New things

I am not one for change. I don't like trying new things or starting new ways of doing things.

Lately I am so tiered emotionally and physically that I feel like I am a zombie. I feel like I dont have any energy left to give to Trevor and Olivia. I am so worn out all the time that I had to change my way of thinking and figure out a plan of what to change so I can actually keep up on house keeping, providing for a growing 5 1/2 month baby and always making sure to have time for my husband.

 I do not like the cry it out method... I am completely against using it because I feel your baby will only cry if they have a need. (note: not to sound rude but that is my opinion and I really don't want to hear anyone else opinion about making your kid cry it out because I have already heard those opinions before) I will only use cry it out methods if Liv wont stop crying and I feel I am getting so frustrated that I might throw her against the wall. (note: I would never really do that at all but first time mom's should totally understand that feeling)

After some deep pondering and talking about things with Trevor for the past couple weeks I have come to the conclusion that I need a break. Not a break from being a mom, but I need a break from always holding Liv and taking care of her. I know I am a stay-at-home mom and that is my job to take care of her... but I seriously am drained. So this week I have been hoping I can get into a better sleep and nap schedule with her. Which includes..... yes, cry it out. I am having such a hard time with it but I am already starting to laugh, and smile again and I only started Monday.

Monday I started not letting her nap past 4pm an keeping her awake till tubby time at 7:30. That is such a long time between nap's for such a little growing girl. By the time it hits 6:45 ish, she is starting to get fussy so we just have to distract her. She now by last night (Wednesday) knows it is bed time around then.

Tuesday I started taking a morning nap with Liv which doesn't really make me not tiered anymore but it is like a cap on the sleep I didn't get at night. I already have started feeling more like myself because of that extra 1 1/2 hour nap in the morning.

Wednesday I took the mattress out of Liv's room that I have been sleeping on for the past 4 months and made it so that I don't have a way to put her in bed with me when I am so tiered of getting up with her. I also made a sleep pattern that I have her sleep 3 hours stretches or longer alone and if she wakes up anytime between those 3 plus hours I let her cry herself back to sleep. It was super hard but both times that she woke up an started crying I checked to see if there was anything wrong an then stood in the doorway watching her put herself back to sleep. Both times only took 10 minutes max of her fussing to put herself back to sleep. And I am proud to say that I did not cave in at all.

Last night was the start of a new baby. Hopefully she will pick up on this new schedule and start sleeping longer stretches without waking up. The 7 wake up's at night was kinda ridiculous.  Last night she slept from 8pm to 12am. Ate at midnight then fell back asleep. Woke back up at 2:30 for another feeding and fell asleep quick. Then slept till 4am and ate again. And then Trevor got her when she woke up at 6:30. OK! So its not exactly 3 hours stretches but for being the first night of the new schedule I think going from 7 wake up's on Tuesday to 3 wake up's on Wednesday is pretty good.

Now for the rest of the week to the weekend is working on day naps. She has been asleep for half an hour and hopefully she will stay asleep for another hour. I am gonna try to not let her have so many nap's during the day. I think that is why she wasn't sleeping at night.. and why she wanted to play and not sleep. :)

Hope this plan continues to work. I am starting to get my life back and it is only 3 days into the change. Oh energy... how I have missed you.