I remember when Cavan was born and during those first couple (sleepless, scary) weeks, I kept telling myself: It has to get easier or kids wouldn't be such a frequent bi-product of marriage! Those first couple months, I was lucky if I could accomplish one thing outside of the care of my newborn. Did I take a shower today? If yes, major accomplishment. I managed to wash all the dishes (and not just the bottles required for feeding my hungry monkey.) That's a good day.
And sure enough, life eventually got easier. I could balance the care of my baby with not only basic personal hygiene, but trying to look good as well. And I even learned how to go back to work full-time. And sure enough, Cavan started sleeping through the night, which gloriously improved my demeanor and productivity. But even during that first year, not so good at maintaining a house. How could anyone find time to clean when the kid is either attached to your boob or is crying to be held? It's one thing to try to fix lunch one-handed, but vacuuming. Nope.
Now that Cavan is two and a half (and I'm only working part-time), I finally feel like I've gotten the hang of this Mommy thing—all that it encompasses. I can shower daily, read and feed, go to work, come back home, play with Cavan all afternoon, fix dinner (at least for Cavan...sometimes myself and Hubby), clean up the house, bathe the kid, play hide-and-seek, say prayers, go to bed, snuggle on the couch with Hubby, enjoy a bowl of ice cream, write a blog, and hit the sack. I can even squeeze in gardening during nap time or when Cavan is playing outside. I don't feel frazzled anymore. Even being pregnant.
Being pregnant. I have less than two month before this pregnancy casts me right back to square one. Just when I finally figured out how to balance it all. But now I won't even be able to follow through with the "sleep when your baby sleeps" mantra. I have Cavan to entertain in addition to the basic functioning which allows zzzs-deprived moms to care for a newborn. Will it really take two more years before I can reclaim my sanity again?
Showing posts with label sleep. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sleep. Show all posts
Friday, June 3, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Spoiled rotten!
Spoiled rotten. And I'm actually not referring to Cavan, but rather myself. This morning brought me back to the reality of how parenthood is for most people--Cavan woke up at 6:45 am.
The absurdity of this is that she usually sleeps until 8:30-9:00, and therefore, I do too. I am probably the most well-rested mother I know (with the exception of being seven months pregnant and having to get up and pee six times a night.)
Here's my concern and dread: my peaceful zzzzs will soon be annihilated by a newborn. But even after the up-all-night newborn stage, will baby deux be content with 12 straight hours of sleep plus consistent naps every day (like Cavan?) Many parents I know are up between 5:00-6:00 a.m. with their kids--not just lounging around and nursing a baby, but full-fledged, we're-up-to-start-our-day routines. EEK! My sis's child is a micro-napper. Ten minutes here, 30-minutes there. No real schedule to rely on. DOUBLE EEK! Can I put in a request now for another sleeper. I'm a much better Mommy when I'm not tired.
How does this sleep thing impact my life? Well now, I have a leisurely morning before going to work. Sometimes I wake up before Cavan, take an adult-only shower, and casually sit at the computer and check email, etc. while drinking a chocolate Instant Breakfast followed by a Dr. Pepper. Then Cavan wakes up, I get her dressed, she has a sippy, and we read books before heading off to our respective schools. On days I sleep in with Cavan, we have the same routine as above, except shower time follows sippy time, and Cavan plays in her bedroom or the bathroom while I'm getting ready. We leave the house anywhere between 9:30 and 10:30 on workdays. I honestly couldn't design a better morning. And they say that you don't appreciate what you have until it is gone. Well, I do appreciate it. Every morning when I look at the clock I thank Cavan. Today was a reminder of how good I usually have it, but I certainly am not taking my snoozes for granted.
So when having to sign Cavan up for preschool next semester, I've had to make a difficult decision: morning or afternoon session? The morning session runs from 9:00-11:30 and the afternoon 12:30-2:00. In my perfect world, the family would just be getting out of bed at 9:00, so obviously, the morning is not ideal. BUT, with little bambino/a, I may be up at the crack of dawn and by 9:00 really wanting Cavan to go to school so I can nap with baby. Score one for morning sesssion. But maybe Cavan will still be a late sleeper, regardless of what time baby wakes up. God knows I don't want to change her schedule to start waking up at 7:30 am. Again, another obvious benefit for the afternoon slot.
However, Cavan consistently naps from 1:30-3:00 every day. Will she go down for a nap at 2:30 after school and if so, will getting up at 4:30 or 5 keep her up till all hours of the night? Or at three years old, will she be ready for a later but reduced nap cycle?
All I know is, it is 3:30 now, and I am ready for a nap. Can I curl up at my desk and sleep here till five? I promise I will go to bed promptly at 10 pm.
The absurdity of this is that she usually sleeps until 8:30-9:00, and therefore, I do too. I am probably the most well-rested mother I know (with the exception of being seven months pregnant and having to get up and pee six times a night.)
Here's my concern and dread: my peaceful zzzzs will soon be annihilated by a newborn. But even after the up-all-night newborn stage, will baby deux be content with 12 straight hours of sleep plus consistent naps every day (like Cavan?) Many parents I know are up between 5:00-6:00 a.m. with their kids--not just lounging around and nursing a baby, but full-fledged, we're-up-to-start-our-day routines. EEK! My sis's child is a micro-napper. Ten minutes here, 30-minutes there. No real schedule to rely on. DOUBLE EEK! Can I put in a request now for another sleeper. I'm a much better Mommy when I'm not tired.
How does this sleep thing impact my life? Well now, I have a leisurely morning before going to work. Sometimes I wake up before Cavan, take an adult-only shower, and casually sit at the computer and check email, etc. while drinking a chocolate Instant Breakfast followed by a Dr. Pepper. Then Cavan wakes up, I get her dressed, she has a sippy, and we read books before heading off to our respective schools. On days I sleep in with Cavan, we have the same routine as above, except shower time follows sippy time, and Cavan plays in her bedroom or the bathroom while I'm getting ready. We leave the house anywhere between 9:30 and 10:30 on workdays. I honestly couldn't design a better morning. And they say that you don't appreciate what you have until it is gone. Well, I do appreciate it. Every morning when I look at the clock I thank Cavan. Today was a reminder of how good I usually have it, but I certainly am not taking my snoozes for granted.
So when having to sign Cavan up for preschool next semester, I've had to make a difficult decision: morning or afternoon session? The morning session runs from 9:00-11:30 and the afternoon 12:30-2:00. In my perfect world, the family would just be getting out of bed at 9:00, so obviously, the morning is not ideal. BUT, with little bambino/a, I may be up at the crack of dawn and by 9:00 really wanting Cavan to go to school so I can nap with baby. Score one for morning sesssion. But maybe Cavan will still be a late sleeper, regardless of what time baby wakes up. God knows I don't want to change her schedule to start waking up at 7:30 am. Again, another obvious benefit for the afternoon slot.
However, Cavan consistently naps from 1:30-3:00 every day. Will she go down for a nap at 2:30 after school and if so, will getting up at 4:30 or 5 keep her up till all hours of the night? Or at three years old, will she be ready for a later but reduced nap cycle?
All I know is, it is 3:30 now, and I am ready for a nap. Can I curl up at my desk and sleep here till five? I promise I will go to bed promptly at 10 pm.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Transition to BIG BED, part 1. Watch out, I get sentimental.
Okay, so I started writing this entry a couple days ago, and with responsibilities, distractions, and plain-ol' pregnancy exhaustion, I couldn't finish it until today. So bear with the "flashback."
Saturday after Cavan's three-hour nap, I discovered that she wet her bed. While she is mostly reliable during naps without a diaper, a three-hour nap is an sometimes an exception. As I was changing the sheets, I decided: why not turn this crib into a toddler bed. We had wanted to do this during spring break, when we had the week off (just in case she needed time to adjust and/or wouldn't stay in bed, translating into a lack of sleep for everyone.) BUT, the first few days of our vacation Cavan was sick, and the last few days, we were vomiting (see "Nothing like puking up your Easter feast"), so it was a no-go. So this weekend was as good a time as any.
The crib itself is not one of those designed to transition to a toddler bed, but it does have a drop side (which apparently are no-nos in the current crib market). And by dropping the side all the way to the floor, it provides a four-inch guard rail. Perfect for the STAGE 1 transition. But the bigger change, believe it or not, than lowering the side was the removal of the crib tent—a mesh encasement to prevent our cat from trying to snuggle with her. Also a hindrance to a bedtime escapes. I thought, for sure, that the removal of the tent, coupled with the low side, would result in Cavan climbing out of bed on a regular basis. So far, so good. I guess that tent trained her well—she has not tried a stealth getaway as of yet.
As exciting as the "big bed" is for Cavan, it is a bit bittersweet for Hubby and I. This milestone, more than any other so far, has reminded us as parents that our baby girl is growing up so fast. She is definitely no longer a baby. And while she still looks so small in her bed, she looks so much more grown up, sleeping without the security of the crib. Every night when I go in to kiss her before I go to bed I thank God for blessing us with our little angel. I try to savor the moment, knowing it is so fleeting, knowing that, just as my memory of Cavan as a newborn is murky and I can't remember each of those goofy facial expressions without referring back to photos, I will not be able to hang on to these vivid images either. Every stage, month and year just keeps getting better, but I know when Cavan is off to kindergarten, then off to high school, then off to college, then on with her own life, I will wish to snuggle my little baby girl again, feeling her chunky cheeks against mine and hearing the belly chuckles as I munch on her neck or tickle her big round tummy.
I guess that's why people have more than one kid. I know I'll get to revisit all of those moments, albeit in different ways, with our soon-to-be babe. But that still doesn't keep me from getting a bit teary-eyed and sentimental at the thought of Cavan growing into a lady.
Saturday after Cavan's three-hour nap, I discovered that she wet her bed. While she is mostly reliable during naps without a diaper, a three-hour nap is an sometimes an exception. As I was changing the sheets, I decided: why not turn this crib into a toddler bed. We had wanted to do this during spring break, when we had the week off (just in case she needed time to adjust and/or wouldn't stay in bed, translating into a lack of sleep for everyone.) BUT, the first few days of our vacation Cavan was sick, and the last few days, we were vomiting (see "Nothing like puking up your Easter feast"), so it was a no-go. So this weekend was as good a time as any.
The crib itself is not one of those designed to transition to a toddler bed, but it does have a drop side (which apparently are no-nos in the current crib market). And by dropping the side all the way to the floor, it provides a four-inch guard rail. Perfect for the STAGE 1 transition. But the bigger change, believe it or not, than lowering the side was the removal of the crib tent—a mesh encasement to prevent our cat from trying to snuggle with her. Also a hindrance to a bedtime escapes. I thought, for sure, that the removal of the tent, coupled with the low side, would result in Cavan climbing out of bed on a regular basis. So far, so good. I guess that tent trained her well—she has not tried a stealth getaway as of yet.
As exciting as the "big bed" is for Cavan, it is a bit bittersweet for Hubby and I. This milestone, more than any other so far, has reminded us as parents that our baby girl is growing up so fast. She is definitely no longer a baby. And while she still looks so small in her bed, she looks so much more grown up, sleeping without the security of the crib. Every night when I go in to kiss her before I go to bed I thank God for blessing us with our little angel. I try to savor the moment, knowing it is so fleeting, knowing that, just as my memory of Cavan as a newborn is murky and I can't remember each of those goofy facial expressions without referring back to photos, I will not be able to hang on to these vivid images either. Every stage, month and year just keeps getting better, but I know when Cavan is off to kindergarten, then off to high school, then off to college, then on with her own life, I will wish to snuggle my little baby girl again, feeling her chunky cheeks against mine and hearing the belly chuckles as I munch on her neck or tickle her big round tummy.
I guess that's why people have more than one kid. I know I'll get to revisit all of those moments, albeit in different ways, with our soon-to-be babe. But that still doesn't keep me from getting a bit teary-eyed and sentimental at the thought of Cavan growing into a lady.
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