Well we have made it through one whole month! Both kids are doing well. Slowly we are getting into a workable routine. So far the biggest fight has been bedtime. For the most part Jake sleeps from 11-5 am (most nights) then he eats and sleeps until 8-8:30. Ashley on the other hand had decided to change up her routine. As luck would have it Jakes nighttime feeding is at the same time as Ashley’s bedtime. She is not a happy camper when I have to read her books before bed. She wants mom. Who can blame her? Mom knows all the words, I still have to sound a lot of them out. I am getting better.
Ever since she was a couple months old Ashley was a wonderful sleeper. She would take naps during the day and sleep all night without problems. Then Jake came along and ripped her little world apart. Naps are now hit and miss. Bedtime is an adventure. Ashley has decided she is not going to sleep in her crib anymore. My wife was trying to put her down for a nap when Ashley decided to jump out of her crib, Pro Wrestling style. My wife made a diving grab and luckily Ashley was not hurt. So that night we set up her big girl bed. Ashley seemed excited. All was going well until bedtime came.
At this point my beautiful two-year-old daughter transformed into something straight out of a horror film. I thought she was possessed. I was suddenly having visions of the movie The Exorcist. I was scared. I didn’t have any holy water handy. Her episode lasted about half an hour. When she finally calmed down I was able to determine what her problem was, she was afraid. She was afraid of the change. For some reason this really got to me. I know one of my roles, as a parent, is to protect my children. How do I protect her from this type of fear, the fear of change and the unknown? I came to the conclusion that I can’t. These are the types of fears that are apart of life. This is not something I can make go away. I can’t chase the scary monsters out from under her bed because this time there is no monster. I hated the fact that my little girl was scared and I could not just make it go away.
It was at this time when one of those “moments” happened. If you are a parent you will understand what I mean by “moments”. It was one of those times you, as a parent, will probably never forget. Ashley had calmed down by this point and was sitting on her big girl bed. She was still puffy and red from crying, holding her “woobie”. We were about half way through one of her books when she looked at me, put her little hand on my arm and said “Daddy sleep with me?” I don’t know why but those four words gave me a lump in my throat. Of course I didn’t tear up, I am a guy. The whole time we were reading books she was trying to solve her problem of being afraid. We finished reading books and I tucked her into her big girl bed for the first time. I laid down next to her on the floor. Within a few minutes she fell asleep. I think I nodded off too, being a parent is exhausting.
I know there will be more Exorcist moments at bedtime. I know there will be times when I am so frustrated with her that I have to leave the room, but on this night I was proud. Proud to be a father but mostly I was proud of my little girl. She faced her fear. She asked for help when she needed it and she made it through one of the many scary situations she will face. I hope my wife and I can give her the tools she will need to face things head on. I guess time will tell, but for now I think we are off to a good start. But just in case, we had a whole gallon of water blessed, it is now loaded in various squirt guns located around the house……
Ever since she was a couple months old Ashley was a wonderful sleeper. She would take naps during the day and sleep all night without problems. Then Jake came along and ripped her little world apart. Naps are now hit and miss. Bedtime is an adventure. Ashley has decided she is not going to sleep in her crib anymore. My wife was trying to put her down for a nap when Ashley decided to jump out of her crib, Pro Wrestling style. My wife made a diving grab and luckily Ashley was not hurt. So that night we set up her big girl bed. Ashley seemed excited. All was going well until bedtime came.
At this point my beautiful two-year-old daughter transformed into something straight out of a horror film. I thought she was possessed. I was suddenly having visions of the movie The Exorcist. I was scared. I didn’t have any holy water handy. Her episode lasted about half an hour. When she finally calmed down I was able to determine what her problem was, she was afraid. She was afraid of the change. For some reason this really got to me. I know one of my roles, as a parent, is to protect my children. How do I protect her from this type of fear, the fear of change and the unknown? I came to the conclusion that I can’t. These are the types of fears that are apart of life. This is not something I can make go away. I can’t chase the scary monsters out from under her bed because this time there is no monster. I hated the fact that my little girl was scared and I could not just make it go away.
It was at this time when one of those “moments” happened. If you are a parent you will understand what I mean by “moments”. It was one of those times you, as a parent, will probably never forget. Ashley had calmed down by this point and was sitting on her big girl bed. She was still puffy and red from crying, holding her “woobie”. We were about half way through one of her books when she looked at me, put her little hand on my arm and said “Daddy sleep with me?” I don’t know why but those four words gave me a lump in my throat. Of course I didn’t tear up, I am a guy. The whole time we were reading books she was trying to solve her problem of being afraid. We finished reading books and I tucked her into her big girl bed for the first time. I laid down next to her on the floor. Within a few minutes she fell asleep. I think I nodded off too, being a parent is exhausting.
I know there will be more Exorcist moments at bedtime. I know there will be times when I am so frustrated with her that I have to leave the room, but on this night I was proud. Proud to be a father but mostly I was proud of my little girl. She faced her fear. She asked for help when she needed it and she made it through one of the many scary situations she will face. I hope my wife and I can give her the tools she will need to face things head on. I guess time will tell, but for now I think we are off to a good start. But just in case, we had a whole gallon of water blessed, it is now loaded in various squirt guns located around the house……
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