Ugh.

[rivka]

I am crazy exhausted and overwrought.

Something is up with Colin. He hasn't been eating much and has been sleeping like an amphetamine addict on payday. Last night he went to sleep promptly at bedtime, and then was up mostly screaming from 10:30-11:30. I still haven't the faintest idea what was wrong. He was just miserable.

He is still going strong with the night waking. I am going to have to come up with some sort of plan for nightweaning and/or sleep reprogramming, because This Is Not Working for me.

Also, he figured out how to take the childproof cap off a pill bottle. Fortunately we were all right there in the same room and he didn't get any of it in his mouth before we noticed that there was Claritin all over the floor. But WTF, if he's going to be this awful couldn't he at least be dumb so I have a chance to stay ahead of him?

He was up at 6:30 this morning. I'm supposed to get to sleep in on Sundays, but it was Easter and Alex woke right up excited about egg hunting so I had to get up or miss Easter.

Colin has been clearly exhausted all day. He went down for a nap at 9:45 and I said I would just miss church and stay home with him but then at 10:15 Alex decided to play the fool and run away from Michael, who was trying to get her dressed, and then she jumped out and yelled "Peekaboo!" at top volume right at the foot of the stairs leading to the baby's crib. And he woke up, and I couldn't get him back to sleep.

This is of a piece with Alex's general heedlessness and disobedience, lately. Friday night I said "anyone who isn't working needs to get out of the kitchen now." Alex: "But I'm working!" She kept on with what she was doing, which turned out to be trying to pick up a jar of baby food with my long-handled kitchen tongs. A glass jar. Guess what happened.

I know she's only (almost) five, but for God's sake why can't she just do what she's told for once without looking for goddamned loopholes?

Anyway, back to today: I missed most of church anyway because Colin was on the move, and too noisy for the sanctuary.

I tried twice this afternoon to get him down for a second nap. He is so, so tired. He almost drifts off, and then pick two of three: screams/bites/laughs, and he's up again.

I have no patience for either one of them, or for anything else in my life right now.

I keep thinking that surely more sugar will make me feel better. Surprise surprise, it isn't working. But I keep trying anyway because I am not very bright.

Michael took them out after the second failed afternoon nap attempt. They've been gone for an hour and a half. It's absolutely silent in the house. I am enjoying being quiet and not touched and responsible for no one too much to go to sleep. I am starting to regain some sanity.

ETA: Michael just came back. Colin fell asleep on their way home from the playground, just a few minutes ago. The parents here will know just how fucked a 5:30pm nap is going to make us. But he's basically unrousable.

I don't know. At least they're cute?

Comments

[eeyorerin]

Sometimes I'm certain that cuteness is the only defense mechanism possible that keeps people from leaving the kids on the mountainside for the wolves.

I hope things improve, or you get a vacation, or both.

[ex-serenejo.livejournal.com]

But WTF, if he's going to be this awful couldn't he at least be dumb so I have a chance to stay ahead of him?

James: "This is Alex's mom, right?"

Me: "Yeah, not gonna happen, huh?"

James: "Yeah, not a chance. She's screwed."

[ex-serenejo.livejournal.com]

Which is to say, Yay, smart kids, and I wish things were easier for you right now. I remember the sleeplessness and worry and exhaustion and sleeplessness and did I mention sleeplessness, and I wasn't even nursing them or anything, so it wasn't *literally draining me*. *empathy*

[ratphooey.livejournal.com]

Supercute!

I do sympathize.

[acceberskoorb.livejournal.com]

:( I'm so sorry, this sounds miserable. All the best wishes for some good solid cooperation and sleeping for you all. :(

[torontoteacher.livejournal.com]

I have been there. On those days where I would have considered selling them to the circus for pocket change, nothing much actually helped.

However, I have had good luck with dumping a toddler sleeping at the Wrong Time into the bathtub. Your mileage may vary.

I have also had them fall asleep at 5:30 and just sleep until tomorrow. So you may regret waking him by force.

As for the night wakings... ritual, ritual, ritual... and things he can do for himself... white noise, a favourite toy.

Oh, and my husband reminded me of how we convinced our elder one to give up one no longer required night feed. Three nights in a row, instead of me going in to nurse him, he went in and offered a bottle of plain water. There were howls of outrage and then he just stopped getting up then.

When they're smart - you've gotta be sneaky.

Good luck. Too soon you may actually be looking back on it with some small amount of wistfulness.

[txanne.livejournal.com]

Oh Lord. I can say only that I've seen you in action and you're wonderful. I'll just cross my fingers that it's a regression before a giant developmental leap.

[jerusha.livejournal.com]

Augh. This sounds awful. And of course being underslept makes everything ten times harder. I hope things settle down soon.

[wcg.livejournal.com]

They are very cute. If it would help I could come by and take one of them off your hands for a few hours.

[ailbhe]

They *are* very cute. Also very bright and marvelous. Loophole seeking is a very bright thing to do, except on a survival level. So is pillbox opening.

You'll all four survive this, though you may be too tired to remember how. Good luck.

If you ever do decide to put them in a big box and mail them over the ocean, I'll let you know my address...

[fairoriana.livejournal.com]

As someone a few months ahead of you, I have two pieces of advice that might be brilliant or dumb: not sure which. First, have you checked to see whether an application of Tylenol helps? I found it amazing how much it helped Thane. He was obviously in pain without the ability to tell me so. Second, I consistently underestimate how much and how often he can eat. Is it any better after dinner?

Mostly, though, you have my complete and utter sympathy.

[erbie.livejournal.com]

Yep. My first thoughts were teething and developmental leap about to happen. My kids always sleep like crap and are cranky as heck and eat like it's going out of style when they're about to have a developmental leap.

[kalmn.livejournal.com]

If you've got a few minutes, go read this. http://www.mamohanraj.com/journal/show-entry.php?Entry_ID=5255

Maryanne who wrote that seems to also be in your boat.

Cute and hell are orthogonal, she says. I think she's likely right.

[tsjafo.livejournal.com]

"I don't know. At least they're cute?"

They are beautiful.

I hope you all get some rest.

[chargirlgenius.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Really cute. And snuggly, and sweet.

And I know just how much all of that matters when one sibling hands the other their dose of medicine, like happened at our house this morning.

In other words, I SO hear you. SUUSI's coming up. Right?

[(Anonymous)]

With a three year old, two year and three month old I feel for you. For Colin I wonder about allergies? I give my two chewable vitamin C at breakfast and lunch this time of year which helps a lot. For nighttime feedings I would offer a bottle or cup and then go back to bed at this age its more habit than anything else. Actually I still let each of them take a cup of water to bed, they've learned to locate it themselves even when half-asleep.

Just before supper can be a bad time: I'm distracted, they're tired and hungry etc.....I've found three things that help, a snack in late afternoon (about 3 pm), having them sit on kitchen chairs and look at books or sing with me while I make dinner, letting them get off the chairs by turns to help with a specific part of cooking, get something for the baby etc. The sitting on chairs helps them be calm and ready for supper and they feel like they're included.

Hope you get some rest...

sleep

[(Anonymous)]

Have you read "The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night" by Elizabeth Pantley? I'm trying her methods now on my nearly 8 month old who's been waking up every hour! We'll see how it goes...At 3 months my baby was consistently sleeping through the night, then somehow, it all went down hill from there...