Thursday, September 13, 2007

She Didn't Stand A Chance

Connor has always been a great sleeper. He never wants you to leave him alone, and claims to be scared of the dark, but he can't keep his eyes open long enough for those fears to really consume him. He knows it's time for bed, he's kind of tired, you tuck him in and he falls asleep soon after- end of story. Chloe knows nothing of this world. She demands constant attention until she finally falls asleep, either in your arms or while you sit and watch her in her bedroom. If you leave her before she's asleep, she screams a LOT. Since I don't want to disrupt Connor's magical sleep habits with all Chloe's noise, I usually scoop her up and do what it takes to calm her down rather than letting her fuss for long. Because of the habits we've fallen into, I take full responsibility for her inability to fall asleep on her own.




This all changed Monday night. I put her in her crib and walked out of the room for a minute. I left the door to her room open, with light from the hallway coming in. She didn't make a peep- just put her head down and fell asleep. Duh! She's just scared of the dark, like her mother and brother before her. I guess it is my fault, but not because of anything I did- just because of genetics! So three nights in a row we've put her in bed and left her closet light on with that door cracked to let light through. With no objections, she lets us leave and puts herself to sleep. This is so much better than sitting in her dark room with her, waiting on her to finally give up and fall asleep. I really should have figured this out months ago.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

It's always a good day when we, as parents, can figure out a way to spend a little less time with our kids.

Sweet Sassy Molassy said...

A pox on you, with your sleeping kids!

An said...

good thing she's giving you a bit of a breather- i always had unclejuh to calm my fears, not really, i just made him sleep closest to all doors, windows, monsters boogey men, etc.

chloe looks a lot taller and have lost a lot of baby fat- she really looks like her bro in this picture