I just thought I’d give y’all a little peak into my morning today. This is the account (best I can remember) from 4:17 a.m. to 5:43 a.m. The sad part is, this sort of thing happens on a regular basis. If any of you know how to get my children to sleep later, please let me know. I’m in search of a wake/sleep clock for Reed. I was looking for a reasonably priced one but after this morning. I’m willing to pay a small fortune for one if it works.
4:17-Reed is at my door reading a book that makes noise.
4:18-Reed is back in bed with a threat on his life if he gets out of his bed again. He tells me he wants breakfast. I tell him it is still dark outside and not time for breakfast. I do not win points for this.
4:19-Back in my bed.
4:22-Gaines is awake and crying. Trying to be tough and let him cry it out but he’s right next to us and the pillow over my head is not cutting it.
4:32-I give up and move to the couch (Beau’s night with Gaines…my turn with Reed) but can still hear Gaines…through my pillow that is on my head again.
5:00 or so…crying stops
5:13-Reed needs to go potty.
5:14-Reed tells me he wants a banana next week. I say fine and don’t ask any questions.
5:15-I almost gave in and let him watch cartoons until 5:45. He wanted Berenstain Bears or Veggie Tales DVD. I offered Disney channel as I was not about to find and start a DVD.
5:16-Disney does not cut it and Reed freaks and cries on the floor. There are convulsions involved. I tell him fine…he can watch nothing and turn off the TV with as much authority as you can turn off a TV with one finger. I am the meanest mom.
5:17-Reed cries for a while…”I want my daddy…I want my daddy”.
5:18-I’m back on the couch pillow over my head again plotting his punishment if he wakes up Gaines.
5:26ish-The cries turn from “I want daddy” to, “I found money”…still crying. I don’t know why that was sad.
5:32- I realize that he is standing at our bedroom door in serious jeopardy of waking up Gaines…again.
5:33-I get off the couch and go get him and let him put the dime he found in his piggy bank.
5:34- Turn on the light and offer to let him read in bed. He wants to read his Bible. That’s awesome, but I can’t find it. He tells me he put it behind his headboard so I get on the floor and scrounge around under the bed until I find it.
5:35-I leave him in his bed “reading” and threaten his life again if he leaves his room in the next 10 minutes.
5:36-I am still holding strong on my new “Do not leave your room before 5:45 a.m.” mantra. I feel a little self satisfaction despite being bitterly tired.
5:43-I hear Reed in the dining room and give up. 5:43 is pretty close to 5:45.
Say a prayer for my sanity.
Brittany
14 comments:
Brittany, I don't really have any concrete suggestions. Usually I would say black-out curtains, but with him getting up before the sun then I am stumped. It might sound bad, but have you thought of putting a child lock on his ddor? We have some on doors so that way our son can't open the doors and rummage through the house without me. Maybe that will keep him in his room at least? Good luck, that has got to be tough.
Have you tried putting him to bed later? Maybe he wakes up so early because hes not tired anymore and hes got a full night sleep already. Just a suggestion- I'd rather entertain him an hour later at bedtime than at 4:15 in the morning!
Oh my Lord-that is heinous, really. I am so sorry. I am not looking forward to this at all. I agree with the child lock thing-
He was an early riser here in DC and that was the darkest room y'all were in! I have a friend who turned the knob around on the door so the lock was on the outside. At least until he gets it a little more? Sounds mean, but she said it worked; obviously, the child couldn't open the door!
What time does he go to bed? Have you read Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child? I would recommend that.
I AM LAUGHING SO HARD!!!
We all have those "issues" with raising kids that drive us over the edge. With mine it is talking. All four are TALKERS!! I make them take turns. Sometimes I make them play the silent game.
I LOVE the turn the doorknob around trick. I've heard it works splendidly. I used to have dry cereal and sippy cups ready for my earlybirds. We have a TV in a sitting room right off the bedroom. If either or both of the twins got up earlier than I wanted, they could sit quietly and watch TV with the snack and milk (kept in the fridge in the sitting room). They knew the rules. You make noise.....you go back to bed. Noise wasn't much of an issue as long as their mouth and mind were both occupied.
Good luck, and don't forget to laugh along the way. Some day the frustrations will fade, but the sweet memories will last forever.
Two ideas; we have the child proof doorknob lock on inside so my son cannot open his door. Similar to changing the lock to the outside. BUT here is my best suggestion; put a night light in his room on a timer. It has to be the type of night light that turns on and off, not the sensor kind. Have the timer 'turn on' the night light at whatever time you want him to wake up. Tell him he can't wake up, get out of bed, leave his room, etc. until the light comes on. He's old enough that hopefully he can get the reasoning, and once he does get it, you can move the timer later in the morning. We used this with my daughter and it worked great. I haven't had to try it with my son, yet. Good luck!! I know the lack of sleep makes everything else so hard.
that made me laugh so hard...only because i have been there! with my daughter, we put a baby gate at her door until she was probably 3 1/2, so that she couldn't come out of her room. good luck and hopefully you will get some rest!
Oh I am so sorry! Have you read "healthy sleep habits, happy child"? We LOVE that book and helped us a lot with our oldest who really struggled with sleep and would be up really early. It has a whole section on how to get your kids to sleep later. I will be praying it gets better for you.
I really am sorry, but it is really funny. We seem to go through stages like this too, but we only have one!!! Porter has never been a good sleeper, so I've just given up for now. He gets up at 6:00, and this is better. I feel your pain on the lack of sleep. I never thought I would be able to function on so little sleep every night. Oh well, we'll be trying to drag them out of bed before noon before we know it. And by then we'll be getting up at 4:00 by choice! How ironic.
You can buy the Tot Clock on-line. Look it up - it's great!
Hey, I would recommend "Healthy Sleep Habits, healthy child" by Marc Weissbluth. I read it to Mallory when she wouldn't sleep one night and we both fell asleep.
My secret word to post is "oushegie"
See y'all next weekend. I'll talk to Brick about it.
I am not laughing because I can seriously sympathize with you. My babies are 12 months apart and sleep is vital..especially when you are working full time and trying to do your best as a mama! I do know that there are no quick fixes. It's never easy to break or start new sleep patterns. I will pray that God will give you rest and that Reed and Gaines will give you rest this weekend. So sorry and you are in my thoughts:(.
On an upbeat note, may you have a very Happy Mother's Day. I have been following your blog from the beginning and am friends with Molly Stone. We went to high school together. You are truly blessed with all that you have and I will keep you in my prayers.
A night light on a timer works great for letting them know when it is time to get up. Also using a lock on the door really helps and you usually only have to do it a couple of times before they catch on. There may be some major fits but if you stand strong it should work pretty quickly.
I do know that standing strong at 4:15 is not an easy thing to do though!
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