Since my kids think that 6:00 is an appropriate time to wake up in the morning, I've decided on a new plan of action for bedtime. They typically are in bed anywhere from 7-7:30 on a normal night......so, probably the reason they are so ready to greet the day so early. We are pushing bedtime back to 8:00 pm for awhile. Just to see if we get any early-morning relief. I am a firm believer in the saying "Early to Bed, Late to Rise" for children, but I'm also a believer in the fact that a body can only sleep for so long. I can't put my kids to bed at 7:00 pm and expect them to sleep until 9 in the morning....I could hope, but never expect. I'm getting ready to start a new job next month for which I will not be getting to bed until after midnight a couple nights per week, so getting out of bed at 6:00 the following day could lead to a very grouchy day for all involved.
Last night was day 1 of 8:00 bedtime. The kids both went to bed beautifully. We'd had a fun-filled day with my little sister and her family including lots of outside time and lunch at The Burger Barge. They were definitely "more ready" for bed at 8:00 than they are at 7:00--bonus. Jude could seriously care less and probably go to bed at 5:30 pm if I wanted him to, but this new routine seemed great for Maya since she still naps in the afternoon.
1:15 am- Jude cries out in his bed. Only for a second and then he's quiet. I keep sleeping. 1:25 am- Jude cries out again and then quiets down. I fall back asleep thinking, oh he's working it out on his own. This happens about 4 more times, all about 10-15 minutes apart, so I decide maybe I'll go in and see what's going on. He's sitting in the corner of his crib holding his "Blue Doggy" and he bursts into tears when he spots me come in. I picked him up and he instantly snuggled up to me ready to be rocked back to sleep (which I never do), so I relished it for awhile. He laid so close to me, breathing slowly and falling back to sleep. He sneezed and then he laughed at himself. I sand him a couple songs quietly and actually enjoyed the fact that I had to get up to spend this time with him. I wasn't missing my sleep at all. Just when I think he's getting so big these days, this one night makes me realize how small and vulnerable he still is. Still such a baby. I lay him back down and he fusses, but I leave to see if he will just go back to sleep.
2:40 am- Back in Jude's room for the same reason I had been there before. Same routine....songs, rocking, etc. only this time I added in some Tylenol/Orajel for the "just in cases" and soothed him back to sleep as he laid back down in his crib. This time he made it the rest of the night and it is now 3:25 when I crawl back into bed.
6:30 am- A little 3 year old, blondie comes crawling into our bed ready to get up for the day. Aaron and I are not ready to start the day quite yet, so she laid quietly with us until Jude woke up at 7:15 and we got up.
I know this may not be an interesting story, but I think it's therapeutic to put this into text to remind me of how great my kids are at sleeping most nights. Most nights, when they sleep through the night.....and even get up at 6:00 AM.
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