Here's a picture of Guy with his bedtime buddy, Grover. They keep each other company at night and during naps. Aren't they cute together?! Last time I blogged, I wrote about how our little boy loves to go to bed early, which is still true. So perhaps our battle isn't over bedtime, but just waking up in the middle of the night. The score so far: Guy, 7; Parents:1For the past eight days, Guy has been waking up at odd hours of the night and hollering for company. Our usually predictable sleeper has been loudly protesting around 10:30 p.m., 11 p.m., 1 a.m., 2:30 a.m., 5 a.m., etc. Not all of these times every night, but various combinations of them on different days. We've made the rounds and asked all the questions: Growth spurt? Teething? Sick? Lonely? Spiritual stuff? I've reread all the sections on sleeping for 5 month-olds in all my parenting books, hoping that the same old paragraphs will offer something new for us to read and say "Ah ha! That's it!"
I'll go ahead and let you know that sacrificing sleep has been the hardest thing about parenting for me. During my pregnancy I slept probably 13-15 hours in a 24 hour period. After Guy came, I started to be grateful for 5. He has settled into being a decent sleeper and we're trying to develop good habits in him. But this last week has been rough! Yesterday I was pretty much at my wits end. After turning out the light for the night, I grabbed my phone, called my mom and asked her to pray for us. The night before, as we were letting Guy "cry it out", I was up from 2-5 a.m. and then Guy woke up for the day at 6:20. Last night I was pretty certain that I couldn't handle the same routine, but I also knew this week-long streak of night-waking had to end.
This particular battle is one that sends me quickly to my knees in prayer. I am in desperate need of God's grace and patience when it comes to sacrificing sleep. I can be SO grumpy when I don't get enough! As I watch Guy grow and his unique personality emerge, it is such a relief that I can ask God for the wisdom and help I need to raise him well. It's a job I am definitely ill-equipped for on my own.
I'm glad to report that between 6 p.m. and almost 7 a.m., Guy only woke up once. He ate and we were able to put him straight back to bed. No other protests interrupted our night. I went to bed early myself and was able to get some much-needed rest that provides me with both sanity and perspective throughout the day. Cheers to the victory! And here's to hoping (and fervently praying) for another good night tonight.
