Saturday, August 27, 2005
Criblessness: Day 2
Boo did not nap today. No, that's not technically true. He slept in the car for 10 minutes while we returned home from a busy morning outdoors. And many hours later, he took a 5 minute snooze as we drove to dinner. He was so exhausted when we reached the restaurant that I expected him to sleep through dinner, stretched across the booth. But he fought our suggestion to remain flat, choosing to struggle into a somewhat vertical position next to his father. From across the table, I watched in amused sympathy as his eyelids began to flutter, then droop, then sag. Boo began to list almost imperceptibly to the left, and Lee, feeling Boo's imminent collapse more than seeing it, shifted his arm to catch his fading son. Boo nodded off for another minute, only to rally when the cheese enchiladas arrived.
So with just 17 minutes of nap under Boo's belt today, I was anticipating that he would crash early. Well, I suppose he crashed, in a manner of speaking, but it was more like "crash and burn" than "hit the hay." We sacheted good-naturedly through our bedtime routine, but as I laid Boo into bed, he demanded more rocking. I decided that I would need to hold firm, lest Boo spend the rest of the night in and out of bed. I recalled Supernanny's bedtime technique: cuddles and kisses the first time; "it's time to go to sleep" the second time, and from then on, just return the child to bed in a perfunctory way--no eye contact, no communication. It worked every time. I was feeling inspired.
As I began to apply her bedtime technique, I could almost imagine the Supernanny film crew careening through the house in pursuit of my son and me. No sooner would Boo's head hit the pillow than he would spring upright, slip off the bed, and charge down the hall, screaming, "More rocking! I need mommy!" Pretty soon, I began a running tally of return trips to bed. Four...five...six... Max, who was already in bed, began to feel the stress of the situation and put in his two cents. "Mommy, I think Boo wants you to rock him some more." Nine...ten...eleven.... "Boo, stay in bed. I'm right here, Boo. You can go to sleep now." Fifteen...sixteen...seventeen.... "Mommy, why don't you sit over there in the black chair so Boo can see you?" Twenty-four...twenty-five...twenty-six...twenty-seven. Boo had now been completely hysterical for 15 minutes, and Lee could take no more. "I'm going to rock him for awhile," Lee said, erasing the work of the past 30 minutes. Safe in his father's arms, Boo quieted down, but at the expense of Lee's compromised neck. After a few minutes, Lee asked me to take over. And Boo knew as well as I did that he'd won this round.
I hadn't cradled Boo for more than 5 minutes when he said sleepily, "Bed." As I settled him gently onto his new dinosaur sheets, he asked for the blanket from his crib. When I returned with it, Boo was fast asleep.
So with just 17 minutes of nap under Boo's belt today, I was anticipating that he would crash early. Well, I suppose he crashed, in a manner of speaking, but it was more like "crash and burn" than "hit the hay." We sacheted good-naturedly through our bedtime routine, but as I laid Boo into bed, he demanded more rocking. I decided that I would need to hold firm, lest Boo spend the rest of the night in and out of bed. I recalled Supernanny's bedtime technique: cuddles and kisses the first time; "it's time to go to sleep" the second time, and from then on, just return the child to bed in a perfunctory way--no eye contact, no communication. It worked every time. I was feeling inspired.
As I began to apply her bedtime technique, I could almost imagine the Supernanny film crew careening through the house in pursuit of my son and me. No sooner would Boo's head hit the pillow than he would spring upright, slip off the bed, and charge down the hall, screaming, "More rocking! I need mommy!" Pretty soon, I began a running tally of return trips to bed. Four...five...six... Max, who was already in bed, began to feel the stress of the situation and put in his two cents. "Mommy, I think Boo wants you to rock him some more." Nine...ten...eleven.... "Boo, stay in bed. I'm right here, Boo. You can go to sleep now." Fifteen...sixteen...seventeen.... "Mommy, why don't you sit over there in the black chair so Boo can see you?" Twenty-four...twenty-five...twenty-six...twenty-seven. Boo had now been completely hysterical for 15 minutes, and Lee could take no more. "I'm going to rock him for awhile," Lee said, erasing the work of the past 30 minutes. Safe in his father's arms, Boo quieted down, but at the expense of Lee's compromised neck. After a few minutes, Lee asked me to take over. And Boo knew as well as I did that he'd won this round.
I hadn't cradled Boo for more than 5 minutes when he said sleepily, "Bed." As I settled him gently onto his new dinosaur sheets, he asked for the blanket from his crib. When I returned with it, Boo was fast asleep.
2 Comments:
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