Today, I'm in a state of delirium due to a lack of sleep. My little 4-1/2 month old Marina has been routinely waking up many times a night to fuss until I put her pacifier back in and she can be lulled back to sleep. I have been perpetuating this problem by obliging her for the sake of a quick return to my bed. At her last doctor appointment, he assured me that at almost 12 pounds (15th percentile, baby!) she is perfectly capable of sleeping all night and the best option might be to sleep train her (let her cry). So last night was to be the big night when everything would change and she would be a miraculously improved sleeping munchkin.
Marina and I installed ourselves in the living room for the sake of the neighbors, a working father, and a sleeping toddler. I prepared myself mentally to go to war. And war we did.
Marina slept beautifully from 10:00 pm to 2:30 am. But then the floodgates opened. I tried to follow the instructions and comfort her but not pick her up and then stay away for increasingly long amounts of time but she never calmed down. Also, in an effort to multi-task, I also removed her swaddle last night. Perhaps this was all too sudden for my change-resistant child. Finally at 4 am, I felt guilty and started to think she was starving, so I fed her, but when she got back in her crib the protests continued. I kept wanting to pull her out of there but I was telling myself that we have come this far, don't turn back now, Lily. So, in order to occupy my time and mind, I browsed the internet on my phone and ended up looking up possible illnesses that I may have. Sometime in the middle of the night, in a storm of crying baby sounds, I diagnosed myself with a thyroid disorder. I also read that the sleep training doesn't work as well on "high-maintenance, strong-willed" children. Dang, they are calling our number.
At about 6 am, an hour before I had to wake up to get Eli ready for school, Marina cut through my last defense and defeated me. I picked her up out of the crib. She cried for a moment longer until I threatened to put her back. Then she fell into a deep, snoring sleep for the next hour. I blame my weak defeat on my thyroid.
Tonight, round two is set to wage. I will be victorious, even with a bum thyroid...
Have you seen the Modern Family episode where they try and do this with their baby Lily? Hilarious.
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