STQ 2008 Summary
Life is funny. We say and do so many things to help us cope. We re-shape things in our mind in order to gain control and perspective of the myriad random occurrences around us. This is a recurring theme here at Unfinished Dad and will continue to be for a long time I suspect.
Consequently, I find myself in a well rested, reflective mood this morning. I just put Annabelle down for her nap and realized that I have taken for granted my good fortune. For about two weeks now she has taken both a morning and afternoon nap every day. These little miracles are almost always an hour and half long and often they reach the two hour mark.
Who is this baby? And where did she come from? I asked my wife this question last night, with the thought that Annie is who she is. She has arrived at this restful period in life simply as a matter of course. I have worked very hard at molding her sleep habits into what people have always told me were normal patterns, but I think that when all is said and done she has decided that this is what she needs. Next week she may decide that naps are boring again.
My wife looks at it differently. She believes that it was hard work and scheduling that has made the difference. On the sage advice of my mother-in-law, I have been keeping Annie up until 10:00 every morning, thus assuring exhaustion before her first nap. I do concede that this is when we turned the corner. The bottom line is that every morning at 10 o’clock I have the opportunity to write, or shower, or eat. Whoah. If you told me this in November I would have laughed. Now you see why I am feeling reflective.
This morning, Monday, March 31, 2008, also represents the end of another family project. STW turned STM turned STQ 2008 has seemingly come to an end. We have been progressing in this direction for a few weeks now, and last night for the first time in over two months, Annie slept from 7 to 7. She has been getting closer and closer to this feat, waking up at 6:30 or so, but today officially marked the end of what has been a long road. On this project I will claim victory in the name of perseverance. I tried a lot of different tactics over the last three months until the right combination paid off. Compellingly, it was my mother-in-law’s advice that helped right this ship too. She helped me find the right mix of toughness and love (settle Annie with two Bob’s every five minutes until crying/standing ceases) to get Annie back to sleep.
Now, that being said, I don’t want to contradict myself from one paragraph to the next. Did Annie return to a full night’s sleep on her own? Could I have been standing on my head or doing a jig all night and had the same results? I hope not. I worked very hard for this and lost a lot of sleep and made Annie cry more than I was comfortable with. So let’s just say that it was good parenting that gave me my first full night of sleep since January. After all, isn’t that what coping is all about?
Consequently, I find myself in a well rested, reflective mood this morning. I just put Annabelle down for her nap and realized that I have taken for granted my good fortune. For about two weeks now she has taken both a morning and afternoon nap every day. These little miracles are almost always an hour and half long and often they reach the two hour mark.
Who is this baby? And where did she come from? I asked my wife this question last night, with the thought that Annie is who she is. She has arrived at this restful period in life simply as a matter of course. I have worked very hard at molding her sleep habits into what people have always told me were normal patterns, but I think that when all is said and done she has decided that this is what she needs. Next week she may decide that naps are boring again.
My wife looks at it differently. She believes that it was hard work and scheduling that has made the difference. On the sage advice of my mother-in-law, I have been keeping Annie up until 10:00 every morning, thus assuring exhaustion before her first nap. I do concede that this is when we turned the corner. The bottom line is that every morning at 10 o’clock I have the opportunity to write, or shower, or eat. Whoah. If you told me this in November I would have laughed. Now you see why I am feeling reflective.
This morning, Monday, March 31, 2008, also represents the end of another family project. STW turned STM turned STQ 2008 has seemingly come to an end. We have been progressing in this direction for a few weeks now, and last night for the first time in over two months, Annie slept from 7 to 7. She has been getting closer and closer to this feat, waking up at 6:30 or so, but today officially marked the end of what has been a long road. On this project I will claim victory in the name of perseverance. I tried a lot of different tactics over the last three months until the right combination paid off. Compellingly, it was my mother-in-law’s advice that helped right this ship too. She helped me find the right mix of toughness and love (settle Annie with two Bob’s every five minutes until crying/standing ceases) to get Annie back to sleep.
Now, that being said, I don’t want to contradict myself from one paragraph to the next. Did Annie return to a full night’s sleep on her own? Could I have been standing on my head or doing a jig all night and had the same results? I hope not. I worked very hard for this and lost a lot of sleep and made Annie cry more than I was comfortable with. So let’s just say that it was good parenting that gave me my first full night of sleep since January. After all, isn’t that what coping is all about?
posted by Unfinished Dad at
10:51 AM
1 Comments:
Another important lesson learned; never 2nd guess the mother-in-law!
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home