It's taken some time but my Bear is now back to his regular sleep schedule.
We've always had a regular routine about putting him down for a nap and for night-time. It's not like we changed anything & caused him to have the issues. It just happened! We're not certain as to why he started having problems. He may have been teething. He did have a slight fever. But thank goodness he's back to normal.
I mentioned my plight about the Bear's sleep situation here and here.
There was actually one more night that this Mommy was NOT a happy camper. My hubby decided to make me roll into bed early at about 9:30pm. He knew I was mentally exhausted dealing with my whiny Bear, so he thought an early night was what I needed to get refreshed.
Life is full of challenges and that night was definitely a challenge. Can you believe that I heard the Bear crying at 10:30pm? A scant hour after I'd laid myself into bed with my hubby, the kid was awake.
Oy! A rude awakening that's for sure.
I got the Bear and he felt a little warm. I brought him to the bathroom and gave him some Tylenol to make him more comfortable. I then brought him out to the couch so I could relax while holding him. He lay on me tummy-to-tummy with his head on my left shoulder. His left hand hand meandered all over the right side of my head playing with my hair. We sat that way for a while.
Suddenly, he pops his head up off of my shoulder. He looks at me. He scoots himself off my lap and off the couch. He turns to look at me and points towards the kitchen.
Me: Are you thirsty buddy?
Bear: [Gives me the "yes" sign]
We head into the kitchen. I grab a fresh sippy. I get the water pitcher out of the fridge and pour him about 6 oz. I tighten the cap. I hand the sippy to the kid. He stands there and gulps it down. He must of had 5 oz of it! Oy! He was warm AND thirsty! Poor kid...
We get back to the business of cuddling on the couch.
Let me just say it took me 5 tries until I got him back into his crib. It's like he had a radar on. Seemed like he knew when I was making a move towards his room. His arms would clasp around my neck tightly. His legs would wrap about my torso like a vise. It's not like he was awake, but he wasn't fully asleep either.
I got him back into his crib about 12:35am. Yes! Two whole hours after I'd rescued him out of his crib, he was safely back in it.
Like I mentioned, we aren't too sure but suspect a teething issue as the cause for the sleep problems. He seemed to also be more clingy to me than normal. It felt like he was having separation anxiety. He'd hold onto my leg if I got up from the couch to go into the kitchen. He wouldn't let my hubby give him a bath. The Bear would cling to my neck as if I'd disappear. Weird for a boy who likes his freedom.
What's crazy to me is that he didn't want to go down for his naps. I know he's tired. He knows he's tired. He wanted to be held! There's my rationale about the separation anxiety conclusion. He'd cry and whine. He'd whine and cry. It would last for upwards of 20 minutes before (a) he'd finally settle down and sleep or (b) I'd remove him from his crib & hold him until he did sleep or (c) Remove him from his crib and forego the nap because he was only getting more vocal instead of settling down.
Situation A was always the best. Situation B was okay because he'd get some sleep, but I'd be stuck holding him for 1 1/2 hours! That was time away from the Princess. It was also time away from my mid-day access to the internet. Situation C was the worst of all cases. When the Bear didn't get a nap, he'd be in such a horrible mood by the end of the day. My hubby always hated hearing that the Bear didn't get a nap. I didn't blame him for dreading coming home once he'd been told the kid didn't sleep.
But he's back to regularly scheduled programming. I'm being more deligent about getting him and the Princess out of the house each morning, even if it's just to run a quick errand. This way we're not stuck watching television. Plus it's a way for the two to get some energy expelled from their system. Then it's lunch. After lunch, is naptime for the Bear. Thankfully, he's now okay with this routine. He'll make complaining noises but we both know he's bushed by 12:30-1pm.
I'm crossing my fingers that this is the last bit of sleep related issues we'll have for a while. I'm tired of dealing with a tired toddler!
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