Oh, the JOY! Sleep!

Wonder of wonders. Brooks is STILL asleep in his crib! I put him down for his morning nap around 9:30 and had to replug his pacifier once around 10:20, but he's been out for over two hours! Hallelujah! Sleep, child, sleep!



This is a HUGE blessing. Those who have seen me in the last 10 days can testify... I'm pretty tired. Brooks' loose but comfortable schedule has gotten ridiculously off track since we left for vacation the third week of April. Since then he's gotten up at least once, often twice a night - every single night - and he's just taken cat naps during the day. This is from a child who had been sleeping 7 or 8 hours straight at 3 months old and napping like a champ for weeks now.

I read all the sleep training books, the "Cry it out" and the "gentle" methods. I thought we were on the right track... And frankly, I didn't realize how much these last few days of sleep issues were affecting my mood until last Thursday night in Nashville. I was up with him for the second time in the wee small hours and we were both crying. "I'm done. I'm just done." was all that could come to mind. It was a low point.

Lots of factors are at play here, not the least of which is my effort when we're in TN to not disturb my parents whose room is next to Brooks'. At home if he cries during the night, we occasionally comfort him to remind him we're here, but we don't get him out of the crib unless absolutely necessary. While we're on the road, instead of doing that, I've been picking him up to quiet him... and often to nurse him, even if it's just a few hours after his bedtime feeding. Well he's a smart cookie - he's learned what it takes to get up and get more food in just a few short nights. And now he's just confused. "I'm crying the same as usual, why aren't they picking me up? Where's the milk, people?!"

Our biggest challenge is that we've been a very mobile family, which means that any routines and patterns are broken just as soon as they're set. The sleep experts all say that you need at least three weeks to "sleep train", and naps and night-time routines shouldn't be interupted during that time, so that the child can really get into a rhythm. But we won't even have TWO weeks of sleeping in the same bed between now and when we move to London in July. I guess the key is just to keep my head about me and try to act as consistently as possible, even when we're on the road.

Any advice for the road warrior parents?