Back To Reality

Until about one week ago, my wife and I have been very lucky with regard to our daughter's nighttime sleeping routine. Normally around 7:00PM we would start getting Isabel to wind down before putting her down for bed around 8:00PM. It was as simple as that; no rocking or anything more than kissing her before lying her down in the crib. She hasn't really needed to be rocked to sleep in months, but the past few nights we have had to rock her just to get her to calm down before bedtime. Despite the rocking, she still manages to scream herself to sleep - lasting anywhere from ten to thirty minutes. The little girl's ability to fight sleep and test your patience is uncanny. Her techniques for fighting sleep include, but aren't limited to: constant babbling; screaming; pushing against you as hard as possible; flailing her limbs; smiling and laughing.

Perhaps the most frustrating times when she doesn't seem to want to go to sleep is when we have company. The embarrassment really sets in when you are trying to have a normal conversation in your living room, but it gets interrupted by the screams of your child. Luckily we haven't had that happen too many times yet.

The best thing about this sleep "issue" is when I do actually get to rock her to sleep. Experiencing all her fighting and screaming doesn't matter when she's cuddling into me. Watching her fall asleep is one of the most awing things to witness.

Shayla and I are utterly baffled and thankful at the same time. While right now it is beyond frustration, we are very grateful for the days when she would go to sleep easily.