Within an Inch of my Sanity
The last two weeks have been…difficult. To say the least.
Aside from the constant nagging backache, being completely exhausted, the round ligament pain, a few work frustrations, and my sudden need to clean every surface in sight (despite aforementioned exhaustion)…I’m convinced it’s a full moon because Noah has been difficult.
Yes. This “sweet, innocent” little person is being a pain.
Numerous tantrums have been thrown.
I’ve repeated myself more times than I can count.
He’s not listening.
He’s being stubborn.
And he’s regressing in areas that we’ve had mastered for months. He’s had a handful of potty “accidents” these last couple of weeks that have left me frustrated beyond belief.
Bedtime is a nightmare. So bad these last few weeks that I don’t even look forward to sleeping at night. In fact, I dread it. Wholeheartedly. A normal bedtime routine consists of a bedtime story, a goodnight hug and kiss and that’s it. This week (and last)? Bedtime story. Tantrum for a second bedtime story. Hug. Kiss. Need for another hug and kiss. Climb out of bed, run into our bedroom, climb in the bed with us, tantrum because we won’t let him stay there…you get the idea.
That goes on for about 45 minutes. I’ve resorted to everything I can think of to get him to stay in bed. I’ve let him turn his TV on…told him he could watch a movie but he had to stay in bed. Didn’t work. I made a small bed of blankets on the floor in our room. Told him he could sleep there but he had to stay put. I’ve used the “you don’t have to go to sleep, but you have to stay in bed” approach. Didn’t work. We’ve tried disciplining him for not staying put…taking away toys…the whole run him back and forth to the bed every time he gets up…
Nothing works.
I’m exhausted.
And annoyed.
And cranky.
I love this kid to pieces. But is a decent nights rest too much to ask?
It’s left me feeling overwhelmed and terrified of what’s to come.
I’ve been questioning myself…my parenting skills…my sanity for the last two weeks.
Is this what I have to look forward to when Jonah’s born?
Are we going to regress back to complete toddlerhood because the new baby is here?
What am I doing wrong?
WHY WON’T YOU SLEEP?!
For those of you with older kids and toddler who have added to your family, did you experience signs of regression? For those of you who have had trouble getting your kids to bed at night…what finally worked for you to get them to stay put?! How do you deal with tantrums?
The photos of Noah in this post were taken by Heidi Stutes Photography at our Gender Reveal Party. Linking this post up with Shell @ Things I Can’t Say for Pour Your Heart Out
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I feel for ya! Totally understand. This, too, shall pass – don’t you love it when people say that? Consistency is key, but so hard, I know. All this acting up really will blow over. Give him some extra special attention during the day and maybe reason with him that he’s helping the baby grow big and strong by letting mommy get a good night sleep!
Ohmygosh… the last few days have been terrible with my 3 year old. I feel you. Its not bedtime routine at this point, but we’ve had just different phases when bedtime is great and the next, its awful. Hopefully it doesn’t last long!
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YES, we had lots of regression! I wish I had a cure for it. We just gave the boy lots of love and waited it out. It’s mostly gone (the baby is now 8 months), but we still have occasional moments. Things got better, much better, by 4-5 months.
Hang in there. And good luck!
(Love the pictures!)
Thank you, Natalie! We’ve had a much better week this week and I’ve got some things planned to keep him feeling special and important during the coming months. Glad to know that things DO get better over time! 🙂
Oh and I forget to tell you the new site looks fabulous!
Thank you so much! 🙂
Well it’s been a long time for me. I do remember when my oldest daughter was three and her brother was about to be born, she was very clingy and whiny, hard to handle at times. I think she new her life was about to change. On the bedtime front, my kids were always pretty good going to bed. They’d get up for water, then potty, then more water. But I finally had to put my foot down and let them know that once in bod, they do not come out of their rooms. Consistency is key.
Noah is a great sleeper when he GOES to sleep. It’s the getting him to stay in bed part that’s been giving us the hassle. He’s getting better (4 nights in a row that he’s stayed in bed when we put him there!). But like you mentioned putting my foot down about the getting up wanting this and that had to stop. 🙂