whose more stubborn
My girls have been in their room for two hours. I’m going crazy!!! It’s nap time and they have not slept a wink. They were doing sooo well and then the week school started they decided to not take naps until 4 of 5 o’clock. I’m just so tired of it. Eden gets overly tired and then I have to be right next to her and lull her to sleep. Lilah falls asleep at 5 and then doesn’t wake up until 7 or 8, so she goes to bed at 9:30 or 10. I know daylight savings is coming in which we’ll be falling forward an hour and that will throw there no sleep charade even further out of whack.
I need them to take afternoon naps.
I like to take my showers in the afternoon so I’m freshly showered for my evening classes. I have side swept bangs that drive me crazy when I’m just at home dealing with the girls, so if I were to get up and do my shower before they awoke, or even when Eden takes her morning nap, I would end up pulling my bangs back, but I want to avoid that. It just drives me nuts when they go through these phases and won’t sleep. I’ve just let Lilah up. (It’s just after five) She is getting older and possible doesn’t need a nap. I try to run them around and get them tired out, it just doesn’t seem to work. There are days where Lilah gets soo moody and I can’t stand to have her around because she’s not sharing, sheรย bosses Eden around, or doesn’t listen to anything I say. She has a melt down whenever you ask her to do something, and so I figure she needs a nap…and then she’s awake for three hours before she falls asleep. ARG! Eden is still making plenty of noise. I’m debating getting her up. maybe a 7 o’clock bedtime, but I’m afraid how early she’ll wake up. it’s just frustrating. I try to spend time with them but I have so much work I have to get done for school, or just around the house. I feel like they want my attention all day long, unless they’re watching TV. I hate letting them watch so much TV. I try to limit it to 1 hour during the day. But lately it’s been whole movies or 2- 2 1/2 hours of PBS. I do break up the PBS, but I still feel terrible. I just feel stretched. I feel like they’re not being self sufficient. The afternoon is my time. I usually try to do more school, or house work. I also feel like I deserve to relax a little while I eat my afternoon snack, but I also feel guilty that I’m not doing work. I have a trip we’re taking this weekend, so since I won’t be home I have tons to do. ( two test this Friday before we leave, which means I have lectures to watch plus I have to study, and two short papers to write for my music class, and those will need reading.) I also have to get laundry done and pack, get my parents car and drop ours off in the shop. There’s just so much. I wish I had a second me to entertain the girls or at least regulate them. Some days are great. Lilah plays with Eden and they’re both happy, but those days or moments are few lately. I just need relief. I can’t wait for the weekend, because I know I’ll be able to relax most of the time(except the reading I’ll need to do for my sex offenders class because I won’t have time to do it this week). But to prepare for it is going to be crazy. Sorry I just had to vent.
(I’m also kinda beginning to ween Eden. Jon doesn’t want to keep her up at night just so I can feed her, so he thinks I should ween her. I’m not ready yet. Or should I say my breast don’t feel ready yet. I went one night without the night time feeding, she only eats twice now, and my breast wanted to explode at 3 am. Then my mammary glands were sore the whole day. I just hate weening. I believe going from two to one feeding a day is the hardest. After you get rid of the second one, the last feeding, I think, just gets smaller to where they lose interest and then I just have to pump a little for a few days and be in a little discomfort. I just fear mastitis like the plague, and I always worry that I’ll get it while weening. So I think that piles on more emotions to my already unorganized, an chaotic life.)
September 13th, 2006 at 7:12 pm
Hopefully they are just going through a restless spell. Maybe you should try to feed them more sugar, then when they crash from the sugar high you can lay them down for a nap, perhaps with a little Benadryl. I’m just kidding! Maybe super nanny can help you develop a new routine that you can live with. Love you!
September 14th, 2006 at 2:37 am
Are you putting them both down for naps in the same room? Maybe if you put Eden down in her crib and then tell Lilah that she needs to have quiet time on the couch or take a nap in your bed (if she thinks that’s a treat). Also you could try no naps and the 7:00 bedtime- I know quite a few moms that it works well for. I just have a hard time with that because I feel like they rarely get to see Steve if they go to bed that early.
September 14th, 2006 at 10:40 am
Lacey, I’m so glad (in a twisted way) to hear that you aren’t super-woman and Lilah has grumpy days! It makes me feel so much better. ๐ As you’ll see when you come up this weekend, our lives are chaotic too. We were actually commenting to each other that it was good that you guys were coming because it forced us to make our house presentable! And then last night Nick twisted his ankle….there goes my bathroom cleaner!
Not to sound preachy, but I felt a lot like you do before my injury. I believe one of the big lessons I’m supposed to learn from this constant pain and low energy is to let go. Sometimes we expect too much from ourselves and our kids. I realized too late (after it was taken away) how grateful I was for a body healthy enough to have babies, wake up at night, think straight enough to take classes, or stand up long enough to clean and do dishes. This time of craziness wll pass, and you will miss it, I promise. And like me, when you’re done having babies, there is a certain sadness that comes with that. I know it can be overwhelming and tiring, and I’m not telling you that a “change in attitude” will make that go away. But in your few quiet moments, thank Heavenly Father for the fact that you have so many good things to fill your day….because it sucks when you aren’t physically or mentally able to do things that you once were. You never know when your life could change and those choices will be taken away. Don’t take those things for granted.
OK, I’m sorry that I just went on my own little soap box. Remember though, even the prophet says you can’t be 100% of everythng all the time. You have to pick which things to let go of just a little. By the way, many kids at Lilah’s age do lessen their need for a nap, which doesn’t mean that they will stop whining. What worked for me when I had 3 boys her age and younger was to split them up during naptime. Ethan got to sleep in our bed, a special treat. This alone extended their naps by probably a whole year and a half. And Austin only napped half of the time, but he knew he wasn’t coming out of that room, it’s called quiet time. With some kids that’s all you can expect, some just aren’t nappers. But we all need downtime. Being alone in the bedroom to wind down isn’t torture, they’ll just have to get used to it. Or maybe you should consider locking yourself in the room! ๐ hee hee
You’re doing great, we all can see how much you care about the girls and Jon. Can’t wait to see you!