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Monday, August 16, 2010

Update from the appointment

So, it went pretty well. Dr. H agreed that Andrew is still in need of a nap, but we need to:

-wake him up earlier in the morning, by 6:30 a.m. (he had been sleeping in until 7:45/8:00)

-no naps after 2:00 p.m. (keep them between noon - 2:00 p.m.), and wake him up after an hour/hour-and-a-half

-keep putting him back in his bedroom at night if he gets out, telling him, "it's time to go to bed, Andrew" -- being very persistent and not letting him out (HUSBAND was guilty of this). If he asks for water (as he generally does, just to get my attention), we need to tell him he can have water in the morning, or we already had water/hugs/kisses/books.

-if he does wake during the night and come into my bedroom (as he has been doing lately), I need to tell him that he can either go back to his bed, or lie down in "Andrew's spot" -- put a comfortable sleeping bag and pillow on the floor -- a spot that is all his own, but this way he won't be fidgeting in bed next to me.

-our goal bedtime will be 8:00 - 9:00

-if he does not nap during the day, we will do our best to deal with the behavioral issues so that he exhausts himself by about 8:00

I was embarrassed because he was throwing toys all over the exam room and eventually started pitching them all into the garbage. :( He doesn't normally throw toys but does act up in new scenarios.

She did suggest we consider some part-time daycare so he can have some structure and learn how to behave around other kids, but we really can't afford it. I mean, our whole point of having one of us stay home is so that it's one of us with the kids during the day (that would be DH, since I work 37.5 hours per week out of the home), plus it saves us money. We will wait it out a year and hopefully get him into 4 year old kindergarten next year -- he will turn 4 on August 25, 2011. And yes, this means in 9 days, my little guy is turning 3! It's very hard for me to believe.

I have so many hopes and dreams for my young man. I love who he is: he's silly, he's smart, he loves to dance, and he loves to laugh. There's nothing "wrong" with him; we just need to work together as parents -- and work hard at it -- so that we can curb some of these behaviors. Oh, and sleep for all of us would be nice, too.

6 comments:

Molly said...

David has a water bottle of his own, so he doesn't ask for water at night because he knows where to get it. We have our own issues...but maybe a small bottle of water? Is Andrew night-trained yet? If so, disregard this because he might end up getting out to pee.

And as for his behavior at the doc's office...sounds pretty normal to me.

Sarah said...

I send him in bed with a sippy cup of water and he comes out and asks for "cold water". Teehee! He is not night trained, only during the day. He has gone maybe 6 times where he was dry at night, but putting him to bed in his underwear resulted in us having to wash his sheets every single day and it was getting old. Needless to say, he's back in a diaper at night. I think it's one of those things where they're either ready or they're not.

Last night went really well though! He got out a few times, and I said, "it's time to go to sleep". I did turn on his dinosaur light and he eventually fell asleep, I think by 10:30, but it's a start! Then today I woke him up at 6:35 so hopefully he'll take a nap around 12:30/1:00, a SHORT nap.

Jennifer Juniper said...

Sarah I'm so sorry!! We went through similar problems with Oliver when he was that age - though his weren't because of sleep deprivation.

Some kids just really need structure to function.

Have you looked into a Mothers' Day Out program? A lot of times they are very affordable and give just enough structure without taking away from the "stay-at-home" feel.

Carrie R. said...

Sounds like a really great plan. I wish we had some of those tips when we were going through that with Nicholas.

As for the day care, I think Preschool is to teach kids structure and how to be around other kids. It's basically getting ready them ready for school. We're putting Nicholas in preschool next year too when he turns 4. So I wouldn't worry about it. Andrew sounds perfectly normal to me.

BeckyMuller said...

We do a half day preschool and I only pay $355 a month but that's for both kids!! Caden 4 days a week and Addison 2 days a week! It's only from 9-1 and they both LOVE it!!! Much cheaper than even a half day at a daycare center.

BeckyMuller said...

oh yea...some preschools around here will let you pay by the day...you just have to commit to one day a week for like $13 a day!