The fox and that blue spotted blanket is what he sleeps with. This pictrure is a bit blury because we were driving when I took it and I had to fast I didn't want to wake him. He is finally asleep!
OK so this post is about sleep training. If you have kids you will remember or aregoin through it now and feel how sad,tired and how it pulls on your heart strings to do this. Everyone does it a different way and I have tried many with Sev but the only way that worked for us was this book which I'll tell you about later. Oliver has been sleeping with us for 17 months in our bed. I loved it really, having this sweet little body moving around by me actually brought me allot of joy. I really had no problem with it until I found myself driving him to get to sleep after trying to put him to sleep in our bed for a couple hours. He had tired little eyes I knew he wasn't getting enough sleep and I needed to be strong and sleep train him. Sevrin is really the best sleeper ever! It is all thanks to this book I got called The sleep easy solution in five days or less no matter how difficult your child is. It tells you ages 3 month to 5 years how to wean how much sleep your child should be getting, napping etc. It really goes through every thing, anything that you have a question about it answers. It goes through everything like Language burst,separation anxiety,resistance to napping or bedtime,potty training, I mean I could be writing this novel about all it goes through,it is allot. I do love it and I owe it all to this great book and to Ike and I being so brave to trying and sticking to it. I'm not really sure why I didn't start Ollie when he was younger I guess it was because it was hard for me to adjust to having two children and the limited space in our house. My kids share a room. That was the Big one. Let me just tell you it is one on the hardest thing to do when you start this sleep training thing. Hearing my child cry breaks my heart and Yes there are a few tears on my side. The nice thing about this book is it is NOT the book that tells you to let your child cry himself to sleep with no checks. I feel it is a soft gentle approach to sleep training your child to becoming a great sleeper and more healthy in general. (wow that sounded like I was trying to make you buy it or something) so let me tell you how this went. The week before for a whole week I put him in his crib for awhile each day to play with toys read books to get used to the crib. Because he would tremble and shake when I would just set him in there. He was scared. But by the end I didn't hear any crying and sounds of terror when I left the room for a little while.
Day 1
We did our normal sleep routine. Brush teeth,read books with Sevie,sing songs and nurse, cuddle loves and talk. Then I tell him "sweetie, baby bear time for night night" I lay him in his crib with his lovie, kiss him good night say I love you and leave the room.
Next thing I hear crying for the next hour and a half I check on him every fifteen minutes while reading the book and talking to Ike telling him this is so hard should we be doing this? We stick to it. He falls asleep YEAH! stays asleep until 1:00pm cries for 45 minutes checking in on him every 15 minutes then he wakes up at 8:45 great lets see how nap time goes. He wasn't mad at me when he woke up just a smile and loves as if he completely forgot about the torture I felt last night.
Day 2
Nap time 12:30 same routine 45 minutes crying then off to sleep. SO HARD TO HEAR THAT SWEET CRY! I love him so much that is why I'm doing this so he can be healthier.
Bedtime routine comes around we put him down kiss goodnight he cries for an hour we check every 15 minutes. I eat a desert crepe (I'm SUCH AN EMOTIONAL EATER!) I really hate hearing him cry it's like torture. Wakes 2 times in the night but goes to sleep after about 45 minutes of crying. Wakes at 6:00 and is very happy to see us and get out of the crib.
Play time with the family
Day 3
We are all exhausted so we decide naps are a must for all of us I do nap time routine. Ike and Sev go take a nap in our room and I stay up with Oliver cring for 2 hours (just when I thought he was doing better it got worse!, so disappointing I'm so frustrated and really wanting to give up it is so tiring and so hard!!!) He didn't fall asleep after two hours there was noise in the house and I decided to just go get him out. We eat lunch and play for awhile. I can tell he is so exhausted and overly tired like me. It hurts me to see him so grumpy and tired his little body. Why won't he just give up and go to sleep. Ike drove him around for a little while just to get some sleep in. But the second he got home he was awake a total of 10 minutes of napping. Poor thing I try the crib again for like 20 minutes and notice it is about 3:30 I say to myself why am I doing this to myself and him? This is so HARD I think I might rather be giving labor. I no I might be sounding really grumpy and exhausted it is because I am. HELP! Please just let this poor sweet tired little boy find a way to like the crib and go to sleep fast. I so want to just hold him love him and rock him,drive him,nurse him what ever it takes just to get him to sleep but I know if I go back it will be way harder to go back. Let's just see how tonight goes. (big breath,SIGH)
Night time! we do the bedtime routine he is so TIRED poor sweet little guy. I kiss him goodnight and tell him you can do this little buddy. He cried for NO JOKE FIVE HOURS I know this makes me sound like I am the worst mother ever I'm EMBARRASSED TO SAY THAT! During that time I kept telling Ike I don't know how that little guy is still awake no nap woke early I just don't get it! I literally felt nauseous from hearing him cry. It was so hard Ike and I cuddled on the couch I asked Ike to just hug me we talk about it and started reading the entire book again because "There is nothing in this freaking book that says if your child cries for longer than 3 hours what to do." I finally said to myself this is crazy and pure torture for us both I went into his room he looked drunk his body shaking from all the cortisol and adrenaline eyes were red his little arms were reaching out for me HOLD ME PLEASE. I grabbed him in my arms held him as close as I could and just love him I rocked him and rubbed his little back and kept saying I'm so sorry sweetie I LOVE YOU! baby. He fell asleep I still held him, looking at his sweet sleeping, peaceful face. I laid him down and went to bed. I don't know about this sleep training........
Day 4
Today it was Ike's brothers wedding Sunday We hung out with family. I decided not to work on naps and just the night time sleep training so I let him fall asleep in the car for as long as he wanted he was so tired,as was I. He slept about 2 hours.
I needed to hear support from someone so I called my best friend Liz talked to her about the sleep training thing and she gave me some great advice made me feel like I wasn't such a bad mom. I guess I was so exhausted my brain just stopped working. It was so hard to think. I went over to my moms talked to my dad and her they said you should try to put Sevie in the room he is used to someone there maybe he is scared and a little music in the room would be good. So I took there advice I borrowed there CD player because mine broke.
We got home I made Sevies bed. I asked Ike to give us all a blessing which was very comforting. We brushed our teeth read books as a family said a prayer I nursed Ollie and turned on the music. Gave both my sweet boys a kiss and told them I love so much. I left the room and little Ollie started the crying. Sevrin I could hear him "Ollie please don't cry look I'm right hear" Ollie isn't crying as hard and it is broken up silence for minutes at a time is this working? Sevrin saying "Ollie, I love you ahhh no more crying" "I felt bad Sevrins tender little heart hearing that crying I knew it was hard for him. But what a sweet brother trying his hardest to help me feel comforted. I hear sevrin again and picturing him holding up the puppy he sleeps with saying "ruff ruff, looks its a puppy want my puppy B" As I walk in I see Sevrin standing by his crib Ollie faintly crying and babbling. Sevrin saying"Ollie I don't know your words,I don't know your words" he little voice high and tender in pure love trying his hardest to get him to sleep I laid down with Sev for a little bit. But Oliver was very mad at that I notice that Sevrin had wet the bed so I took his sheets off and had Sevrin sleep in our room. I knew he was tired and he tried for an hour and a half what a trooper. Ollie cried for a total of 3 hours I decided to go in and ROCK him yes I don't care if I'm not suppose to It's what I felt was right for us. It's a huge step because I didn't nurse him to go to sleep I rocked him. I held him close and loved him as we listed to sweet lullabies. Tonight I feel went much better because I had a better feeling overall yes it was still hard to hear him cry but the spirt was with us. It is amazing that I have a priesthood holder to give me a blessing when ever I want to. I love my faith LDS it is peace, comfort, love I am grateful everything about it. I hope this sleep training will get better and better. I will update you and any ideas or comments PLEASE leave I'm open for any suggestions. It is about 10:00 in the morning as I'm writting this and I am letting him sleep in for as long as he wants his body needs the catch up. YEAH for sleep.
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