I also decided to spend a few minutes after lights-out singing to the kids and rubbing their backs to help them wind down. They seemed to be doing pretty well. Mr. X got home during the singing, so I prolonged it a little bit for them to settle after he came in to say goodnight.
They were quiet for a while, and then we started to hear some signs of revelry in the room. When we went in, they were both running around the room s.ta.rk n.ake.d. I kid you not. And Sarah had sat down and peed on her pillow. Lovely. And that was round one!!
As the night wore on, I went in several more times. The highlight was probably the suspicious thumping noises that led me to the room to discover that they were climbing from Nick's bed onto his dresser and jumping down. The night involved time-outs (some of which happened in the playpen in our room where Nick takes his naps), loss of privileges (i.e., stuffed animals and books in bed), and eventually, sleep at about 10:45. After that, I stayed up too late to watch about an hour of TV because I just wanted to sit down and relax before crashing. Argh!
4 comments:
I don't blog much, but I found your blog a couple of years ago when we were dealing with some secondary infertility, and have been reading ever since.
My kids aren't as close in age as yours (4.5 and 1.5) but you seem desperate for help so I thought I'd throw in my two cents!
I'd probably just stay with them until they fell asleep. Also, as hard as this may be, I probably wouldn't have your husband come in and say goodnight if he comes home after they are in bed. If either my husband or myself do this while the kids are going down, it's guaranteed to extend falling asleep time.
I'd also make sure you're getting them to bed early enough. If they get overtired (and the signs can be really, really subtle) then falling asleep will be a nightmare. Maybe start the routine 1/2 hr earlier and see if that helps?
I know staying with them sounds like a pain, but the whole thing would probably be faster and gain you more down time in the end.
Also, I love the book Sleepless in America for help on sleep issues. It's not so much a "how to" book but more of a "why" book about kids and sleep. It's really wonderful.
Good luck!!
Oh my gosh! This is as hilarious as it is troublesome, for you I'm sure! I have no advice. I have no idea what I would do! But I like the advice Lizziebit gave. Sounds like a good idea to stay in there. Good grief! God bless and good luck!
Thanks guys! Lizziebits, I'll have to check out Sleepless in America--thanks for the suggestions! I think you're right on. I just couldn't face staying in last night! And they heard Mr. X come in the house (darn it!) and started saying "Daddy!"--next time, I think I'll text him if we're past the point of no return so he can sneak in. :-)
These books are for younger kids but many of my friends have raved about them:
Healthy Sleep Habits by Weissbluth
&
On Becoming Baby Wise by Ezzo
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