Something's Gotta Change

I have been fighting the temptation to be grumpy all week long.  Sometimes I have been grumpy and then I fight the temptation to throw things, shred things, or yell at things (mostly People).  I could supply a comprehensive list of the reasons:

• I am a human being.  Therefore, even though I'm saved, I still get to battle with my stinkin' flesh every day.
• PMS is out to get me.  Seriously.
• We have been super out-of-the-house busy for the past three weeks.
• My husband works a night shift and we never see each other when we are both fully awake.

However, the a-number-one reason why I feel grumpy and sluggish and irritable and completely unmotivated is because...

dun-dun-DUN!

I'm not getting any quality sleep.  Ever.

Before my dear darling HarriEd began waking up every hour on the hour all night long, I was prone to think somewhat critically of parents who spoke of their children's sleeping habits.  Let me just say that I completely recant: when a mommy isn't getting any sleep, figuring out how to make that change is the only thing on her brain.  And her only conversation topic.  So please bear with me.  

(Just don't bare with me....)

Harriet's present nighttime drama goes something like this: 

• she nurses to sleep between 9-10pm.  As a co-sleeping mommy, this means that I have to be completely ready and in bed because she will wake up completely if I try to get out of bed causing us to have to start the process all over again with much fussing and fuming.
• she sleeps for about 1.5-2 hours and then wakes up and has to nurse to get fully back to sleep.  
• she stays asleep as long as she is touching me...preferably laying in the crook of my arm...and as long as I don't move or breathe.
• she repeats this sequence each hour until I am a complete basket case and finally get out of bed anywhere between 4:30am and 6:30am because I can't stand it anymore.
• she is glad that she is cute because that makes me less angry.

The problems are easily identified.  Harriet has a different getting ready for bedtime routine every night.  She won't be consoled without me.  And the more awake I am the more tense I get which makes her more jittery. 

Something has got to change.  This week, guided by the principles in The No-Cry Sleep Solution, we're going to embark on a Solve the Sleep Issues Adventure.  I'm going to move things around in our bedroom so that the crib can be next to our bed and she can sleep close to me, but not with me.  I'm going to move the rocking chair into the bedroom (it'll be a tight squeeze!) so that she can have quality consoling time with her daddy.  I'm going to have a consistent going to bed routine each night that begins at 7-8pm.  Harriet will go to sleep without drama and I will spend some time alone before hitting the hay.

I have to admit that the Solve the Sleep Issues Adventure is a little frightening.  I feel like I don't have the energy to tackle such a project, but I know that we will all benefit in the end.  Harriet will sleep soundly, I will sleep soundly, and Steve won't have to worry about defending himself from the resident witch when he gets home from work.

Pray for us.