(At our house, chasing sleep is like chasing a bubble... hope it doesn't pop before you catch it!!)
I knew she was tired. She got up at 6am (she usually sleeps until about 8:30 am). We had a busy morning- dentist's office, library, lunch. During lunch she yawned repeatedly, her little eyes were red and puffy and she held her head up with one hand while she ate with the other. She was obviously tired. So I prepared her for nap time. I explained what we were going to do. I drew the dark curtains and put her in bed. I put on my PJ's, went back to tuck her in (as I had promised) and then went to my bed. She stayed put for about 15 minutes... and then it began.
Now I have to interject here to say this is all my fault. She inherited sleeplessness from me. Every night my husband falls asleep within minutes of hitting the pillow, while I lie awake for 40 minutes or more, eyes closed tight, still as I can be, hoping to fall to sleep. I know how hard it is for some people to get to sleep , and I pity my princess for that. She's been this way since the day she was born. I remember rocking and holding and nursing her, as she rubbed her little tear-filled eyes but just wouldn't give it up. We did everything we could to "sleep train" her, and it seemed to work for a while; but it seems that now, as she's about to turn 3, we're going to have to do it all again.
For the next 2 hours she was in my room every 10-20 minutes. First she couldn't find a small toy she wanted. Then she wanted to say goodnight again... and so on and so forth. We don't usually have naptime during the day (except on days like today when it's absolutely necessary). However, this battle is a frequent event at bedtime around our house.
This has been going on for over 6 months now. She was sleeping well in her bed at our old house. The transition from crib to big-girl bed was AWESOME. Then we moved, and she slept in the pack and play for about 3 months. When we moved again she went back to the big-girl bed and it's been a nightmare ever since. We've tried dozens of techniques from friends, family and professionals. We've pushed through consistently in each attempt. It seems that when we finally settle on something that works she changes and it no longer phases her. We thought we had it down last week when she went to bed without a fuss almost all week long and then BANG! This week we're back to square one.
Mostly today I'm just venting as I'm tired of the struggle. I don't get it. She's so easy to discipline in every other area of life! It's just this one thing that she can't seem to get down. I asked her once why she didn't want to go to bed and she said (in her broken 2-yr-old language) that she didn't want to be separated from the rest of the family. That makes sense. Time-outs have always been extremely efficient for her because she hates being isolated. Does she just feel isolated at bedtime? We have a routine in place and shower her with love and praise, stories and smiles. Am I missing something here? Or is it just the fact that it takes so long for her to fall to sleep; is she getting bored? Is she getting restless because it's not happening quick enough? I need prayer. I need wisdom. Is this something she'll grow out of, or will we still struggle with her when she's 5,6,7,8? I refuse to throw in the towel on this.
I have a few more ideas up my sleeve that we'll try in the coming weeks. I welcome comments. I welcome prayers. What worked for your troubled-sleeper? How did you survive the greuling task of training your child(ren)? Will I ever get through this?
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