
I started debating as to whether or not I would like to keep a blog and, at first, I talked myself out of it because I thought, “nobody is going to want to read it.” But the more I have thought about it, I realize that it doesn’t matter. I want this blog to be a place where I can write about my thoughts, feelings, excitements and disappointments, if for no one else, then for myself. If anyone else is interested in the ramblings of my mind than I am more than willing to share.
As much as I have been frustrated with the process of ‘sleep training’ (I AM now starting to enjoy the results), I am filled with joy when I look into the sweet face of my baby boy. He is growing up far too quickly for my liking! So, as part of my first official blog post, I will share another one of my new obsessions… iMovies! I have fully enjoyed making these video mementos of my Jetty.
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