Sleep Chronicles: The Final Resolve

Mommyhood (I know its not grammatically correct) is a pathway filled with tears and trails, thrills and chills, giggles and gurgles, A-ha's and Oh no's; It's a process that grows. I am a first time mom, who is enjoying it all. Don't let the smooth taste fool you though, being a mom is work, but when you overcome a hurdle you feel like a POWER Mom (Persistently Overcoming Whining Enthusiastically Rearing). Okay so it is not the best acronym for POWER but it works for me , because daily I am sticking to my guns in order to overcome obstacles without complaining and enthusiastically rear my child.

Sleep training is madness.   You have your successful days and then the days that are pure torture. You feel accomplished one moment, then the next you fill like the worst mom in the world.  Its craziness I tell you.  I have to blame me, I was Elise's crutch.   Midday and Nightly since the day Elise was born she has been lulled to sleep in my arms or my husbands.   I(We) thought  that we were doing the best thing for her, but Oh were we wrong. She was so used to being in our arms while she was asleep, that when she woke in the middle of the night she was like, "What they hey, where  my mommy  and daddy at." I didn't know it was such an issue, that she was leaning on us to be there throughout the night. Come to think of it how would you like it if you were sleeping on a nice cushy pillow and you wake up and you are on a tough brick, I guess Elise was like, "Hecky naw mommy!"

So here I was with a one year old who didn't know how to sooth her self to sleep, but it was time to make a change. So thus began the sleep chronicles. It's been about three weeks since my journey began, filled with many tears and headaches on my end.   5-10-15 is so hard when it is eight at night and you have been with a one year old all day.   The kitchen timer was my friend for a week, then I just wanted to trash my stove cause' apparently I wasn't doing something right.  For days/weeks I struggled to get Elise's sleep cycle together, but guess what father did know best.  

I wondered why most of the days that  my husband did the process Elise would fall asleep in about ten minutes.   I was like what the heck am I doing different.   We were doing the same process, or so I thought.  When I laid Elise down I just put her there, kiss, maybe a bottle and a goodnight(good nap nap time) and it always took between forty-five minutes to an hour for Elise to fall asleep.   But my oh so wonderful husband had a hidden secret that I didn't learn until about a week and a half ago, a pat and a rub on the back was the trick to Elise falling asleep.  I guess she needed some type of soothing to aid her, not just commando mommy. Who knew?

Once I learned the secret it was all over for Miss Elise, cause' I knew falling asleep on her own was possible.  Laid her down, gave her a little bit of milk, patted her back, stroked her hair, kiss, good night Elise and the magic potion took it's course and she was out in about five minutes.  Now this bridge was hard to cross, and I definitely didn't always understand what she needed, but we made it.  Now at eight forty-five at night Elise has been sleep for more than an hour, it's a miracle. Thank you God for making Powerful daddies.

Final Resolve: Overall 5-10-15 worked. It took more than four days for Elise, every child is different, but it worked.   Elise is now successfully soothing herself to sleep at nap time and bedtime.  My advice for other mommies out there, don't wait to your daughter turns one to start this method, start as soon as possible.  It is possible to stick to your guns, throw in some ear plugs if you have to, cause' the tears that fall are temporary and you will appreciate it when the Midnight feedings are gone.  You live and you learn, but make sure you grow some patience.  God is key, heck I wouldn't have made it through without him.  You can do it.  Be like Nike Just Do it.

(Pictured Above: Elise at 11 months, tuckered out after snack time.)

Najeema Iman, I AM Curly Locks