Sleeping through the night
Sleeping through the night used to be something that Y was very good at. Oh yes, I was quite proud of (and thankful for) his ability to sleep 11-12 hours straight with no waking through the night.
Well that past few nights he has been waking several times. And screaming...so loudly that I go and get him at the risk of everyone else in the house waking up. All of the bedrooms are right next to each other with no insulation between them. My husband is running on little sleep as it is due to work and the other two boys get VERY cranky if they don't get enough sleep. Once or twice Y has had a poopy diaper, but other than that I really can't find anything that appears to be wrong with him other than that he wants to be held or has dropped his pacifier. Last night I got up with Y no less than 3 times. Finally at 5 a.m. I attempted to lay down on the couch and let him sleep on my chest, which he did quite successfully...for about 10 minutes. Then I tried to get up to put him in his crib and the very second I laid him down it was back to screaming. I so badly wanted to just let him cry it out - he got to bed later than usual last night and normally sleeps until at least 6:30 in the morning. So I am basically sleep deprived at this point. I know it could be worse, but I really need my 8-9 hours a night these days. 6-7 hours used to be enough but it's just not anymore. Thankfully I'm just positive that some people out there have been praying for extra patience for me (I know I pray that prayer every day) because the last few days I have been even more patient than usual with both of the little ones. Not of my own doing, I assure you.
So anyway, I am now taking advice on how I should handle his screaming in the future! I've considered moving his crib, but honestly there is just no where else to put it where he wouldn't be heard by the entire house(our house is small!). I can't put it in the basement first of all because I think that would be kind of strange but second of all because we don't have any legal bedrooms down there (no egress windows). Which is kind of strange if you think of it...I mean, if there was a fire or something he wouldn't be able to get out of the house by himself, egress window or not!
Update on C's spitting out food - Since the one day where I made him eat the food he spit out 3 times, he has spit his food out exactly twice. Both were things I'm sure he spit out because he didn't like them (I did not make him re-eat them). So...I know it's kind of unconventional but it seems to have worked.
Update on C's tantrums - Still happening. Ha! But really I have found out that a lot of the time he is having them just because he wants to be held. He will start having a tantrum and I can normally say to him "C, what do you need? Use your words" and he says with tears in his little eyes "Be held!" It's quite pathetic. But I have also noticed that when I am busy with Y is when C really wants to be held. So at those times I just have to tell him no - obviously can't hold anyone while I'm changing a poopy diaper or something like that! Sometimes he gets over it, sometimes not. He is getting better about not throwing fits when I say "no" though. Yesterday at the store I bet I told him no 10 times or more and he didn't throw one fit. So anyway, though he is still having tantrums they are shorter and he is being a little bit more reasonable and will even communicate with me during them sometimes so I think that is good.
The mom canceled 3 visits in a row last week. It was kind of a hard week and I am honestly just worn down. Brian has been crazy busy with work so he hasn't been able to help out much with the kiddos. I've said it before and I'll say it again - I hope I never, ever have to be a single mom. I don't know how those ladies do it, especially with multiple children. Doing it short term is one thing; doing it for the rest of your life is quite another thing.
Anyway the boys' visitation schedule is getting changed so that they will be right after D gets out of school...so the visitation worker is going to be picking him up from school, taking him to his mom's, and bringing him back home. YAY! I'm pretty excited about not having to go get him from school 4 days a week (assuming visits don't get canceled). Also, the hours from about 3:00 until dinner time are when the little boys are the most difficult - that's when I'm trying to cook dinner, they are clamoring for me and crying and knocking each other down and everything else, C wants to sit in his booster seat and cry because we can't eat right away because it's not ready yet, and our house is just chaos. I'm thankful for them to be at her house during this time, I hope it's as enjoyable for her as it is for me! Ha ha ha ha!
Also, I have lost 7 pounds since becoming a SAHM. I think this is a result of just not getting enough to eat throughout the day and also being on my feet a good portion of the day. People who think this job is easy should do it for a week (plus doing EVERYTHING around the house, all the cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc.) and see how easy it is. Ha!
I think someone may be stirring upstairs so I guess I'll get back to "work". :)
Well that past few nights he has been waking several times. And screaming...so loudly that I go and get him at the risk of everyone else in the house waking up. All of the bedrooms are right next to each other with no insulation between them. My husband is running on little sleep as it is due to work and the other two boys get VERY cranky if they don't get enough sleep. Once or twice Y has had a poopy diaper, but other than that I really can't find anything that appears to be wrong with him other than that he wants to be held or has dropped his pacifier. Last night I got up with Y no less than 3 times. Finally at 5 a.m. I attempted to lay down on the couch and let him sleep on my chest, which he did quite successfully...for about 10 minutes. Then I tried to get up to put him in his crib and the very second I laid him down it was back to screaming. I so badly wanted to just let him cry it out - he got to bed later than usual last night and normally sleeps until at least 6:30 in the morning. So I am basically sleep deprived at this point. I know it could be worse, but I really need my 8-9 hours a night these days. 6-7 hours used to be enough but it's just not anymore. Thankfully I'm just positive that some people out there have been praying for extra patience for me (I know I pray that prayer every day) because the last few days I have been even more patient than usual with both of the little ones. Not of my own doing, I assure you.
So anyway, I am now taking advice on how I should handle his screaming in the future! I've considered moving his crib, but honestly there is just no where else to put it where he wouldn't be heard by the entire house(our house is small!). I can't put it in the basement first of all because I think that would be kind of strange but second of all because we don't have any legal bedrooms down there (no egress windows). Which is kind of strange if you think of it...I mean, if there was a fire or something he wouldn't be able to get out of the house by himself, egress window or not!
Update on C's spitting out food - Since the one day where I made him eat the food he spit out 3 times, he has spit his food out exactly twice. Both were things I'm sure he spit out because he didn't like them (I did not make him re-eat them). So...I know it's kind of unconventional but it seems to have worked.
Update on C's tantrums - Still happening. Ha! But really I have found out that a lot of the time he is having them just because he wants to be held. He will start having a tantrum and I can normally say to him "C, what do you need? Use your words" and he says with tears in his little eyes "Be held!" It's quite pathetic. But I have also noticed that when I am busy with Y is when C really wants to be held. So at those times I just have to tell him no - obviously can't hold anyone while I'm changing a poopy diaper or something like that! Sometimes he gets over it, sometimes not. He is getting better about not throwing fits when I say "no" though. Yesterday at the store I bet I told him no 10 times or more and he didn't throw one fit. So anyway, though he is still having tantrums they are shorter and he is being a little bit more reasonable and will even communicate with me during them sometimes so I think that is good.
The mom canceled 3 visits in a row last week. It was kind of a hard week and I am honestly just worn down. Brian has been crazy busy with work so he hasn't been able to help out much with the kiddos. I've said it before and I'll say it again - I hope I never, ever have to be a single mom. I don't know how those ladies do it, especially with multiple children. Doing it short term is one thing; doing it for the rest of your life is quite another thing.
Anyway the boys' visitation schedule is getting changed so that they will be right after D gets out of school...so the visitation worker is going to be picking him up from school, taking him to his mom's, and bringing him back home. YAY! I'm pretty excited about not having to go get him from school 4 days a week (assuming visits don't get canceled). Also, the hours from about 3:00 until dinner time are when the little boys are the most difficult - that's when I'm trying to cook dinner, they are clamoring for me and crying and knocking each other down and everything else, C wants to sit in his booster seat and cry because we can't eat right away because it's not ready yet, and our house is just chaos. I'm thankful for them to be at her house during this time, I hope it's as enjoyable for her as it is for me! Ha ha ha ha!
Also, I have lost 7 pounds since becoming a SAHM. I think this is a result of just not getting enough to eat throughout the day and also being on my feet a good portion of the day. People who think this job is easy should do it for a week (plus doing EVERYTHING around the house, all the cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc.) and see how easy it is. Ha!
I think someone may be stirring upstairs so I guess I'll get back to "work". :)
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