The early bed time has been the best Lent decision I've made in my life.
Shane's developed a bad habit. He wants a bottle in the middle of the night most nights. The habit started when he was sick and couldn't breathe out of his nose for almost a week. He lost weight, because he couldn't/wouldn't eat or drink much. It was just too frustrating and drawn-out for him. Consequently, Carrie and I were worried and fed him whatever we could, whenever we could. I think that's where the middle-of-the-night bottle habit started.
Before Lent, a tired and half-asleep Dada would wake up, grab a bottle and stick it in my son's mouth. He'd drink happily and I would half fall asleep in the glider. The sooner Shane drank, the sooner I could go back to sleep.
During Lent, I've been able to get enough sleep in spite of these nightly excursions to the kitchen and my son's room. Shane's woken up before my alarm clock every morning save one, as well. Every little bit of extra sleep helps!
Last night, the boy woke up at 2:15 AM. I got up, around 2:20 AM (after I was sure he wasn't going back to sleep) and went downstairs to get a bottle ready. Shane was singing out instead of wailing, so I was in no particular hurry. Carrie and I had gone to bed extra early so I was more wakeful and alert than usual. I whipped out a baby book and looked up 'nighttime feedings' and did a little speed reading.
Plain as day, the book said "Stop putting up with this crap."
It wasn't so much in those words, as it said that babies can easily sleep through the night without a bottle after six months of age. They won't if they get used to it, because overly helpful parents are offering it. I already knew this. However, the habit snuck up on me from the sick days. Anyway, the book also mentioned that "yes, you're kid will cry, but what baby wouldn't when they aren't getting their way? It's a protest and your baby is fine."
I put the bottle in the fridge and resolved to let Shane wait until morning. The boy started crying though, and sometimes I could lull him back to sleep just by letting him lay on my chest, so I went into his room around 2:30. Shane made it known to me then, that he wanted a bottle under no uncertain terms. I put him back in the crib, cursed that I went in the room and may have worked him up, and stepped out knowing the crying was about to start.
Shane's stubborn. He wailed and cried and wailed and cried some more. I kept telling myself 'X more minutes' and he'd relent. X minutes later, I'd think 'Y more! He'll be done in Y more!' Nope! Shane kept crying. He was upset and he wasn't about to go to sleep without what he wanted. The crying had woken up Carrie by this point, and we settled in for the long haul. After fifteen minutes or so, Carrie was so wounded from hearing her son cry, she was ready to get a bottle herself. I didn't want to let Shane 'think he'd won and that crying would always get him what he wanted.' She agreed, but I had to turn off the monitor so she couldn't hear Shane crying.
Forty minutes later, Shane decided to go to sleep. Forty minutes! I made a big bottle this morning thinking my son would be starving, but he gulped down only three and a half ounces or so before he was ready to start playing! He wasn't any hungrier than he'd normally have been! The little stink.
Do you think he's going to try for a nighttime bottle again tonight? I'm resolved to see this through. If I can, I want to go to bed in the next half hour. At the least, I'll lay down. If Shane sleeps through the night, great! I'll wake up early, do my Bible study that I've meant to do, and fart around some. If not, I'll be well enough rested to not flub my job on the morrow. A lot of the baby books say the "terrible twos" start around now. It's the time when babies are smart enough to experiment with cause and effect and able to learn the basics of discipline....they're also smart enough to know that discipline isn't really something they want! ("C'mon Dad! Let me stick that fork in the light socket! It'll be fun!" or "Cats are much more fun when you yank their tails and twirl them around!")
The 15 month mark is nigh, and the battle to make Shane understand he's no longer the iron-rattle-bearing-tyrant who rules this house is upon us!
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