April 23, 2006

Fractured Fairytales


P1010330
Originally uploaded by billyjoebob.
For every day that we spend in raptures at your wonderfulness, punkin, for every time we rush to grab the camera and rejoice at your cuteness, there's a day like today.

A day that threatens to crush us.

We know you're trying really hard to sleep through the night, but it seems like I've been listening to you wail and whine and scream for a full 24 hours now.

You woke up about 1230 last night, and despite our conviction that we would let you cry it out, it was much, much harder than I thought it would be

Your baby's cry has a.. visceral effect on you as a parent, it's something that's almost impossible to shut out or ignore. When it goes on for hours and hours in the darkness, there's nothing for you to... cling to.

Lying in the bed, I'm willing you to subside. I'm willing you to relax, to take a deep breath, to realise that the world's not going to end if you just lie down and rest your head and be quiet for five seconds it will be ok and you'll go to sleep and everything will be fine.

Of course the next day and everyone's frazzled and you can't figure out why your mum and dad aren't their usual high-energy selves.

We've got you down for your afternoon nap, I think I might go have one too...


Love you,

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Aaaah. The joy of teething.

I recommend Nurofen, frozen banana cubes, and frozen Gurts tubes chopped up in pieces. Also, if the sleeping thing is becoming an issue in itself (kids can get ill from lack of sleep), try Polaramine or Phenergan liquid once or twice.

Good luck with the zzzzzzzz tonight.

Sarah said...

I hope that lots and lots of sleep takes place! It's so hard when they just won't sleep no matter what you do.

Kathy said...

I synpathise - nay, empathise - with you. My youngest, who is the same age as Bram, has been doing an inexplicable 11:30 - 12 midnight wakeup for weeks now. Fortunately, she doesn't scream for hours on end, usually only 5-10 mins actually, but it wakes me every time and every time I think, bubba, why?? She doesn't even WANT a feed - if I offer it, it's rejected - and she always goes straight back to sleep until 5ish afterwards. Yet still she wakes. I actually even tried rocking her / cuddling her but you know what, it made not one jot of difference what I did, cuddle, ignore, sing etc. 5-10 mins of screaming, then back to sleep.

Only one tiny thing on a previous comment - I don't think you can give Phenergan to a child under 2 without a dr's supervision. Just saying.