It's been a minute since I last wrote...we have weathered the Thanksgiving Holiday relatively unscathed. Relatively.
I'm a big believer that sleep fixes a lot of problems. I've always been somewhat of a drill sergeant when it comes to Diva getting enough sleep. Mainly because if she doesn't we all suffer. I'm someone who wold be perfectly content with 20 hours of sleep a day and not think twice about it. It doesn't happen...lately 6 hours of sleep is a luxury. I have tried to maintain the same sleep standards for Shrek and Donkey that I do for Diva. They were barely a month old when I was starting a bedtime routine and putting them to bed at a specific "bedtime."
When Diva was very small she was happiest going to bed at 6:30 and then she would sleep until 7 or 7:30 sometimes later in the morning. The 6:30 bedtime was inconvenient since Mr. Hubs and I were working full time and would barely get home when Diva would want to go to bed. But, we did it and everyone was happier for it. As she has gotten older I have extended her bedtime out to 7:30. It's pretty flexible. If something is going on, we are out or have company I let her stay up later. I have tried to consistently stretch her bedtime out to 8pm but that has made everyone miserable. Diva needs her sleep and we are all happier when she gets it. Needless to say with the Thanksgiving Holiday Diva has not had her sleep. Ugh...It started when she got a cold early last week with a fever. She wasn't resting well. Then comes Thanksgiving and all the festivities that brings and all the family and friends to see. Her routine was disrupted and she went without naps and later bedtimes. Saturday we had friends over to watch "the big game." Diva and her little friends that came over were up until almost midnight. You can imagine how miserable yesterday was. Complete with wailing and alligator tears. Last night Mr. Hubs and I spent an hour trying to calm a hysterical little girl down because her legs hurt and her head hurt and she couldn't sleep. Finally after some medication she slept soundly until about 6:45 this morning. Miss Diva is staying home with me today in the hopes of keeping it a quiet and uneventful day and she will get some much needed rest and the there will not be fewer dramatics this week. Cross your fingers.
Diva has always been a fairly flexible child. When she was a baby I could put her in her car seat and take her anywhere and know that she would not throw a fit. I knew she would nap and be generally pleasant whatever we were doing. I could wag her from one end of the country to the next without any protest. Then there was Shrek and Donkey. They are completely different creatures. I don't know if it's just personality, the fact they are boys, or a combination of both. These boys do not do well with a flexible schedule. They do not like sleeping anywhere but their beds. Car trips anywhere are miserable. Shrek especially hates his car seat and the car. Diva was a child that would sleep the second she was in her car seat. Shrek starts screaming the second he is in his car seat and does not stop until he is out of it. Occasionally Donkey joins in. Sometimes he gives me a reprieve and lets Shrek handle all the screaming. You can imagine how holiday travel to see friends and family out of town goes badly. Not only is their schedule disrupted, but they have to ride in their car seats. No one is happy. We all suffer when their routine is disrupted. In addition to Diva's dramatics the past few days Shrek and Donkey have made sure to let Mr. Hubs and I know that their routine has been disrupted and they are tired and ticked off. It has been steady screaming since about Friday.
So, if anyone is wondering where I am today, I am home, with three grumpy kids. I am hoping that a little sleep and return to normalcy will restore the calm to my family's life.
I'm a big believer that sleep fixes a lot of problems. I've always been somewhat of a drill sergeant when it comes to Diva getting enough sleep. Mainly because if she doesn't we all suffer. I'm someone who wold be perfectly content with 20 hours of sleep a day and not think twice about it. It doesn't happen...lately 6 hours of sleep is a luxury. I have tried to maintain the same sleep standards for Shrek and Donkey that I do for Diva. They were barely a month old when I was starting a bedtime routine and putting them to bed at a specific "bedtime."
When Diva was very small she was happiest going to bed at 6:30 and then she would sleep until 7 or 7:30 sometimes later in the morning. The 6:30 bedtime was inconvenient since Mr. Hubs and I were working full time and would barely get home when Diva would want to go to bed. But, we did it and everyone was happier for it. As she has gotten older I have extended her bedtime out to 7:30. It's pretty flexible. If something is going on, we are out or have company I let her stay up later. I have tried to consistently stretch her bedtime out to 8pm but that has made everyone miserable. Diva needs her sleep and we are all happier when she gets it. Needless to say with the Thanksgiving Holiday Diva has not had her sleep. Ugh...It started when she got a cold early last week with a fever. She wasn't resting well. Then comes Thanksgiving and all the festivities that brings and all the family and friends to see. Her routine was disrupted and she went without naps and later bedtimes. Saturday we had friends over to watch "the big game." Diva and her little friends that came over were up until almost midnight. You can imagine how miserable yesterday was. Complete with wailing and alligator tears. Last night Mr. Hubs and I spent an hour trying to calm a hysterical little girl down because her legs hurt and her head hurt and she couldn't sleep. Finally after some medication she slept soundly until about 6:45 this morning. Miss Diva is staying home with me today in the hopes of keeping it a quiet and uneventful day and she will get some much needed rest and the there will not be fewer dramatics this week. Cross your fingers.
Diva has always been a fairly flexible child. When she was a baby I could put her in her car seat and take her anywhere and know that she would not throw a fit. I knew she would nap and be generally pleasant whatever we were doing. I could wag her from one end of the country to the next without any protest. Then there was Shrek and Donkey. They are completely different creatures. I don't know if it's just personality, the fact they are boys, or a combination of both. These boys do not do well with a flexible schedule. They do not like sleeping anywhere but their beds. Car trips anywhere are miserable. Shrek especially hates his car seat and the car. Diva was a child that would sleep the second she was in her car seat. Shrek starts screaming the second he is in his car seat and does not stop until he is out of it. Occasionally Donkey joins in. Sometimes he gives me a reprieve and lets Shrek handle all the screaming. You can imagine how holiday travel to see friends and family out of town goes badly. Not only is their schedule disrupted, but they have to ride in their car seats. No one is happy. We all suffer when their routine is disrupted. In addition to Diva's dramatics the past few days Shrek and Donkey have made sure to let Mr. Hubs and I know that their routine has been disrupted and they are tired and ticked off. It has been steady screaming since about Friday.
So, if anyone is wondering where I am today, I am home, with three grumpy kids. I am hoping that a little sleep and return to normalcy will restore the calm to my family's life.
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