Lola is killing us with her insane sleep (lack of sleep) schedule lately. She continues to wake up at 6 am almost on the dot, except when she wakes up at 4 or 5:30. She hates sleeping with a vengeance and usually only takes one nap a day, around 10 or 11, for an hour or at most an hour and a half. About the only way we can manage this is to try to get her to bed for the night very early - usually starting around 6 or 6:30. Depending on the day, it can still take anywhere up to an hour before she falls asleep.
Today, when I put her down for her nap, it took an hour and twenty minutes before she succumbed. Bedtime was a screaming, sweaty, sobbing affair when I finally just had to leave her room and let Michael take over. We should have sleep trained her a long time ago but we just couldn't do it. Lola can cry bloody screaming murder for more than half an hour and she gets herself so worked up and red in the face that she chokes on her own saliva and cannot breathe. I read that when sleep training you are supposed to go in after say, five or ten minutes, when the baby is really crying hard to reassure her that you haven't abandoned her. But in Lola's case, that would just incense her and add fuel to her fury, giving her shrieks and sobs renewed energy. It is not for the faint of heart. Lola now also gets so mad, standing up at the edge of her crib and jumping up and down furiously, that we get really scared she will get into a bloody accident if/when her chin or lower jaw makes contact with the crib.
Other than the sleeping wars, though, this was a pretty nice weekend. I had a long, late work call on Friday night which is a bit of a rarity, but then everything ground to a halt for the weekend. I know I will likely have plenty to do this week but getting two full days to focus on family and fun and rest is really one of the best ways to help me reset from the intensity of my work.
On Saturday, I took Lola to the playroom at the park where she bumped into her friend, a little boy who is 2 months older than Lola, who we met when the babies were both around 5 months. Lola recognizes him and will ask for him by name from time to time. When she saw him yesterday, she delightedly called out his name in quick multiple succession - but then when they were actually inside the playroom and he took her monster truck, and she failed to pull it back from him, Lola was significantly less happy with him.
Side note: we really have to work on Lola's sharing... she is not that possessive of her toys until she sees someone take it. Then it's suddenly the exact toy she desperately wants. Same with her snacks - she is very very serious about her food (including with her mommy and daddy)! I've seen it happen with multiple toys at the same time in the playroom - suddenly Lola feels an imperative need to scoop up all four or five of her toys at the same time to keep them out of danger. Before she would say, "no no" to whoever was trying to take her stuff. She still says that sometimes, but now she yanks the toy back (or tries) while saying, "Thank you" very primly and properly. There was an instance where she kept saying, "thank you, thank you" and being very frustrated as to why the other girl was not returning her item. I know this needs sorely needs to be improved but I have to admit I find her benevolent dictator tactics very clever and adorable.
After the playroom, in the afternoon we went again with our neighbors and friends to Maggie and Rose in Causeway Bay. It was absolute chaos there on a Saturday, but Lola had a good time. A bunch of friends of friends were there and I actually bumped into a friend I hadn't seen in a while. How fun! Most of the friends there had kids who were in the 3 to 5 range, and I saw a whole range of freedom and mobility and independence in their children that I think just isn't yet possible at Lola's age. Michael says I am a bit of a helicopter parent (and I might be, I do find myself hovering over Lola when she plays or runs around) but I think I will be able to relax once she gets a bit older and steadier.
Saturday was notable for being almost entirely rain free - a first in I think (or what feels like) 2 full weeks!
On Sunday, I took Lola out in her stroller to ride the elevator at the MTR subway station. She completely thwarted my plans though in that she refused to get back into her stroller. I had to wrestle her in after a lot of cajoling and a few unsuccessful screaming attempts. I was sweating and, against my better judgment, then proceeded to take her to the park and the playroom again to play. I don't know why I thought I'd have luck getting her into her stroller again - because I didn't. I tried three times and completely failed each time. I was wincing and bracing myself to be that mom who had to carry her toddler while pushing a heavy stroller all the way home. Then, about halfway home and riding yet another elevator (one of Lola's favorites), I left the stroller behind to do another bonus elevator run with her. To my surprise and frustration, Lola chose that moment to freak out that we were leaving her stroller behind. Once we reunited with the stroller, she was supremely amenable to, and actually requested, being strapped in. This girl!!
I finally got the chance to take Lola swimming Sunday afternoon. Our building's pool opened at the beginning of May but it's been so rainy and stormy that we really haven't been able to use it much. We were down there for probably only half an hour before the skies opened and a huge rainstorm came pelting down on us. I like that Lola now knows what swimming is and she likes it enough to request to go. We certainly can't call what she's doing "swimming;" it is for all intents and purposes just wading through the baby pool playing with water - but at least she is way more comfortable with it now that she can stand and walk through it. It is also a nice and easy way to burn up some of Lola's energy, while getting her out of the house, while not having to go far.
Today, when I put her down for her nap, it took an hour and twenty minutes before she succumbed. Bedtime was a screaming, sweaty, sobbing affair when I finally just had to leave her room and let Michael take over. We should have sleep trained her a long time ago but we just couldn't do it. Lola can cry bloody screaming murder for more than half an hour and she gets herself so worked up and red in the face that she chokes on her own saliva and cannot breathe. I read that when sleep training you are supposed to go in after say, five or ten minutes, when the baby is really crying hard to reassure her that you haven't abandoned her. But in Lola's case, that would just incense her and add fuel to her fury, giving her shrieks and sobs renewed energy. It is not for the faint of heart. Lola now also gets so mad, standing up at the edge of her crib and jumping up and down furiously, that we get really scared she will get into a bloody accident if/when her chin or lower jaw makes contact with the crib.
Other than the sleeping wars, though, this was a pretty nice weekend. I had a long, late work call on Friday night which is a bit of a rarity, but then everything ground to a halt for the weekend. I know I will likely have plenty to do this week but getting two full days to focus on family and fun and rest is really one of the best ways to help me reset from the intensity of my work.
On Saturday, I took Lola to the playroom at the park where she bumped into her friend, a little boy who is 2 months older than Lola, who we met when the babies were both around 5 months. Lola recognizes him and will ask for him by name from time to time. When she saw him yesterday, she delightedly called out his name in quick multiple succession - but then when they were actually inside the playroom and he took her monster truck, and she failed to pull it back from him, Lola was significantly less happy with him.
Side note: we really have to work on Lola's sharing... she is not that possessive of her toys until she sees someone take it. Then it's suddenly the exact toy she desperately wants. Same with her snacks - she is very very serious about her food (including with her mommy and daddy)! I've seen it happen with multiple toys at the same time in the playroom - suddenly Lola feels an imperative need to scoop up all four or five of her toys at the same time to keep them out of danger. Before she would say, "no no" to whoever was trying to take her stuff. She still says that sometimes, but now she yanks the toy back (or tries) while saying, "Thank you" very primly and properly. There was an instance where she kept saying, "thank you, thank you" and being very frustrated as to why the other girl was not returning her item. I know this needs sorely needs to be improved but I have to admit I find her benevolent dictator tactics very clever and adorable.
After the playroom, in the afternoon we went again with our neighbors and friends to Maggie and Rose in Causeway Bay. It was absolute chaos there on a Saturday, but Lola had a good time. A bunch of friends of friends were there and I actually bumped into a friend I hadn't seen in a while. How fun! Most of the friends there had kids who were in the 3 to 5 range, and I saw a whole range of freedom and mobility and independence in their children that I think just isn't yet possible at Lola's age. Michael says I am a bit of a helicopter parent (and I might be, I do find myself hovering over Lola when she plays or runs around) but I think I will be able to relax once she gets a bit older and steadier.
Saturday was notable for being almost entirely rain free - a first in I think (or what feels like) 2 full weeks!
On Sunday, I took Lola out in her stroller to ride the elevator at the MTR subway station. She completely thwarted my plans though in that she refused to get back into her stroller. I had to wrestle her in after a lot of cajoling and a few unsuccessful screaming attempts. I was sweating and, against my better judgment, then proceeded to take her to the park and the playroom again to play. I don't know why I thought I'd have luck getting her into her stroller again - because I didn't. I tried three times and completely failed each time. I was wincing and bracing myself to be that mom who had to carry her toddler while pushing a heavy stroller all the way home. Then, about halfway home and riding yet another elevator (one of Lola's favorites), I left the stroller behind to do another bonus elevator run with her. To my surprise and frustration, Lola chose that moment to freak out that we were leaving her stroller behind. Once we reunited with the stroller, she was supremely amenable to, and actually requested, being strapped in. This girl!!
I finally got the chance to take Lola swimming Sunday afternoon. Our building's pool opened at the beginning of May but it's been so rainy and stormy that we really haven't been able to use it much. We were down there for probably only half an hour before the skies opened and a huge rainstorm came pelting down on us. I like that Lola now knows what swimming is and she likes it enough to request to go. We certainly can't call what she's doing "swimming;" it is for all intents and purposes just wading through the baby pool playing with water - but at least she is way more comfortable with it now that she can stand and walk through it. It is also a nice and easy way to burn up some of Lola's energy, while getting her out of the house, while not having to go far.
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