The real reason for this post is that I have recently come to the conclusion that I'm doing it wrong, or rather, that I could be doing it better--parenting, that is. I usually pride myself on being a well informed individual, but when it came to babies, I really dropped the ball on researching the whole what-do-I-do-now-that-I've-got-a-kid part. Don't get me wrong, I don't think I'm a bad mother, actually, considering the amount of experience I've had with babies in the past, (zip, zero, nada) I'm doing pretty darn well just flying by the seat of my pants. But, always in search of the dream scenario, I've decided that it's not cutting it--I can always do better. (...and a big thanks to my Dad for that lesson!)
The crux of this whole issue, I guess, stemmed from Audrey's sleeping issues--namely, that she fights sleep like nobody's business and I really don't want to still be dancing her to sleep when she's 3 years old. Enter The Baby Whisperer! (who I came upon looking for a solution not involving crying it out) I've only been reading her books for a few days now, but wow! Talk about making babies make sense. She's broken down baby temperaments into 5 categories, of which, Audrey fits as a "spirited" baby. (are we really surprised?) I know my posts have a tendency to get long-winded, but I have to share an excerpt from her description:
"When spirited babies want something, they want it now! Opinionated, very vocal, and often stubborn, their moods are mercurial, going quickly from happy to sad and back again. They love the action but also tend to overdo it, which can lead to a meltdown. If spirited children sound like they're challenging, they are. But properly handled they are also born leaders."
...That's Audrey...and it's also just the tip of the iceburg.
So, now that I've got a better understanding of Audrey's temperament and how spirited babies typically handle situations, I'm diving head-first into a 10-day sleep training (sure-to-be-nightmare) endeavor...starting Tuesday. This means, I probably won't be doing any cleaning, laundry, reading or making phone calls (unless it's to John asking him why I decided to take the hard way...again) Hopefully, the result will be a happier baby and mama, both who will be sleeping more consistently. Wish me luck! Maybe I'll have the energy to post to give updates on how it's going. If not, I'll see you on the other side!
1 comment:
Good Luck :-)
Post a Comment