Another night without tears

Happy Birthday Grandpa Olson!

We made you a card for your birthday. Sorry it is now a belated birthday card. Sydney picked out the paper. He also chewed on, err... I mean... personalized it for you! So, I hope you like it!

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ANOTHER NIGHT WITHOUT TEARS

We have been attempting to develop a bedtime routine so that naps and bedtime are not such a battle for all of us. One week ago, I read an article in a parenting magazine that discussed comforting your child from a chair that slowly transitions day-by-day from cribside - to halfway across the room - to the doorway - to outside the doorway - to congratulations, your child should be able to go to sleep without your help anymore. However, our chair isn't the most comfortable considering the strong will and determination of our child to NOT go to sleep. Instead, we placed a mattress on the floor in his room, which has been MUCH more comfortable.

Over the weekend, we got a recommendation on a good INFANT SLEEP book from our neighbor. I am on Chapter 4 and have not yet skipped ahead to Sydney's specific age group. We have learned that we need to be consistent.

This afternoon, at afternoon nap, Sydney did not cry. He seemed to know WHY we were in his room. While I laid on the mattress, I know that I, indeed, fell asleep; however, I can not guarantee that Sydney did. He would lay down for a minute or so and then would cruise all over his crib again. He played with a teething ring, he played with my hand, he played with his taggie-blanket. We attempted to start naps at 3:30pm and I woke at 5pm. If I had to venture a guess, I'd say that he slept for a little while, but certainly NOT the recommended timeframe for a child his age.

For bedtime, we read two books in his bedroom. (We now have a nightstand and a reading lamp.) Then, we said NIGHT-NIGHT to all of the family members on the wall. I turned off the lights and we stood in front of his crib where I swayed from side-to-side while singing TWINKLE TWINKLE twice. He almost instantly yawned and put his head down onto my shoulder, which is ironic since he had been WIDE AWAKE just 5 minutes earlier. I gave him a hug and laid him down. I laid down on the mattress next to his crib and hummed TWINKLE TWINKLE.

Sydney laid down with his head up against the crib rails closest to me. Not a peep. No protest.

When Daddy takes a turn, he does NOT sing TWINKLE TWINKLE because he claims that he does NOT know the words. Instead, Daddy's bedtime song is the theme song from GILLIGAN'S ISLAND. (That makes me smile.)