Monday, October 19, 2009

The sleeping post

Are there other things I could be doing right now? Simply, yes. However, my kid has been fighting sleep more than normal lately and last night and today was no picnic so I'm going to use this time that she's actually fast asleep to post.

Lately I've been feeling like it might be time to lose the swaddle and the swing for naps & nighttime. I've only just recently realized how overambitious of a goal that is. A couple of weeks ago I laid Amelia down for a nap and after about 10 minutes of whining she fell asleep. Granted, she was only out for about 35 minutes but it was a start. Over the course of that week she kept doing okay on her own to fall asleep at naptime. I should also add that, for about a month, she was giving us 6 1/2 -9 hour stretches of sleep at night. It was wonderful.

She has regressed.

I laid her down for a nap today and for, no kidding, 30 minutes she whined and fussed and was just generally a big grump about the whole thing. I went in a couple of times to put her paci back in and when I did she would close her eyes and snuggle with her blankie but then would get mad that her eyes were closed and pop them back open and start whining again. I left, but then after another 10 minutes I finally went in and fed her thinking she might be getting hungry. Okay, fed & changed so everything should be good, right? Nuh-uh. More fussing and whining except this time she threw in some temper tantrum. Yeah, the girl already knows how to throw herself a mean temper tantrum. I decided that if I was going to get rid of the swing during naptime then maybe I should swaddle her since that's how she's used to sleeping in her crib (that's how we roll at nighttime). Swaddled. I rocked her and she got mad again so I laid her in her crib and left. 15 minutes went by and her fussing is turning into full-blown cries. SO...I went in, picked her swaddled little self up and put her in her swing. Within 5 minutes she was out. I waited another 10 minutes before scooping her up and transfering her to the crib. She barely moved the entire time.

So, that's been my day. I've managed to get some laundry circulating but other than that I'm feeling rather unproductive. I'm allowed those days, right? They have been happening a little too frequently lately.

So, here's the recipe I was talking about. I'm sure someone has thought of this before so I won't claim that it's completely original. It's simple enough. It doesn't even have a title.

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked & cubed
1 small zucchini, diced
1/2 can black olives, drained & sliced
1 cup fresh spinach (you can use frozen, I won't tell)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 T chicken seasoning (I used Montreal)
1 T dried sweet basil
1/2 T fresh ground pepper
Parmesan cheese to taste

Basically just throw it all in a skillet, heat it up, and serve it over angel hair pasta. I promise never to write a cookbook.

My baby is awake. I think she slept for 40 minutes. She's on her playgym staring at her feet and yawning. I don't think it's her teeth, but maybe it is. I just know that when I would walk into her room when she was whining and pick her up she'd stop crying.

Okay, we played, I cut her fingernails, and put her back in her swing since her eyes were red and she was looking dazed. She's sleeping and this time I'm not moving her!

That's the thing about parenting infants. People would tell me before she was born that infants just "eat, sleep & poop". That may be true to an extent, but you also have to figure out why they're crying, why they won't eat, why they won't sleep or why they're sleeping so much and why they haven't pooped/pooped so much/why their poop looks the way it does. Are they sick? Teething? Tired? Hungry? Gassy? Colicky? Overstimulated? Too hot? Too cold? Uncomfortable? Of course, you probably know what I'm going to say next. It really is all worth it. I get to snuggle her, kiss her, play with her, and watch her smile and laugh. And drool. Last night I got done feeding her and had her over my shoulder to burp her. She lifted her head and, while putting her chubby little hands on my face, planted her nose into my cheek then tried to eat my nose. She burped in my face and spit up just enough so that I could smell that distinct digested milk scent. It was the sweetest moment so far!

Okay, I probably should get some stuff done while she's still sleeping. David (that's my husband's name. No more "D") will be home soon.

Did I eat lunch today?

4 comments commented:

Dahlia said...

Personally, if the swing is working for naps why mess with it? I promise you, she will learn to sleep on her own laying down without the swing eventually for naps. Somewhere aroun 6-7 months was when the boys started doing that. I would rock them to sleep, lay them down, and they would stay out for at least an hour. I think it is very much developmental.

And yes, it's hard to get stuff done with a baby. REALLY hard. But that's just life. Prioritize and don't beat yourself up if laundry sits in the basket for a whole week.

Mainly a midwife said...

I see A likes her Bumbo seat. So does Addison. But it scares me when she tries to get out of it. She arches her back and almost succeeds!!
I'm so glad that you get to be at home with her. It really is fun, isn't it?

Sarah said...

Amelia looks so very much like her daddy! Oh and don't worry about not getting things done. I have resigned myself to only getting laundry and dishes done. I vacuum when I can. Anything else that takes more time (i.e. actually cleaning) can wait until Sean is home to occupy Alice.

Diane said...

My daughter is almost three and I still don't feel productive most days. There's always a LIST of things to do. And hey, whatever works to get her to sleep right now is what she needs. You know her best, Mommy! Btw, she's such a cutie :)