Thursday, November 08, 2007

Resigned

I'm not tired!

It's over. I give up (sort of.) Ashlyn's wake up time is going to be between 5 and 6. She must have received some kind of crazy early morning gene from my mom. Mom didn't pass it to any of her children, but I'm sure these things must skip a generation.
Things that I have tried:
  • Later bedtime: It never worked. Not once did she sleep any later, she just received less sleep overall.
  • Earlier bedtime: She started sleeping until 5:30 or 6, rather than the 4:30 that she had been doing. But, that didn't even last.
  • Telling her to go back to sleep: Yeah, that didn't work for 5 minutes many times.
  • Getting mad: That worked one morning for Allen.
  • Shorter naps: With shorter naps, she didn't sleep any later the next morning, she was just cranky from the time that I woke her up.

  • Skipped naps: This one I tried for the least amount of time (well, except for the getting mad. that wasn't our strategy really, just a reaction to total and complete frustration,) but the days without naps were the worst ones of all, plus they didn't result in later wake up times, just a horrible, horrible afternoon, followed by a frustrating bed time. While I felt that any strategy needed more time to work(at least a week,) I was not willing to go through this when I am so, so very tired, too. If I can't get sleep at night, I need the possibility of a nap in the afternoon.
  • A clock: This one seemed to work for a bit. She will tell you that she gets up at 6. She knows that she is supposed to stay in bed until 6. Even the days that she would wake up earlier, I would remind her that she doesn't get up until 6, so she would wait much longer before getting up again. I thought I was victorious. I was even imagining gradually changing her clock so that 6 was really 6:15, and then 6:30. But, that vision ended. She has been getting up before 6 and then running away from me crying, because she doesn't want to go back to bed. I explained to her Tuesday morning that she didn't even have to go back to bed. She could turn on the light and play in her room, but MOMMY was not to be disturbed again until 6. She got that, and I could hear her playing until shortly after 6.

So, truly it is over. I will work on getting to bed earlier, since I will possibly be awake at 5 every morning. I will just cherish the rare morning when she truly sleeps until 6 or later. I am still going to tell her that Mommy stays in bed until 6. Eventually she'll be old enough to get her own breakfast. I will just pretend that I have an early morning job (which really I do.) At least with this job, even though work starts immediately upon waking, I do not have to run around getting ready right away. I can stay in my pajamas for a couple of hours. Some days, I could stay in them all day. And, as long as she keeps the naps, I can nap, too. At least until this next baby is born (in less than 2 months!,) and then I will know what true sleep deprivation can be.

You don't need sleep, Mommy!

11 comments:

Harrisonjoy said...

Ya know...poor Matt fixed his own breakfast when he was 2 years old! He got cereal & milk...and ate it in front of the tv!

Actually...I THINK that Allen & Brad probably did the same thing....hhhhmmm....I guess that I slept in a LOT!

I'm sure that they will ALL say that I starved them during childhood....

Katie said...

That is truly AWFUL! I feel so badly for you! My mom trained us to get our own dry cereal and turn on the TV by ourselves at some point. She is probably still too young to really get it...but it might be worth a shot!

YOU POOOOOR THING!!!

The Dunns said...

Here's a "yawn" for you. \O/

I feel bad now complaining when I have to get up early (but not nearly as early as you) with my boys. :)

I'll pray that you and Ashlyn can turn these early mornings into special times for both of you that you will look back on with fondness and sweet memories. Like lemonaide from lemons.

Smitty 1, 2 , 3 and 4 said...

That SUCKS!!!! I am feeling your pain girl. I love sleep. LOVE it!! I used to be able to need, and want, 10 hours of sleep. Now, I thank God for 6.
Noone warned me of this before I had Wilson...I am tired (pun intended) of all these people telling me their kid(s) sleep like 12 hours straight and have since they were 8 weeks old. Seriously! In fact, I might go on a shooting rampage if I hear another one...

Smitty 1, 2 , 3 and 4 said...

I just read the comment before mine. Now I feel bad. What an optimistic comment.

I'll try to make some lemonaide too... After I get some sleep that is.

Unknown said...

Whenever my children make me sleep deprived, I remind myself that someday I will be pulling the covers off their bed or pounding on the door to get the up and out the door before they miss the bus. And, during the summers, when they sleep until 1:00pm, I'll think back to my sleep deprived days and think, "Wasn't it just yesterday that they didn't sleep much at all?"

Angie said...

Oh Jamie, someone told you that things would change and you would get less sleep, because I did! Ashlyn wasn't sleeping through the night at 8 weeks, either. And, I thought she was a pretty decent sleeper compared to other kids.

Sharon said...

I just commented to Sara on this as well....they're all so different, like how Makena sleeps 12hrs at night (sorry Jamie Lynn)and still requires a 2hr. nap, but her 11mo. old sister doesn't even get 12 hours total a day! At least she manages to sleep 'til 7am usually! Glad to hear you get a nap when you can!!!

Lysandra said...

Those pictures are gorgeous! Are you using a special flash or something?

Angie said...

Lysandra,
I do have an external flash. I usually bounce the light. It makes all the difference.

Jamie said...

She should be a model!