Sunday, July 15, 2012
When Mommy-ing Is Hard: Big Girl Beds Part Two
So there I was, sailing happily along because the Big Girl Bed Transition went so smoothly. It even went smoothly when she had to sleep in a bed that was nearly three feet off the ground at Mammaw's house. At the suggestion of a friend (who heard it from another friend), we put swim noodles under the fitted sheet to create a barrier. It worked just as well as a baby gate, and cost about 1/10 the price! Woohoo for a $3 solution! She slept that way for 5 days, both bedtimes and naps, and she only fell out once!
Then, suddenly, Katie realized that Mommy and Daddy were only 10 feet away, and she could get to us if she just crawled out of bed! For 3 nights, Honey and I played that game. She would peek around the door with her cute little face and smile so big - like we had been playing hide-and-seek and she found us. For 3 nights, we would make her walk back across the room and then we would place her in her sofa bed and tuck her in.. Again. We must have done that 5 times each of those 3 nights.
Then yesterday at nap time I knew we had to quit. If we kept going in there and tucking her back in, we'd be doing it until she went to college.
So, after the 3rd time yesterday, I told her it was for real. "Katie, this is the last time Mommy is tucking you back in bed. If you get out of bed again, you will have to sleep on the floor." (She can't climb back into the bed alone yet.)
When she started crying at our door, I was stuck! I told her I wasn't coming back in, and I knew I couldn't go back on it. So, for 6 minutes I sat in my bed and heard the following:
"Moooooommmmmmyyy!"
:Crying:
"Daaaaaaadddddddddyy!"
:More crying:
"Mommy wake? Daddy wake? Geeby wake?" - Yeah, she was even trying to recruit her little brother into helping her.
:More crying:
"Mommy room?"
:Screaming crying:
"Mooooooooommmmmmmmyyyyy!"
After 6 minutes of awful, I told Honey he had to go in there. I told Katie I wasn't coming back, but I didn't say anything about Daddy not coming back! So he went and tucked her back in and a few minutes later, I found this:
As it turns out, Honey asked if she wanted to be tucked back in bed, or if she wanted to sleep on the floor. Obviously she sobbed "The beeeeeeeeeeeddddd!", so he tucked her in and that was that.
Bed time last night went a little more smoothly. We only had to tuck her back in twice before she fell asleep. And just now at nap time, she went right to sleep without getting out of bed at all!
The moral is, I know that sometimes Mommy-ing is hard, but the hard things are worth it. Listening to your baby cry for you specifically is terrible! Knowing that all you have to do to fix your baby's (immediate) problem is to open that door and hug her, but also knowing that you can't, is AWFUL. My baby's real problem wasn't that she needed me - she didn't. What she needed was to stay in bed and get a good, restful sleep. It only took 2 days of a little tough Mommy-ing, and she's back to being my good sleeper.
Then, suddenly, Katie realized that Mommy and Daddy were only 10 feet away, and she could get to us if she just crawled out of bed! For 3 nights, Honey and I played that game. She would peek around the door with her cute little face and smile so big - like we had been playing hide-and-seek and she found us. For 3 nights, we would make her walk back across the room and then we would place her in her sofa bed and tuck her in.. Again. We must have done that 5 times each of those 3 nights.
Then yesterday at nap time I knew we had to quit. If we kept going in there and tucking her back in, we'd be doing it until she went to college.
So, after the 3rd time yesterday, I told her it was for real. "Katie, this is the last time Mommy is tucking you back in bed. If you get out of bed again, you will have to sleep on the floor." (She can't climb back into the bed alone yet.)
When she started crying at our door, I was stuck! I told her I wasn't coming back in, and I knew I couldn't go back on it. So, for 6 minutes I sat in my bed and heard the following:
"Moooooommmmmmyyy!"
:Crying:
"Daaaaaaadddddddddyy!"
:More crying:
"Mommy wake? Daddy wake? Geeby wake?" - Yeah, she was even trying to recruit her little brother into helping her.
:More crying:
"Mommy room?"
:Screaming crying:
"Mooooooooommmmmmmmyyyyy!"
After 6 minutes of awful, I told Honey he had to go in there. I told Katie I wasn't coming back, but I didn't say anything about Daddy not coming back! So he went and tucked her back in and a few minutes later, I found this:
As it turns out, Honey asked if she wanted to be tucked back in bed, or if she wanted to sleep on the floor. Obviously she sobbed "The beeeeeeeeeeeddddd!", so he tucked her in and that was that.
Bed time last night went a little more smoothly. We only had to tuck her back in twice before she fell asleep. And just now at nap time, she went right to sleep without getting out of bed at all!
The moral is, I know that sometimes Mommy-ing is hard, but the hard things are worth it. Listening to your baby cry for you specifically is terrible! Knowing that all you have to do to fix your baby's (immediate) problem is to open that door and hug her, but also knowing that you can't, is AWFUL. My baby's real problem wasn't that she needed me - she didn't. What she needed was to stay in bed and get a good, restful sleep. It only took 2 days of a little tough Mommy-ing, and she's back to being my good sleeper.
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