About two weeks ago, mama was burning out. I found that by bedtime, my patience was gone, and I was not enjoying the whole routine like I used to.
I talked to Josh about it, and he agreed that it wasn't working. Many times he's not here, so I am at it, all alone, all day long, until they are asleep.
We figured out that the main problem was my singing them to sleep. I would sit in the rocking chair with Wyatt and sing until the twins fell asleep. Then I'd lay Wyatt down in his crib.
Used to be that Wyatt would fall asleep in my arms. But recently he's become a sleep fighter and instead of drifting off, he'd play with his tongue, make clicking noises or try to sing over me, which drove his brothers crazy.
I agreed with Josh that the singing had to go. It was hard to decide, especially us not being sure if Wyatt is our last. If he is our last, I wonder if I'll regret not rocking him for longer. But neither of us seemed to be enjoying it anymore.
And the transition has been really smooth. We transferred the twins' Baby Genius sleep CD to my iPod and are using it to help them fall asleep. The twins adjusted really quickly, whereas Wyatt took a while.
He asks every night if I will sing to him in the rocking chair. But my sanity is worth saying goodnight with a hug and a kiss. I am out of there so much faster than in the past, and with falling asleep on their own, it seems the twins have been up less often at night as well.
We are still doing the rest of our bedtime routine (pajamas, brush teeth, read stories, go potty, say prayers and have hugs & kisses) and honestly, knowing I'm not going to be in there fighting with Wyatt for 45 minutes after lights out, I am enjoying each step more than ever.
We have talked in the past about separating the boys into their own rooms, but the convenience of having them all in one room on the nights I am doing bedtime by myself outweighs any benefit to separate rooms. Plus, they like being together. Jack said if we get a bigger house someday he would like his own room, but he wants it next to Wyatt's so he can hear if Wyatt needs him.
So for now, this is what bedtime looks like.
And I'm happy about it.
I just had to stop rocking my son this week too. I loved it, but he kept asking me to put him in his bed and it would take over 30 minutes to get him to sleep if I did rock him. So finally I let go and after a couple of days he now just rolls over and goes to sleep instantly. I like having that time back, but I wish I could have had a bit more warning so I could have soaked up those last few days!
ReplyDeleteSleep and bedtime are ever evolving here too. Glad you found something that works for now.
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