Insomnia Rambles

It's 1:05am and I'm watching old episodes of The Price is Right on the CBS website. Yet another one of those things that you don't read often in parenting books is mama insomnia. I finally read about it in a baby magazine (I don't remember which one, since there are like fifty of them that basically have the same five topics recycled in each issue) and realized that it's totally what I have. When you have a baby like Roxanne who is in the process of learning to sleep alone in her crib, she wakes up several times a night to nurse. Roxanne's pattern is almost ridiculously samey, which consists of her going to sleep around 8:30 after her Daddy reads to her and rocks her. Then she wakes up around 11:30, when I go in and nurse and rock her and put her back down. Then she usually wakes up again around 1:00 and I just end up bringing her back to bed. So the trick is, it is almost impossible for me to fall asleep until that 11:30 waking has passed. Like I try to fall asleep, but the whole time I'm just waiting for Roxanne to wake me up, so I can't really do it. Then after the 11:30 feeding I wait and watch the clock for the next one. It's poison! At least once I bring the baby back to the bed I pretty much sleep until the alarm goes off, since neither of us wake up for the night nursings when we are co-sleeping. I know some people are reading this and feeling no sympathy for me because I refuse to let Roxanne "cry it out." But I just can't. The good news is that it's now 1:12 and Roxanne still hasn't woken up once. So I think we are making progress! And best of all, Roxanne doesn't fuss when we put her in the crib. That's one of the big reasons that people don't let babies "cry it out." The idea is that making it a more gradual and gentle adjustment helps babies learn that nighttime is a nice and comfortable time, and the crib is a cozy place. Either way, I think every parent has to find their own way to deal with sleeping. There's no easy answer. And for now, I'm delirious and rambling.

One reason I am glad that we aren't making Roxanne cry it out is because of her superior will power. We had the day off today, and we went to see my Mom in Alpharetta. We got stuck in traffic on the way home, and Roxanne literally SCREAMED the whole way home. Roughly 55 minutes straight. I thought I was going to lose it. It was absolutely horrifying. I thought about pulling off the road to take her out of her seat and nurse her, but it didn't seem safe at all. When I finally decided we HAD to pull over, the exit we were at was for Northlake, and it apparently doesn't provide return access for 285. Go figure. But we did finally get home, and then something wonderful happened!

When we walked in the door, Roxanne was still a little fussy, but very sleepy. Then she spotted Katie. Katie is quickly becoming her little buddy. She started giggling at Katie, who was doing her usual big production that she puts on when someone comes home. I was saying "Hi, Katie, look Roxanne, it's Katie," etc. etc. Then Roxanne said, totally clear as a bell "Kay-teeee" while pointing at our stinky little beagle. Justin and I both totally freaked out. It was just absolutely mind-blowing. Of course, we couldn't get her to do it again, but still. I think I laughed for about five minutes straight. After that, Roxanne crawled around and giggled and yelled like a little monster for the next hour or so and was happy as a clam. Night and day.

I'm totally jealous of this lady's showcase showdown. A pilates machine, a trip to Monte Carlos, a Hybrid Ford Escape and some cash. I wish I could be on this show. Drew Carey makes a surprisingly adorable host. And these people get SO excited! Maybe I should find something more sedate while I'm trying to fall asleep. These games are just too suspenseful. The CBS website also has old episodes of Perry Mason, but I couldn't get any of them to play. Sigh. Aren't you all jealous of my super-glamorous late-night Friday? Tomorrow will be full of errands and the Little Five Points Halloween Festival. I'm going to make Roxanne wear her costume that I made. I think it turned out pretty cute, so I promise we'll take lots of pictures!