House of Horrors

Usually, our house is a pretty comfortable and pleasant place to be.  All of the rooms are tidy, the laundry is always done, and everyone has a smile on their face.  Usually.  But not this week.  This week our house looks like a disaster area with tissues everywhere, dirty dishes in the sink, and bags under everyone's eyes.  (Well, everyone but Toddy...she has been loving our lazy week!)

Let me rewind a bit to explain more...  Hayes has not been the best sleeper recently.  And when I say recently, I mean for almost two months now.  He has been waking up almost every hour during the night in a screaming fit, and he does not settle back down until he is nursed back to sleep or brought into bed with me.  (I know, I know...cosleeping is socially unacceptable and can be very dangerous, but a sleep deprived mama can get desperate!!)  At first, I thought he was having digestive issues because I always seem to blame everything on the omphalocele.  So, I took him to the pediatrician and manipulated his feeding schedule.  No luck.  Then, I thought maybe he was going through a growth spurt.  However, I know that growth spurts do not last weeks on end...or happen only during the late night hours.  So, this weekend I finally admitted to myself what I had denied for so long - Hayes is totally and completely dependant on sleep props (a.k.a. me and my um...mammary glands).

I have always felt very strongly against the cry-it-out method of sleep training, but I knew that it was the only option we had left after getting only a handful of hours of sleep the entire weekend.  Hayes was tired and unhappy...and so were Cody and I.  So, Monday night we embarked on our new sleep training journey.  Cody stayed in the master bedroom because he has to wake up with the sun and function at work, and I took my video monitor and made myself at home in the guest bedroom for an undetermined amount of sleepless nights.  The first night went okay - 1 waking that lasted about 15 minutes, and another that lasted an agonizing hour.  The second night went better - 1 waking that lasted about 10 minutes, and another that lasted a painful 45 minutes.  And last night went well - 1 waking that lasted about 5 minutes, and his second waking only lasted about 15 minutes.  My heart still breaks every time that I hear his crying begin, and I have to resist the urge to just pick him up from his crib and smother him with kisses to make it all better.  This has been such a challenging week for us all, but I know it will be well worth it in the end!  Oh, and I am happy to report that Hayes still greets me with a sweet smile and big snuggle every morning...glad to know he does not hold a grudge!

As if the sleep training was not creating enough chaos for our wholesome little household, Cody also came home from work on Tuesday complaining of a sore throat.  I instructed him that I did not have the energy to take care of two whiney babies, and he should drink some orange juice and get some rest.  (Which he was getting PLENTY of on his side of the house, I might add!!)  Well...it seems as though my expert advice came too late.  Wednesday morning he woke up miserable, and I was starting to feel yucky myself.  Today is even worse for both of us.  So, that is where we are at now - one big sleep-deprived, sickly house of horrors.  Anybody wanna come over for a visit???