SLEEP

Disclaimer This is a post just for me as record keeping....too lazy to fill in baby book, and too busy to scrapbook, so blog it is!!

Our only "adoption" attachment or adjustment issue that we have dealt with is the sleep issue. From the first night that we received her, sleep has been an issue. In the orphanages, I am sure that they do not rock the babies to sleep. I am just assuming, but my thought is that they just put them in the beds, and that is it. The first night that we had her if you can imagine, we are total strangers to her. We comfort her, walk with her, stroll her.....to put her to sleep. Still to this day, put her in the car and she goes out. A sign of how active she is, get her still and she goes to sleep!! Once we got her home, our game plan was that we were going to put her in her bed. She totally freaked out!! She screamed and cried for 45 minutes. I couldn't take it, and I went in and laid down in the daybed with her. Once she went to sleep, I would move her to the crib. The first week that we were home, I don't think she slept more than 45 minutes at a time in the crib. And I tried to get her to sleep in the crib....Sometimes I was putting her back in the crib 8 to 10 times a night that was for the first week.....made for a very long week!! I also slept on the daybed (she in the crib beside daybed) for the first 3 weeks that we were home with her to help her transition to her new surroundings. She rarely slept in her crib for more than 3 or 4 hours straight. Some nights she refused to sleep in the crib at all. Every time I moved her over, she would wake up, and refuse to be left in the crib. I would try to let her cry it out, but she proved to be more hard-headed than me!! I moved her out of the crib altogether shortly after her 2nd birthday. She seemed to sleep much better in the daybed, many nights sleeping all night. She would go about a week sleeping well, then we would have about 2 weeks where she was up screaming (night terrors) several times a night. It was never Donnie's and I's desire to have her in our bed, but ....I just kept telling myself it was temporary. I always went to her as soon as I heard her cry (for bonding reasons), and I would lay with her in the daybed until she went back to sleep. Sometimes I would have to do this 2 or three times a night. After the 3rd time, I would sleep with her all night. I reasoned with myself that she must need me and need the security. Then like a dummy, I started putting her in our bed more and more. Some nights I would fall asleep and not move her to her bed, or she would wake up and not let me leave her. Some nights it was so funny, I would lay down and pat her till she went back to sleep, and she would fall asleep in mid-wail!! So funny.

Emily was about 18 months when she started climbing out of her crib. The first time she got out, I asked her how she got out and her answer was "climb." So cute....hard to beleive there was a time when she talked in just one word sentences!! Once she started being able to get out of bed on her own, we had to think quick about how we were going to keep her from roaming the house and getting into things while we slept (I am a VERY deep sleeper!) We put an alarm on the outside of her door. That did the trick, we could always hear her get up. We used that alarm until long after she turned 3. We decided to leave it on for the teenage years!!! HA HA HA

I am now proud to say that as of the last 2 weeks, I am finally able to put her in her bed and leave her room and she is falling asleep on her own!! At first it was hard for her, and she freaked out. But she only freaked out the first night, and only for about 3 minutes. I just told her that I would come back and check on her. Once she realized that I would check on her, she began grinning from ear to ear and hug me and tell me that she loved me. I am really glad that I did not rush this crucial bonding and attachment step. I didn't think we would ever get to this point, but I waited until she understood. When I put her to bed at night she is excitedd to be going to bed by herself, and asks me to check on her.

Now night time potty training is still an issue. We use diapers or pull-ups at night and she is always soaked in the morning. I did forget to put a diaper on her about a week ago, and she stayed dry and was so excited. We decided to try panties at night. We had dry panties for 3 nights straight, then 2 nights of wet, so I put her back in diapers. I felt like we were making too many big girl steps at one time. She also began having "accidents" during the day too. I am trying to teach her that if she has to potty at night to get up and go to the bathroom, or call for me and I will take her. She says she can't her "yawner" is broken, and she can't wake up. I asked her what we needed to do to fix it, she said her yawner needs new batteries!!

She is so funny. When she wakes up, even if it is the middle of the night, she starts singing (at the top of her lunges, I might add) "Daddy, come get me."