No Ordinary Nap

Hannah is doing fabulously at daycare.

Last week was the first week that I left her in the morning with no tears. Yes, she's been going for over a month but its been a very erratic schedule with just a few days a week in class.

Now, I knew going down to one nap a day would be an adjustment but I didn't know she'd be the short sleeper of the class.

I never sat around eating bonbons while Hannah took a 2 hour slumber. I was lucky to get an hour on any given day. Well, I think her teachers, who are looking after 14 other kids, were hoping to have a bit of a longer break too.

Hannah took a nap that was a whole 15 minutes on Friday. Most days I get a report that its anywhere between 30 and 60 minutes, which is about half of the time of her peers. I knew she would never jump into a super long nap but I thought her classmates might have a bit of an influence on her.

Guess not. But I totally understand where she is coming from. I can't imagine sleeping on a little cot (when I'm used to an enclosed crib) in a room with my friends. I'd love to just sneak in at 12:30 and see how it all really works.

Hopefully with a bit more time she'll start resting longer. In the meantime, I guess her teachers will just have to take what they can get, like I did for 18 months.

Blurry Eyed and Bushy Tailed

One hour.

That is the total amount of time that Hannah napped this weekend.

30 minutes on Saturday. 30 minutes on Sunday.

One nap just isn't working for us.

We kept her up the entire morning, being sure to do stimulating activities around her usual 10:30am nap time. And though we could see the fatigue in her eyes we pushed on to the noon hour when we knew she was completely exhausted. Of course, she fell asleep right away. But the minute the clock struck the 30-minute mark she was up.

My husband patiently let her cry for upwards of 40 minutes hoping she would fall back asleep, but it never happened.

Both Saturday and Sunday, she was a bit of a zombie come 4pm. And we put her to bed both nights at 7pm. Not fun.

An overtired baby is an unhappy baby. So why push her when she is perfectly happy having two naps a day? If she was refusing a nap, I'd say we have a problem but it seems as though she needs and, more importantly, WANTS those two naps a day.

I went back to the book that got us napping in the first place. Happy Child Healthy Sleep Habits and it seems as though at 18 months 77% of children take only one nap a day. So who is to say that we don't fit into that 23% of children who need more frequent naps, especially in the case of our cat napper?

And going totally against what I said on Friday, maybe seeing all of the other kids take longer naps at daycare will inspire her to sleep longer. Now that we know she can make it from 7:30-noon, we can rest assured that she won't be a nightmare for her new teachers.

All that to say, we have 7 weeks until daycare starts. As most of you moms know, expect the unexpected. Who knows what will happen in that time? But what I know for now is that my sleepy little sweetheart needs to catch up on some sleep and she'll stay a double napper, at least for now.

Cutting down

In the past week, I have been getting surprised reactions when I tell other moms that Hannah is still taking two naps a day.

Yesterday, she turned 16 months old. So, ya, I guess I am stretching it. But by 10:30am she starts to slow down and she is asleep within minutes. Granted the nap usually only lasts about 30 minutes...

So tomorrow is the big day. One nap Saturday. We will give it a try. That is, try to keep her up until noon and hope that she can break the 30-minute cycle.

In all honesty, I do enjoy the two naps. Albeit short, they give me a chance, twice a day, to catch up on emails and get some quick work done. The temptation to not be on my iphone all morning until my 12 o'clock break seems like a stretch. But I guess it will be an adjustment for the two of us.

But an adjustment that needs to be made seeing as she is going to daycare in less than 2 months. And better for me to break her in than 3 new teachers who she is just getting acquainted with.

Wish me luck. Hopefully I'll have a positive update come Monday morning.

Catching up on Zzzs

After last week's napping hiatus turned into 30 minute nap + crying combos, Hannah is catching up on her sleep.

In fact, she is still sleeping now at 8:37 am.

This weekend in Vermont, she slept until 9am both mornings. No complaints here. That was the longest I have slept in since her arrival almost 16 months ago.

I figured the late mornings were due to late nights and an action packed weekend of fun in the pool and stream. So is this morning just an extension of the weekend fun? Or do we have a new schedule with noon-time naps to look forward to.

How will we ever be at daycare at 8:30am come September? We're usually finishing up with breakfast around that time. Guess it means earlier to bed, and less time to spend together in the evenings post-work.

Well, we have a few months to worry about that I guess. In the meantime, guess I should be enjoying these late sleep-ins to catch up on my own sleep.

Hello Sleep Problems my Old Friend

For my birthday, my husband gave me, among other things, a collection of all of my blog posts from the past year. After reading the first few entries, I realized that I have strayed a bit in my blogging. I said that I would be writing about my first hand experiences in mommyhood. And while I do share stories and tips, my more recent posts have been a bit rushed, non-mommy exclusive updates.

I guess that was because things were going relatively smoothly. We had the nights' to ourselves, teething was behind us, we hit all of the major milestones...or at least that's what I thought...

After a 4-day weekend in the country, Hannah refused to nap in her pack and play. In the past, we had gotten used to going for walks or drives at nap time but after a 4-day stretch, seems like we may have messed up her schedule. I attempted a 10:45am nap this morning, after a visit to the grocery store and a 15 minute first attempt delay during which she didn't seem too tired.

She went along with the regular routine but the minute I put her down into her crib, it was mass hysteria...for 40 minutes. Usually, I would just wait until her next nap to try again. But her grandparents were coming to babysit for a 4 hour stretch while I worked (we are between babysitters) and the last thing that I wanted was for her to be crabby.

So we went for a 30 minute walk. No luck. Into the car. 3 minutes till she dozed off.

She got a 35 minute nap and then was happy until I got home at 5pm. Good for the grandparents. Bad for me.

Clingy. Biting. Whining. Yes, she was overtired.

A quick dinner and a hysterical crying session while she got ready for bed, followed by a ton of tears in her crib for the first 5 minutes.

Yes, the vicious cycle of exhaustion.

I know it well.

Will we get back on track tomorrow? Or maybe it's time to cut it down to one nap at 16 months?

Yes, I think I am back on track again. No, not with sleep. This is definitely one of the trials and tribulation of mommyhood.

Pass the wine if you please...

MIA Mom

I have been bad. I haven't blogged in over a week. I'm sorry.

Excuses, excuses. Yes, I have many of them but let's just say this week was a bit of a whirlwind.

It started off with 27 degree temperatures in Stowe, VT for a long weekend that including everything, even a wading pool!

An early Monday morning visit with the twins I blogged about in November. After 5 months, they had their official homecoming and are doing superbly. Their mom amazed me as she is completely cool, calm and collected. I remember one baby being a handful but she has one in each hand and seems to be managing quite well!

A networking event, playgroup hostess, learning that our beloved E will be away for the entire month of May , being asked to work in an office twice a week...ah! Time to breathe!

But unfortunately, that's not so easy. Sure, it's the weekend but our nap hiatus continues. My attempts at re-ferberization have been a bust. I got lucky with one post-playgroup nap in her crib that lasted 40 whole minutes. For 3 days, I avoided going out so she wouldn't fall asleep in the car or stroller but then I had to get on with life.

It seems my 13 month old has better things to do too since she stands in her crib for an hour, twice a day, whining and pointing at various objects in her room.

So working has unfortunately become a full time night job.

There are my excuses. I will try to be better. I promise.

But must cut it short as the 40 minutes of whimpering has now turned into crying and I figure it's pointless to let her continue.

Any advice would be much appreciated!

Rainy Morning Nap

Success!!! This morning, Hannah took her first nap in her crib since she was a newborn.

I have been working at it all week with up to an hour of crying per session but daddy seems to have the magic touch.

At this point, I will do whatever it takes to get her to sleep in her crib during the day. For a while I was nursing her to sleep in our bed just so I could get 30-40 minutes of my own during the day. And since the bucket car seat will shortly be on its way out, a sleepy transfer from car to home won't be so easy anymore.

So when daddy decided to stay with her (for all of 10 minutes) until she fell asleep I told him to go for it. Sure, the last thing we want to do is create those same associations we had to break at nighttime. But, for someone who has never spent a minute in her crib during the day I figure we need to ease her into it.

The number one thing I have learned as a parent (or at least as a parent to Hannah) is that nothing comes easy. You need to work at it. But once you get it, you realize it was worth the effort (and the 12 hours of nighttime sleep!)

From crawling to eating to standing, it really takes baby steps. And naps are certainly no different.

The downside? With all of these baby steps (8 months later) it seems that soon enough she won't be a baby anymore, but rather a toddler. How time flies...

Weekend Report

The weekend started off with a bang after I experienced my first true nap on Friday.

By true, I mean not induced by a stroller, a car or by breastfeeding. Just the lull of the sleep sheep, the comfort of a sleep sack and 45 minutes of calming her down.

It was all well worth it. I got 1.5 hours all to myself. Heaven!

Granted I didn't want to clump around for this first encounter, I caught up on some emails and even watched 30 minutes of Oprah. Once we get into more of a napping groove I will go about my daily chores (laundry, cooking...) at an audible tone.

So after a relaxing afternoon, we headed down to Vermont. It was all planned with much calculation. In the car for bed time for the 2 hour drive. But when we arrived, Hannah did not enjoy the company of her pack and play. A few attempts later she ended up in the bed with me, and dad was on the couch next to us (usually reserved for the dog).

Night two was a bit more successful to start. With much effort.

I realized that to calm Hannah upon the initial moment when her body hits the mattress I rest my head on her tummy. Not so easy in a dropped pack and play. With back and leg aches to prove it I got her to sleep for an entire episode and a half of Mad Men (still waiting to understand what people are raving about). And then when she rose again we just all went to sleep early in bed.

Not a peaceful slumber as she decided to wake up every 2 hours and cry until I fed her for no apparent reason.

This morning we were blessed with a 2 hour nap (in our bed).

So naps are good but it seems that bedtime in new environments will take some work. We are off for Thanksgiving weekend to visit Hannah's great grandmother in Ontario, pack in play in tow.

Faced with two options:

1. A really sore back

2. Having great-grandma take out her hearing aids during the shrill cries!

Maybe I should book those massages now...

Busy Bodies

Thanks to Kate's mom for passing along a copy of The Sleep Sense Program by Dana Obleman.

The techniques are a mix between the Ferber Method and the No Cry Sleep Solution but this book really opened my eyes to the world of naps.

Our evenings have been improving and I have realized that Hannah's 12+ hour nights are probably taking away from her daytime naps. Last night after sleeping from 7:00-9:30pm she was up for two hours. I think in her mind that first shift was actually a nap and not bedtime. So that means mommy is going to have to wake up earlier than 8:30am!

Chapter 7 of Sleep Sense focuses on nap time and puts things into perspective with this excerpt:

"Unfortunately, most parents are not terribly considerate of their children’s napping needs when they are planning their days. Now, I fully understand that most of you have things that need to get done during the day, and that bringing your child with you is a necessary fact of life. (Not too many people can afford a full-time nanny, after all!) However, it is very important that your child nap at about the same times every day, and that he nap in the same place where he sleeps at night. For most families, this means that your little one should be napping at home in his crib."

Then she goes on to give an example from one of her clients:

"When Barb and I sat down to discuss Lauren’s sleeping, Barb commented on how busy their days were. They had a “Mommy and Me” group on Wednesday afternoons, swimming lessons on Saturday mornings, Gymboree classes on Fridays, and usually a couple of casual drop-in visits with other moms during the week. Barb also told me that she ran a number of errands on any given day, and just took Lauren along for the ride."

That was so me during months 3-6. Mom and baby yoga on Tuesdays, Mom and Baby Pilates and Playgroup on Wednesdays and Infant Massage on Thursdays. We were always on the go. So I was essentially teaching Hannah to sleep en route to our activities, in the car or in the stroller, and no specific time of the day. These days I can't even breastfeed her to sleep for a nap. (I know, I know, I worked hard to break that nighttime association so at least I can be grateful for that!)

Yes, I am blaming myself. Don't get me wrong, we had a great time those first few months meeting new moms, getting back into shape and relaxing together, but I wish I had read this book earlier. Maybe I would have cut back on the outings and instead begun to pave the way for healthier sleeping habits for Hannah.

Well, at least I read it when I did and can now go ahead and make some changes. Granted we are signed up for a story time and music class, I think we can work them into a nap schedule. Sleep Sense says it can take up to 3 weeks to break habits but I am in for the long haul. With mere minutes to myself throughout the day, a rough 3 weeks is definitely worth 2-3 hours to myself a day.

So tomorrow is day 1. With no activities on our plate (yes, I am sadly skipping Love Happens at Movies for Mommies) I am making a point of getting up with Hannah for her first rising (and not settling her into my bed) and then setting 3 times throughout the day to try to get her to nap in her crib. I am assuming the outcome will be a cranky child.

With 2 months of teething and cold crankiness under my belt, what's a few more days, right?

Nap time here we come....

The Perfect Combination

Two nights ago we had a relatively good night.

One short wake up call at 1 am, after a 5 hour slumber.

Last night -not so good.

So I try to rack my brain to figure out why some nights are better than others.

Too few naps

The sleep sack

Bath time

A serving of cereal for dinner

I have ruled out the sleep sack on its own, but really think it comes down to a combo of all four.

So tonight, after hopefully a well rested day (she is currently sleeping on my arm), we will start off with some rice cereal at 5pm, followed by a 6pm bath, the nightly massage and snuggled into the sleep sack by 7:30pm.

Fingers crossed...otherwise I really am at a loss...and thinking that 5 hours of sleep was a real tease.

We'll master this eventually. I just hope its sooner rather than later.

Nighttime vs. Naptime

Information overload...that's what happens when you try to go by the book.

So I've made the decision to focus on getting Hannah to sleep at night on her own and putting the naps on hold for the moment. She settled herself in 10 minutes tonight (yay!). Hopefully its the progressive-waiting approach working rather than the over tiredness from sleeping a mere 1h45 since 9am.

As for the naps, as much as I hate it, I will rely on the car seat, stroller and boob (sleep associations) for now. I'll take the 10+ hours at night for the moment. Definitely an accomplishment in the past week.

One step at a time...baby steps you might say.

Ferber Night 2

Went out last night for groceries and came home to a screaming Hannah.

What could it be? Constipation? She hadn't pooped all day....for the first time ever. Teething? Do I feel something coming through?

With the Tempra in hand, we soon realized that we was just plain tired. Hmm...maybe this Ferber thing will get her to bed early. So after calming her down a bit, into her crib she went without a peep.

Until 1am that is. It lasted nearly an hour but she eventually put herself to sleep. Night 1 was easy compared to this! But with a sleep in until 7am I learned that nighttime feedings may not be necessary.

Now the confusion sets in when it comes to nap time. If I let here cry it out she will be crying all day long. But if I give her the boob will that confuse her again at nighttime? I think Dr. Ferber should have put his home phone number in the book for confused parents like me :)

August Ninth

August 9th is just two weeks away, but it is on my mind everyday. Friends of ours are getting married and I am working hard to have an enjoyable evening sans Bebe and with minimal phone calls from the grandparents.

You see, in the past, we would need to rush home from social functions to be greeted by a red-eyed, bawling Hannah. I would peel off my top in record speed and quickly soothe her with the boob.

Well, I am proud to say that she now will fall asleep without me and my mammary glands. Just the sound of a heartbeat and some back rubbing will do the trick (usually on the 2nd or 3rd attempt). I'm not yet ready for ferberizing and quite pleased with my accomplishment for the moment.

So my in-laws won't have a problem putting her to bed but now I need to work on my second mission. She's a night owl, only going to bed around 10pm. But since the wedding starts at 6:30, a nap is inevitable.

How can the boob-less grandparents get this little one to have some early evening shut eye?

A drive in the car or a walk in the park are options but I'd rather not rely on crooked sidewalks and city potholes.

Any other suggestions to make nap time a bit more relaxing?