Note: I spent an unseemly amount of time yesterday trying to post the following. While blogger was having issues I was feeling like I ‘d left something important incomplete. Just a little on edge. And aren’t you glad I’ve such a feverish need to post tedious information about our sleeping habits?
Last night I was feeling all kinds of frustrated and discombobulated. Caring for my cute little sicky can be a bit challenging and heartbreaking. His fever and energy levels come and go, he’s covered in snot, not eating very much and he losing his little voice. His modest croaks are so sad and yet so adorable. He’s clingy, moody and less willing to play independently. So by the time 7:30 pm rolled around I was ready to usher him off to dreamland so I could have my normal rest and recovery time before bed. But Master Noah had other plans. He stayed up until 11! And Mark and I were exhausted and ready for bed by 9, so it was a long evening. However the boy made up for it when he slept from 11 to 8 without waking! You heard it – NO WAKING. Nine consecutive hours of glorious sleeping time. Wow. I guess he was just plum tuckered. And maybe the gentle vapors mentol plugin helped, or maybe it was crazy blacklight that accompanies it. His room looked trippy! Dude.
The sleeping through the night thing is an occasional fluke in our house. And on that note I have to share a tidbit I got from Juliloquy. In response to questions about her 15 month old’s night-waking her pediatrician said that sleeping through the night was a Western expectation, and that in most cultures babies aren't expected to adhere to that adult standard. THANK YOU. Thank you Mr. Pediatrician and thank you Julie. This piece of info eased my mind that we weren’t measuring up and had to do something drastic and unpleasant in order to correct it. Why do we have an expectation that our kids should sleep through the night when most of them don’t? It’s so unrealistic and unnecessary. It’s like we set ourselves up to fail as parents. Do you agree?
This morning Mark decided to call in sick – partially because his cold is still holding on and he needed a day to recoup, partially because I mentioned the option of him taking a sick day yesterday and once you get that idea in your head you HAVE to take one, and partially because for once we actually OVERSLEPT. And I was super grateful to have his help and company today, especially since I didn’t catch an evening break yesterday.
So this afternoon we responded to Noah’s pointing to the front door and pleas of “OUT. OUT.” with a walk to the library and a stop at the bakery for cookies. The weather is fantastic today and just what the illin’ House of Eggerts needed. I hope Noah’s condition turns around tonight. If he’s still running a fever tomorrow morning I need to take him to the pediatrician for a sick visit. Bleck – and I don’t want to have to resort to that.
4 comments:
Yay for 9 hours of sleep! And rest-up days!
How exciting for me to see the link--the very first--to my blog! (Said as a true newcomer/latecomer to blogging. . . .)
Anyway, I'm glad my pediatrician's comment was helpful. It is tough when people keep asking about the sleep issue. I'm sure it comes out of concern for our health and spirits, but the inquiries often result in us feeling insecure in our parenting.
Dr. King (I love saying that--as if my pediatrician is MLK Jr.) also talks about the different approach to parenting in our parents' generation. People's attitudes were much more unified, so it was expected that you do Ferber or whatever because that's the way EVERYONE DID IT. Today, we have so many options at parenting. It's great to have the choices, but at the same time, gives us lots of opportunity for self-doubt.
Have a restful and (I hope) reduced-snot weekend.
I always thought it was kind of strange that we expected babies to sleep through the night. I don't even sleep through the night, why should they? Hope you're all feeling better soon.
I totally agree with Julie's pediatrician about sleeping through the night being a western culture thing. Same for wanting our babies to be "independent". I wish most pediatrician's felt like Julie's because there are SOOOOOO many babies and toddlers out there that DON'T sleep through the night, some that still nurse and many that don't. I remember my dr.'s office telling me that my son should not be waking up to nurse at all by 6 months, HA! I just ignored that and continued to attend to him at night as I always had. I talked to a mom at the park today about how her daughter (now 4) didn't sleep through the night until she was 2 1/2 and also her 15 month old doesn't sleep through the night now. I guess I got lucky with my first one. So glad to hear that Noah slept so well last night!!!! :) HOpe he is doing better and that you didn't have to take him to the dr. Sometimes cold symptoms really linger for a long time. We've had a few that the snot and coughing lasted well over two weeks!!!
ha
we have a menthol vapor thingie too. I thought it looked more nuclear-reactor than trippy, but I can see that too.
thank god! a western thing indeed. though I am thinking that babies aren't supposed to wake up a bazillion times (in my case) or for hours at a time (your case) but not having to strive for none at all is alot easier. thanks, julie and dr of julie.
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