After making it through day one of our sleep time challenge, I was more confident in starting day two. I now had a framework to follow. I didn’t need Rocky, The Office, ninja mind tricks, or Yoda’s advice anymore. I knew what to continue with and what to fix. Sleep well, you will.
Continue reading “SLEEP TIME CHALLENGE: DAY TWO, MIDNIGHT MONSTER”
We had been accommodating Ellie and her unreasonable night time demands for too long. Aya was exhausted from putting her down, and I was exhausted from handling the middle of the night cry sessions, which always ended with me sleeping with her on the floor. It was time for a change. To reclaim our evenings and get our good night’s sleep back! The plan was to survive through the Holidays, but as soon as Aya went back to work, it was time for me to make a stand. There was no more pretending it was just a “phase.” I have to face this head on. It was to be the biggest challenge of my life. I had to do it, and I had to do it alone.
Continue reading “SLEEP TIME CHALLENGE: DAY ONE, GAINING CONTROL”
The first step is admitting you have a problem. I don’t have a problem myself. It’s more so that Ellie does and because of that, it’s become my problem. I’ve been in denial for some time now, but I’m realizing I can’t ignore it anymore. I can’t look the other way and pretend it doesn’t exist. Hi, my name is Matt and I have a problem. I sleep on the floor next to my daughter’s bed all night so she will sleep.
Everybody has their ups and downs. It’s unavoidable. And for me, most often those fluctuations are over typical stuff and usually so small that they aren’treally a big deal. But I’ve found that the emotions of an almost-two-year-old can be unpredictable and all over the place. DUH, right? I try to be steady and consistent, but sometimes her roller coaster ride can suck me in and make my emotions equally as extreme. I can go from laid back easy going sipping on my coffee, to pulling my hair out, to wanting to cry in just seconds. Yes, mood swings. I know, where’s the Midol, right? Some days more than others, but every once in awhile, there really is a reason for her volatile moods.
Bed time for Ellie has been relatively easy for awhile now. After her bath, we read her a few books, put her in her crib, give her a hug and kiss, and say goodnight. She’ll look up with a big smile and say “BYE!” while she waves. But somehow, somewhere, she started hating her crib and not wanting to fall asleep alone. So that meant me or Aya, or both of us, would end up on the floor with her. How did this happen?
