Help A Sister Out, Ya’ll

I started my blogging career off over at Myspace (*throws up in mouth a little*). Over there, I have a relatively new myspace friend named Tina (screen-name is Yabbo).

She recently posted a blog asking for help. She has a ten-month old cutie named Mikey, and a silly, kind hubby named Joe.

She is having sleepy-time troubles with Mikey and would really like to hear the opinions, advice, and experiences of other mommies.

Now, you KNOW that when I said “sleepy-time troubles” a special string in your heart twitched. And probably, it felt nostalgic… and maybe it made you a little sick to your stomach.

The following is the content of her recent post (with her permission):

[PARENTS PLEASE READ - I NEED HELP!

No, not MY parents...

Anybody who has kids, I need your help. I don't care if you're an old pro or a rookie mommy like me. Mikey is driving me crazy with his fighting of sleep. When I tell people that my boy fights sleep or doesn't sleep well, I just get that ,"Yeaaaah, I know," reaction. It's the same thing I got when I first had Mikey and I would tell people that I was having a hard time and couldn't stop crying. I really needed help, somebody to talk to, and it was like nobody understood where I was coming from. Well, except Joe, but I needed womanly help. Joe really couldn't identify what was going on with my body.

So, mommies and daddies, I need help. Not a reassuring nod or smile (I can't see you, so it won't help anyway), I need stories and ideas. I want to know if your kid(s) has/had sleep issues. What did you do to help them sleep independently? How did they learn to just go to sleep by themselves?? It upsets me that something that seems to simple is the most difficult and aggrivating thing in my life.

Here's my story.

So at first Mikey wouldn't sleep alone. So we started co-sleeping. Dr.Sears said it was great. And it was. I say again, it WAS. Mikey is 10 months old now, and I would like to share my bed with my husband ONLY. My shoulders hurt from the way I have to sleep every night with a baby next to me. Don't get me wrong, it is wonderful seeing his one-toothed grin in the morning, but I really need time alone with Joe, you know? It is interesting that the websites I listened to that told me co-sleeping is so great have no ideas for getting the kid out of your bed. No exit strategy. Does George Bush run these sites?? I have been getting Mikey to sleep in his crib for naps, but they only last for half the time they do when I hold him or sleep beside him. And then he's grumpy and generally unpleasant. I'm planning on doing cry-it-out for night time soon. I just want him to get used to sleeping in his crib a little longer, thinking maybe it will help.

So, now your turn. I need ideas, people. And since the co-sleeping people think I should sleep with my son until he's 30, I'm not turning to them. Besides, they're strangers. I need help from people that know me and my family.

Thanks alot!]

So… can ya help a sister out, ya’ll? It would be REALLY nice if you, Dear Reader, would comment here and offer your words of kindness, advice, experience, and wisdom!

Don’t worry about writing “too much” or “too little,” in fact, don’t worry – just write!

Us mommies (and daddies) should always try our best to help out other Parental Units in need.

And if anyone out there is currently feeling the same woes as Tina, comment that, too! Hey, you might get some ideas from the comments here….

And if you don’t have kids, you can always offer a kind word… and direct your friends/family with kids to this page.

Waking for Braden

Last night I awoke, at about 4:30 am, to mildly-annoyed-baby-whine sounds. Listening to the monitor intently for a moment, tapping into that special Baby Sound Meanings-Deciphering Super Power us mommies have, I decided Braden must be half asleep, but missing his paci.Sometimes, the sounds say, “I miss my paci… but it’s not a big deal, and in a few seconds, I’m gonna murmur off, back into deep sleep without it.” When they say that, I roll over and go back to sleep.

Sometimes the sleepy sounds say, “Uh-oh. I miss my paci. While I sound pretty deep asleep still, right now, if it doesn’t jump in my mouth soon, things are going to change pretty quickly.” When they say that, I’ve learned to get up quickly, walk quietly, search furtively, find the paci and plug the hole.

Of course, sometimes they say, “OMG, I’M NOT GOING TO MAKE QUIET, SLEEPY SOUNDS AT ALL! I JUST WOKE UP, MY PACI IS GONE, AND WE’RE GOING STRAIGHT INTO DEFCON-5! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Those are the nights when I really, really wish I hadn’t given up the sweet, sweet alcohol. (Because getting drunk while rocking a child back to sleep for the next seventy-eleven hours is a good idea. ? )

So, anyway, while I was standing by his crib reaching into the corner to retrieve The Paci, the soft glow of his crib-side light gave me one of those sweet glimpses of my Nighttime Braden. He was nestled near the corner of the crib right next to me, on his back, sleepily rubbing at one eye, with both eyes still shut. His blonde hair was falling back softly from his forehead. He had that, “I’m an angel in dinosaur pajamas” look. I sighed as I put the paci back into his little mouth, and listened to his sleepy, happy sucking sounds.

Back in bed, I spoke to him in my head for a few minutes.

“Braden, you have amazed me just recently.

I can’t believe how much you JUST changed on me again. I can’t believe how often you are talking to me, and that you’re asking me QUESTIONS!

I can’t believe that you can RUN and point at things and ask me, “Ish?” (this?) and “Wah-DAHT?”

I can’t believe that you spit out large paragraphs of garbled baby-language about the things I identify for you.

Braden, I’m just amazed by you and I don’t know how to tell you that. I still can’t believe that God decided to let you live with me.

But, you know what, Braden?

I hope He never changes His mind.”