Jan 23
Everyone,
This week’s question of the week at the Multiples and More blog is about sleeping. ME sleeping.
What keeps you up at night? What helps you get to sleep?
So, let’s start with the first one! What keeps me up at night? Well, lately, oddly, I haven’t had problems sleeping. I am just so exhausted by the end of the day that, when I am actually able to go to bed, I drop off pretty fast. It wasn’t always like this. I used to sit up for hours and think.
I thought about the grocery store and what I needed. I thought about the things I needed to do the next day. I thought about things that I wasn’t doing in the day. Things would just swirl and swirl and nothing would stay still. Lists upon lists upon lists would pop up and more things to worry about would come up with all new lists.
That brings us back to the second question: What helps you sleep?
I have a routine that I do at night. I take out my contacts, get my glasses, say my prayers, get in bed, read a chapter in my book and then turn out the light. I use a book light so that I can read in the semi-darkness. I think that helps me sleep better. I didn’t always have this routine. I used to watch movies to help me go to sleep. But then Juice was not sleeping well (I would fall asleep long before the movie stopped, he would get interested and watch the whole thing) so I weaned myself off of tv before bed. I think it’s actually helped me sleep a little better.
What is your night routine? Do you have one?
Safire
Safireme., questions, sleep me, questions
Sep 24
Everyone,
Today was not a busy day. I dropped Butterfly off at school and then went to the grocery story with a friend. We had lunch, and naps, and Juice came home. He helped me clean the house until I had to go get Butterfly from school.
Friends came over for a little puppy party thing. (More on that later.)
Then we watched tv after dinner. This is a HUGE treat since we rarely watch tv before bed. I was just too tired to referee.
So I have no idea why I am SO stinking tired today. Could it be because I stayed up way past midnight last night? Or the hottest summer on record? Which included today’s 97 degree heat. In late September! The leaves aren’t just changing for fall, they are burning on the edges. It’s hot here!
Or maybe it’s the fact that Juice had a major project due at work and has been at work for hours and hours and hours. More than normal. He came home around midnight last night. So I’ve been dealing with kiddos non-stop for 4 days. Not that it’s bad…I love to do it.
Apparently it makes me tired though. Good night!
Safire
Safiresleep sleep
Jul 18
Everyone,
This week’s question of the week at the Multiples and More site is about crying it out.
Crying it out is a way to sleep train your kids, by letting them cry in their beds until they fall asleep. Putting it like that it seems pretty harsh but I don’t think it is.
How do you feel about CIO?
I think you have to do whatever you feel you need to do in order to get sleep. Everyone needs sleep. Everyone. Kids, parents, dogs, the turtle. Everyone. And if co-sleeping, crying it out, or another sleep method works for you, it works! And when everyone sleeps, everyone is happier.
- Did you use this method for sleep training? Are you against it?
I’m not against it. We used it with Butterfly. Butterfly was a horrible sleeper. And crying it out for her was horrible. There was a lot of crying. A lot. And there was a lot of crawling out of her room. And a lot of tears. And a lot of late night wakings and even more crying. Mostly from me. Sleep and Butterfly was never a good combination.
Now the boys were champion sleepers and always have been. We’ve never really had to cry it out with them because they just slept. I can’t explain it. If they had been my first kids I would have thought I was this amazing parent! But now I know that a lot of the sleeping issues kids have are individual to them. Or I’ve become more calloused to the crying. Either way, everyone sleeps now and it’s good.
- How well did/do your multiples sleep?
Like I said, the boys are great sleepers. All 3 kids are in one room now. And they sleep. They all sleep really well. They sleep through each other screaming. They sleep through us changing Butterfly’s sheets in the middle of the night. They sleep through people being sick, people needing some extra loving, and Butterfly’s crazy talking. And if they do wake up, they drop right back off to sleep. It’s awesome. And I’m super lucky. I know.
- Do you think you are/were more likely to allow a child to CIO because he/she is a multiple?
Nope, I think this has nothing to do with it. We did it with just one kid.
- What instances do you think it is appropriate, or inappropriate to allow a child to CIO?
I think it’s not a good idea to let kids cry it out when they are sick. And sometimes, kids just need a little extra love and attention at bedtime. I think that those requests/need for attention at bedtime need to have a limit though. Butterfly wants to cuddle at night lately. We play music in their room to help them calm down. I tell her I can cuddle for one song and then I need to leave. This boundary seems acceptable to her, mostly because that’s all there is.
In the end, you need to do what is best for you and your family. Because sleep is probably the most precious thing you could ever wish for with small children.
Safire
Safirequestions, sleep questions, sleep
Jul 17
Everyone,
Okay let’s talk about sleep some more. Apparently it’s on my mind. Last night I didn’t get to bed until around 2am. Juice was really nice and let me sleep in until 10am. That was heaven! Once I unpacked everything and put more aloe on my back, I came downstairs to be with the family. I sat down on the couch and the next thing I knew, I’m sleeping on the couch. In a very uncomfortable position too! Drooling! On the couch! But I didn’t move. I think I slept there for 3 hours. I might be a little tired.
Oh! The aloe! I have a story. So I’m almost out of aloe gel to put on my back. I figured I was going to the grocery store today so I would get some more. Well. Juice and I went to 5 different stores to find 100% aloe vera gel. Apparently, people are putting out green tinged stuff that have aloe vera listed as the last ingredient! There’s no way I’m putting that on my very tender back right now. So we drove all over town to try and find 100% stuff. Eventually we found 99.8% stuff (the other 2% was a small pain medication) and I we got that. Because my back has blistered now and hurts, I’m very excited for the pain meds! Yay!
Seriously though, why do stores not carry this? We are still in summer store people! Stop messing around with the Halloween stuff and keep the summer stuff out!
Safire
Safiresleep sleep, sunburn
Jul 11
Everyone,
This week’s question at the Multiples and More blog is all about naps.
How do you encourage healthy sleep habits in your children?
- When they were infants, how did you get your babies to sleep/nap at the same time?
When I was on bed rest before we had the boys, I read “Healthy Sleep, Happy Child” and LOVED it. Butterfly was a POOR sleeper. She was up all the time. She could never go to sleep without being in my arms. I vividly remember it taking over an hour to put her to bed, with me rocking, gently placing her in her crib, patting, soothing, and crawling out of the room praying I wouldn’t hit a squeaky board. I was not about do that with the boys because it made me loose my sanity! So I went looking for some inspiration and help. After reading that book, I realized that Butterfly was a poor sleeper because she was over tired. So I was determined to not let the boys get over tired. Starting the day we got home from the hospital, they had a bed time and set nap times. And I put them both down and the same time and got them up at the same time. They were champion sleepers though so I’m not sure I had much to do with it.
- If they wake up early from a nap, how did/do you handle that?
When they were babies, I honestly would let them play in their crib until they demanded to get out or drifted back to sleep. We never rocked them to sleep or laid down with them. I just put them in bed awake, gave hugs and kisses, and walked out. Still do that. Now, they pretty much wake each other up or I let one play until I hear them both.
- Do you have a minimum amount of time that you want your babies to sleep, or at least rest in their cribs for?
Yes I do! Of course I want them to be well rested and spending enough time resting is the key. Right now they need to nap for AT LEAST 2 hours at a time. They will go for 3 or 4 sometimes, depending on how active we are in the morning. And no, I do not wake them up unless it’s 6pm and they’ve been sleeping for at least 2 hours. I just let them go as long as they want. (Except on Sundays when naps don’t start until 3 and I get them up at 6 and put them down at 8.)
- Napping transitions (this is a big one!): How did/do you handle the situation of going from two naps to one, when one child is ready and the other(s) were not?
I sort of remember Pirate being ready for one nap and Professor not being ready. Sadly, life as a twin, sometimes things are not always fair. I forced Professor into taking one nap because Pirate was ready. And I’m okay with that. He eventually was okay with that too. Besides, I do love having one nap a day to worry about. It makes the mornings so much more fun! I think I went cold turkey with them and that morning nap and moved their afternoon nap from about 2pm to 11pm. Then I gradually pushed it back half an hour every other day until I hit 1pm. That’s where I stopped. They will nap from 1pm-4pm consistently. Love it!
- If you have older multiples- how did the transition to toddler beds affect their sleep patterns? When did naps *gasp* come to an end?
Butterfly (although not a multiple) transitioned into her big girl bed just fine. She ended her naps around 4 and a half, when I realized that she won’t be napping at all day school the next year. Plus, she really wasn’t sleeping during mandated quiet time. And she really wasn’t being quiet either. So I just stopped putting her in my room (all 3 kids sleep in the same room right now) and now she watches a movie while the boys nap. I am not looking forward to moving my boys out of their cribs and I wish they could sleep in them until they are 5!
That wouldn’t be bad, right? 5 is a great age to move out of the crib!
Safire
Safiresleep naps, sleep
Jan 12
Everyone,
I think I found a good reason to drive across the country from now on. Yes, it took many days. Yes, there was a lot more screaming. But everyone seemed to gradually move back into the right time zone.
Yesterday they all went to sleep right away because, well, it was almost 11pm when we got them to bed.
It’s 10pm now and they are still up. GO TO SLEEP CHILDREN! They’ve been in their beds since 7pm. They have bounced, rocked, cried, laughed, chucked their blankets, sneezed, slimed, sighed, talked, any almost everything they can do without going to sleep.
Hopefully they will sleep soon because I am so tired it’s not even funny. I think yesterday took more out of me than I thought. We did nothing today but it feels like we did everything. Both Juice and I are cross and cranky. No one slept enough!
Also, the kids all have runny noses and a nasty cough. Yay for the first sickness of 2010! I just hope that they didn’t get ear infections from the plane rides.
Safire
Safiresickness 2010, sleep
Jul 19
Everyone,
So this is what I dealt with the last hotel night. First it was Butterfly who was sharing the bed with me. Then Pirate joined us and slept sideways. Why do kids do that? Then Professor about 5am because he was so cold. But adding Professor kicked me out of bed. I managed to snap this picture before they woke up. So cute!
Also, getting into the hotel we were quite the spectacle. Who wouldn’t be with these cute kids though?
Safire
SafireButterfly sleeping, hotels, sleep
May 21
Everyone,
It’s 4:33pm and my house is silent except for the clicking of my computer and some kid crying. That kid is not mine. It’s coming from the open living room window. My children are all in their beds. Sleeping. Since 1pm.
Yes they are still breathing.
Yes they really are just asleep and not playing some odd trick on me.
Yes they have been sleeping for over 4 hours. 4 hours!
I’m at a loss as to what to do with myself. I have done all the necessary things (tidy up, cleaned the downstairs bathroom, etc.) and I have done all the fun things too. I finished both my netflix movies (BBC mini series about 2 sisters in the 1920s trying to become dress makers, interesting but not 5 star material…although I think Minnie Driver was in one!) and have read all of my blogs for the day. Dinner is bubbling and Juice will be home in about half an hour. What to do…what to do…
Safire
Safirenaps, sleep, strange happenings
Mar 28
Everyone,
Tonight is Juice’s big 30th birthday party. Except it isn’t that big. Only because he didn’t want a whole lot of people invited. So we invited a few, and some couldn’t come so it turned out to be just a right amount.
He has been at a church breakfast thing this morning, and then off fixing an electric wheel chair. I’ve been trying to get everything ready and get the kids happy. I think Pirate is teething because he only wants to be held and is drooling up a storm. He is also not sleeping well.
I am discovering the joys of having 2 kids in the same room. Because Pirate is not sleeping well, he is staying awake. And he will pull himself up and chat to Professor. Now, Professor is my sleeper. He NEEDS he sleep and will do pretty good as long as he’s not distracted. But Pirate distracts him. So then they chat, play, cry for awhile and I figure they are not going to bed and go get them. Well, Professor is cross and crabby and Pirate is all fun. Until bedtime gets closer and then they switch places.
I suppose I should be happy that they do that at least.
I better go get ready for the party!
Safire
SafireJuice's birthday, sleep
Mar 17
Everyone,
A few nights ago, between 12am and 2am, Butterfly woke up screaming at the top of her lungs. So Juice goes pounding up the stairs (he was up playing his game) and asked her, “What’s wrong?!”
She was bolt upright on her knees in bed. She started to cry, “My turtle! My turtle!”
This is her favorite toy lately. Juice thought it had fallen on the floor and so he started searching for it in the dark. When he didn’t find it on the floor, he looked for it on her bed. He found it right next to her in her blanket. He gave it back to her and she snuggled up to him still sobbing, clutching her turtle tightly.
After a second, she calmed down. She said, “Daddy, are you sorry? Are you sorry you threw my toys in the toilet?”
He’s baffled. “Uh…honey I think you were just having a bad dream. I would never throw your toys in the toilet.”
“But the other night! You did! You threw my turtle in the toilet!” She started to cry again.
“I love your turtle honey. I would never throw it in the toilet. It’s just a bad dream. Go back to sleep.” He was trying really hard not to laugh. Although we did a lot of laughing after she went back to sleep.
So funny!
Safire
SafireButterfly, Butterfly and Juice, sleep
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