Snoozing News

Just when I think I've got things under control in the sleep department, my boys have to go and change everything up. Oh wait, I never had Ryan's sleep issues under control. Here's what issues the boys are having right now:

Lucas is a great sleeper. In fact I almost don't want to talk about it, for fear that acknowledging it will somehow make him change his habits. He usually takes a morning and an afternoon nap, both lasting about 1.5 hours. At night he goes to bed by 8pm and gets up at 7am. That's 14 hours of solid sleep per day! Yes, I often have to pinch myself and make sure this is real. The "issue" I am having with him right now is the length of time it takes him to fall asleep. After I put him in his crib and leave the room, he will often take up to 1 hour to fall asleep. During this time he is babbling, standing up and crying, banging his head against the side of the crib, or just rocking back and forth. Very rarely is he actually screaming and crying, though. I have tried putting him to bed earlier and later, but it made no difference. I thought he might be transitioning to just one nap per day, but I don't think he's ready for that yet. It has just been this past week that I realized I was trying to fix a non-existent problem. Lucas just takes a long time to settle down and fall asleep. I don't think it's something I need to solve or change. As I type this, Lucas is rolling around in his crib, trying to fall asleep for his afternoon nap. He's playing with his toes and chewing on his shirt.

Ryan also has a really hard time settling down to go to sleep. But he has had trouble with this since birth, so I don't think it's going to change anytime soon. What we're dealing with now is bedtime burnout. I dread the evenings, and I think Adam does too. Putting Ryan to sleep is a multiple-hour process. Unless we use Melatonin as a natural supplement to help Ryan fall asleep, it can take anywhere from 1 to 2+ hours of us laying in his bed with him before he dozes off. And then he only stays asleep a maximum of 2 hours before waking up and climbing into our bed. Once he is in our bed, he has to practically lay on top of me in order to sleep. He's very cuddly at night. I have noticed that on the days he doesn't nap, he falsl asleep a little bit easier at night. So I'm at a point where I need to either stop forcing him to take a nap and hope for a shorter bedtime, or enjoy my break during the day while he naps and then deal with the consequences at night. I'm leaning towards giving up his naps, although this comes with its own set of problems. When the boys nap, it's my one chance during the day to get anything done. I look forward to this 45-minute break every single day. And I am like Superwoman during this time, flying around the house doing dishes, cleaning up toys, folding laundry, paying bills, making phone calls, etc. Without this time I fear a mental breakdown. Or a house that looks like a tornado blew through it. Many people have suggested that I implement some sort of "quiet time" for Ryan in lieu of a nap. The very idea makes me laugh. And cry. Making Ryan sit quietly and focus on anything is impossible. I have tried just about everything, but I just can't make it work. As I type this, Ryan is enjoying his "resting time". So far he has thrown a pillow at my head, asked to watch cartoons 1 million times, and shoved every toy off of his shelf. Loudly.

So that's where I'm at with my two boys and their snoozing habits.