Back to Square One...

Well, maybe not quite square one, but there have been moments over the past weeks that sure feel like it. About 2 months ago, I wrote about our struggles at night (read part 1, 2 & 3) and at that time we had decided to try some sleep training. It seemed to have worked because for the past 8 weeks or so, Tessa was consistently sleeping glorious 9-10 hour stretches. It was heavenly.

You'll notice I said was.

Over the last two weeks, things have been so up and down and completely unpredictable. Take this weekend, for example. Friday night was good, Saturday night was bad, and Sunday night was great. I think maybe I could handle the nights much better if there was at least some predictability to them. This feels like the newborn days all over again.

I guess I shouldn't really be surprised. She just got over the worst illness she's ever had and she's working on at least one new tooth. I was also recently introduced to the concept of "Wonder Weeks" by two fellow mommy bloggers (check out Hannah's post to learn more) and have discovered that she's very likely right smack dab in the middle of a major developmental leap.

So, I guess you could call this a "sleep regression", or maybe you could just call it "normal infant sleep".

And what have I learned through this latest challenge?

First of all, it's NORMAL. When things started to derail, sleepwise, the question my husband and I were constantly asking each other was "what's wrong?". I soon decided that the answer to that question is NOTHING. Nothing is wrong with either my baby or us as parents. My daughter (like all babies) is undergoing massive amounts of physical, mental, and emotional development through this first year of her life. Sometimes it seems like she just gets a skill mastered when she hits another milestone and has to work her way through the learning involved in perfecting yet another skill. In addition to the stress of all these huge cognitive leaps, she also has to deal with physical development like teething and growth spurts. She hardly gets a break. It shouldn't really come as a surprise when she has fussy, clingy moments and a few rough nights when she's in the middle of these rather large changes.

Second, all is NOT lost. I may have exaggerated when I titled this post. Ok, I definitely exaggerated when I titled this post. We are not back at square one, thankfully. But it's easy to begin to think this way when you're so frustrated and sleep deprived. Babies are hard work, and when you've put in the work and you finally begin to see progress only to have it come to a screeching halt at 1am and 2:30am and 4am, it's easy (for me, anyway) to feel defeated and hopeless. It's so important, though, to keep things in perspective. To remember that these are just minor bumps on the road that will eventually smooth themselves out.

Finally, my daughter's sleep (or lack thereof) is not necessarily a reflection of my ability as a mother. On one of the most recent really bad nights, as I got out of bed for the 100th 4th time, I actually said out loud to my husband, "I suck at this". As in, the reason my daughter is awake again is because I'm a terrible mom. Um, no. Not true (I realize that now, but exhaustion can make you think, say, and do some crazy stuff!). I love my daughter more than anything, and I know that I'm doing the very best that I can. I've read that sleeping through the night is a developmental milestone like any other that babies reach when they're ready. Sure, I'll give her all the help I can to get her there as soon as possible (for her sake as well as mine), but maybe what she needs most is unconditional love, grace, understanding, and a whole lot of patience from her parents when she's having a rough time. If that means I need to rock her or nurse her, so be it. I refuse to blame myself, put myself down, or feel guilty for comforting, loving, and feeding my daughter and doing what I need to do to get us through a night.

Why go around when you can go under?

This girl is really starting to love her books! Makes her mom & dad happy!

 

Have you gone through a "sleep regression" with your little ones? How did you deal with it?

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

How is it Friday already??

This week was a blur. My parents came for a quick mid-week visit, and my mom brought some of her yummy goodies for us (thanks Mom), including these dangerous little cookies! Dangerous because you can't eat just one - you've been warned!

I wanted to share this recipe on the blog, but haven't had a chance to make them recently, so the ones in these pictures were made by my mom. They're easier than they look and absolutely delicious!!

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine all ingredients.

Roll dough into 1" balls and place in cups of a mini muffin pan.

Bake for 8 minutes - cookies should puff up in the center and fall when removed from oven, forming cups.

Let cool slightly, then press a small peanut butter cup into the middle.

Let cool a little longer before removing from pan (if removed too soon, cookies may be too soft and chocolate may seep through bottom of cookie).

Above recipe makes ~48 cookies.

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*I just installed the Disqus commenting system on my blog and I apologize if I do not reply to your comment - I'm still trying to figure the system out! Past comments are currently being imported into Disqus so I may miss some in the meantime. Hopefully within the next 24 hours everything should be up and running! Thanks for your patience!  ~Nancy

CARA Box Reveal

    I participated in my first ever Cara Box Exchange this fall, and it was so much fun getting to know two new bloggers and sharing gifts with them. If you're not familiar with the Cara Box Exchange, it's a way to meet new people and share some love through gift giving. Each participant is matched with two other people - one to send a box to and one to receive a box from. I was paired up with Terri and Tawnya. Check out Terri's post to see what I sent her.

     I received a beautiful box from Tawnya and was spoiled by her generosity and great taste! Included in her box to me was a gorgeous scarf, a journal, a personalized mug and my favorite Starbucks drink (Peppermint Mocha - it's already almost gone!!), a Nutmeg & Spice scented candle (amazing!), silicone cupcake liners for my baking addiction (awesome!), and my favorite chocolate - Reese Peanut Butter cups (which are already completely gone!).

     The really cool thing about this particular match-up is that Tawnya and I live in the same city, have baby girls just a few months apart, and are both nurses! How crazy is that?

     The next Cara Box exchange starts in just a few weeks, so be sure to head over and sign up. It's a great way to build community and make a new friend or two. It's also an opportunity to be generous and give to someone else, while also receiving some lovely gifts handpicked just for you! Win win!