Sleepless in Suburbia

We knew we had it good when at a mere five weeks old, Baby C started sleeping through the night. From late November through mid-March, she kept at it… giving us a good 6-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night. 

But, then, she must have consulted with her sisters. And, they must have told her that babies in this family aren’t supposed to sleep through the night until they have tested us for several months {nineteen, in the case of the Toddler}. 

Or, maybe it wasn’t her sisters who got to her. Maybe this is happening because the Spouse and I were getting spoiled and beginning to think haughty thoughts like, “We’re so lucky. We must have paid our dues with the first two girls and all we went through with the reflux and those sleepless nights. We deserved this good sleeper.” And thoughts like, “Well, we’re just so experienced now that we know how to do it right. We’re old pros and have trained this one well.” 

And, perhaps, God spotted some pride swelling up in our hearts and whispered softly into her tiny ear… “show ’em what you’ve got, Baby. Show ’em what you’ve got.”

So, she is showing us. And, she is reminding us we still don’t have this parenting thing figured out. 

Now I know there are countless books on the topics of sleep-training, … swaddling, sound machines, cool rooms, dark rooms, co-sleepers, crib wedges, sleep sacks, “dream” feeds, Ferberizing, etc. I own a small collection of books on the subject. And, we’ve tried many, many of the suggestions. In fact, with this baby, we religiously swaddled her every night in her Miracle blanket {and with great success!} until she started busting out of it. Of course, some would suggest we let her cry it out at this point. And, I know that method works for lots of people. But, I also know we tried it with both the Preschooler and the Toddler, and I caved. I simply can’t do it. Not that I think those who do it successfully are unsympathetic… just stronger than me.  

So, this is where we are. Awake. And, grouchy. 

All I do know now that we’re doing this for the third time is that the sleepless nights {disastrous as they may be} won’t last forever. I’m just hoping they won’t even last past the next tooth that pops up in her little mouth. 

It’s a good thing for Baby C we had already decided she’s a keeper…