Oh Avery, you make me so...so...(insert word here). Just about any word would do. Frustrated? yes. Happy? yes. Crabby, thankful, tired, proud...all of these apply.
Avery has had quite a week. He has been having really restless sleep at night - he will basically wake up in a temper tantrum and curse the world in his Avery language until I come in there and coax him back under the covers into a somewhat quiet slumber - for a time anyway, until the next outburst comes. Because of his fitful sleep at night, he has had some really crash and burn moment during the day - naps and mighty mood swings. He will last until a bit after lunch and then he will melt into his bed and sleep the best sleep he receives within that 24 hour period. I hate to wake him. One, because it is a break from the many moods of Avery, and two because the boy needs to sleep sometime.
The big long naps have created a terrible pattern though. Last night Avery was up until 11:00pm. He was happy, and he was singing too - here is Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star again, but an improv version...
But after this little concert I did the most dreadful thing for a boy who is having trouble sleeping in the first place...I took away his Nuks (pacifiers, for those of you who are knew to our terminology). Let me plead my case. The boy is 3 years old now...a month into the age of 3 even. I have had so many excuses for not doing this sooner...and it all boils down to that fact that I wasn't ready to deal with it. We almost had him weaned from the addiction last year, but then he got terribly sick in the winter and went right back to needing them - and I let him, cause he was sick. Then I had a baby, and he was further pushed into his addiction and I let him, cause there was craziness in the household (more than usual).
But last night I thought - you know, I'm not sleeping so well anyway, he's not sleeping so well anyway - so we might as well take advantage of this little sleep pattern hiccup and finally bite the bullet and take those suckers away (no pun intended). We need something positive to come from this lack of sleep. I told him that he was a big boy and no longer needed them. He bought it - for about 5 minutes. Then he screamed and cried and begged for his Nuks for about an hour (on and off). Then he fell asleep, finally. Only to wake up a couple of hours later to cry a bit more. But it really didn't last long and he settled himself right back down and had a really quiet night. Much more quiet that the previous few nights. Whew. He is currently trying to lay down for a SHORT nap without nuks. We'll see how that goes.
Today I also informed Huston's preschool that he wouldn't be returning in the new year. Huston is not the least bit crushed by that news, so I feel I have made the right decision, and plus we can focus that tuition money towards other needs and endeavors. I talked to the teacher today when I picked him up and she said that she would miss him. She is really nice - and a really good teacher and I was sad that I couldn't say that Huston would miss them too. I guess for some reason that I probably will never understand this year it just didn't click.
While I was in the preschool talking to Huston's teacher I had the rest of the kids locked in the van in the parking lot - I know I will be judged by this - but the preschool is a small church, I am never in there very long, we are parked right by the door, and it is so much easier than dragging 4 kids into a building to drop off just one. Well today, while I was in the building Avery clicked out of his seatbelt, stripped down to his diaper and a t-shirt and pretty much ran around crazy inside of the van to the delight of his older brother and baby sister. Isaiah informed me that he even got into the front seat and honked the horn at a few people. *Sigh* I must admit it was a funny sight, but I will most definitely be having Avery help me in dropping off Huston for these last couple of weeks.
2 comments:
Ah, the Nuk...tough stuff. Isaiah told me last week when Avery was going to nap and looking for Nuks that he has "SO many of them!"
And if you get judged for the kids in the van by the church door for 5 mins thing, many of us are in trouble.
No doubt about the kids in the van thing...no way, no how was I taking all four boys to drop Austin off at school and pick him up every day!
I laughed last Friday at your parents house because Avery tried putting all four Nuks he had in his mouth at once! :)
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