Posted on Wednesday, 30th December 2009 by Catherine
Yesterday I was THAT mom. I am not sorry about it either. I can own that I have a bit of crazy in me when it comes to certain things. One of which is SLEEP. I pride myself in all three of my kids being excellent sleepers. The ONLY time any of them are up at night is if they are throwing up sick. So 99% of nights I put them to bed and don’t hear from them again until 7 am. Yes, I am lucky but I also spent lots of time teaching them to sleep and I make sleep habits and routines a priority.
Yesterday morning that perfect little sleep world of my was at risk of being interrupted… Picture this~
Monk (7 yo) says: “Mom, where did “Doo” (my 2 year old) sleep last night?”
Me: “In his crib, why?”
Monk: “Well he is coming down the stairs right now”
Doo: “Morning Mommy”
He had proudly escaped the crib so looked adorable walking down the stairs to greet us. After breakfast I put him in his crib to see how he was making his magic. He climbed right out, climbed back in and back out again with a huge smile on his face. As if to say “this is too easy, why didn’t I try months ago!”
What I thought was so cute earlier now has the potential to mess with my sleep and my somewhat peaceful evenings.
I did not have time to make a plan because Monk had a clinic appointment at Children’s Hospital. Doo and his antics would have to wait.
I knew when we arrived home after 2 pm and my two year old little devil angel was still up running around that he would not stay in his crib for our sitter therefore had not taken a nap.
I needed a plan. I was not ready to fight the bed battle at age 2. I know it works for some but I firmly believe the longer they stay in their crib the better sleep habits they establish.
I hopped on Google University only to find that one can no longer purchase a crib tent in stores like I could a few years ago when “the girl” was escaping her crib. Ordering online looked to be my only option.
My heart starts racing a bit. Umm waiting days for a tent is really not in the cards and overnight shipping was a joke! I don’t want him to think that HE gets to decide if he naps and I don’t have the patience to play games at bedtime. (remember I said I am a little bit crazy)
In the back of my mind I thought “maybe he won’t get out of bed if he is tired enough”
Who was I kidding? This kid is as stubborn as they come – “spirited” is the word the pediatrician used.
So I went to my old stand-by by in a pinch website – Craigslist. I searched crib tent and two came up – one was new and the other used. I e-mailed both people and waited anxiously for a response. After about an hour I got news of a crib tent being available and I could go and get it right away. Yippe!!
The downfall – it was a 50 min drive one way. I did not think twice about it. I loaded the kids up and off we went – to reclaim my parental sanity.
He slept fine last night and is napping peacefully right now!!
Truth be told I might have driven longer and paid more!
This post is part of the carnival at Your Life Your Blog~
Have you ever done something crazy to save your sanity? Please share.
December 31st, 2009 at 8:15 pm
LOL! Okay, you are crazy but sleeping peacefully in the New Year is certainly a gift not to be messed with and a must for all.
January 2nd, 2010 at 3:09 am
That is awesome, Catherine. I think as parents we will do just about anything to get the well deserved sleep we need, especially moms! Good job!
January 4th, 2010 at 6:07 pm
A mama's sleep is NOT to be messed with….that's what I say!!! I never did use a tent though, didn't know they existed, so I'm glad you knew what to do. Blessings and sweet sleep to all of you!!!
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