As a baby, Adrienne was the most perfect sleeper. When I brought her home from the hospital I quickly realized that I was mothering a phenomenon, as far as infants go. I could put her on the couch, crib, bassinet, or any other place of my convenience and she would simply put her thumb in her mouth and sleep for hours on end. Bedtime was no different... When she was just a couple of nights old I put her in her bassinet for the night and was shocked to not hear from her for the next 15 hours. Luckily, we had the Angel Care Monitor that would have alarmed me if she had stopped breathing, otherwise, that would have been freaky. I called everyone we knew the next morning and most people attributed it to a fluke but it quickly proved not to be. With the exception of the few sicknesses she had as a baby, she never looked back and I was maybe up with her in the middle of night 3 times within her first year of life. Pretty amazing!
Over the past couple of months we have hit a rough spot with Adrienne's sleep. For starters, she has made nap time a horrible hour of fighting and mischief. Much to my dismay, she has outgrown the need to sleep and instead of staying in her bed like she's supposed to, she gets out of her bed and destroys her room, pulling clothes out of drawers and messing with anything she can get her hands on. She also picks fights with Brooke and I usually end up in their room a countless number of times throughout nap time. It used to be the most quiet and relaxing hour of the day! I've tried just about everything and have yet to find a solution. I'm hoping that once Brooke starts school that it won't be as much of issue. If not, I just may go crazy!
Then, there's bedtime... Heaven forbid the child gets even 2 seconds of shut eye throughout the day. In that case, we have hours of protest in her room. She will come in and out, regardless of punishment and disapproval from John and me. When she's really tired (which is most nights, lately), she will go straight to bed.. After first demanding a long list of requirements, such as water with ice, her music on the perfect volume, a special baby, her fan on, etc.. She really makes it tough. That's not even where it stops, though. She has been coming into my room in the middle of the night and screaming at me in my sleep for the past week or so. It's usually something like, "I want a water!" I'll tell her that there is water right next to her and she'll continue screaming, "I want you to get it for me." Then, there's the classic, " I'm scared." Or, " I want you." It's just getting old and frustrating. I'm totally about being there for my kids and but this is getting ridiculous. The way she literally screams at me when I'm in a dead sleep alarms me and of course my adrenaline gets pumping and I'm wired and then I can't fall back asleep. Its amazing to think that because of one little 27 pounds 3-year-old, I'm waking up every morning exhausted.
I'm sure hoping that this is a phase. I know that she's in good health and there are no ear infections or anything to blame because she just went to the doctor. I'm not sure what her problem is or what I can do to fix this or at least make it somewhat better. I do know that that perfect little laid baby that I once had is now a very strong willed creature these days. I would trade her for anything or anyone on the planet and she makes me laugh constantly. Her personality is hilarious and goofy and I can't imagine my life without her. So I guess that during this challenging stage in her life I'll choose to focus on all of the wonderful things that make her uniquely Adrienne instead of focusing on the exhaustion and frustration from getting no sleep.
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