Sleep...

I meant to start this a few days ago to keep track of things, but that obviously hasn't happened.  Wednesday evening we started Elizabeth in her crib after co-sleeping since she was about four months old.  I just couldn't take the waking up 7 times a night anymore.   I've been totally sleep-deprived, though I've managed to function quite well, all things considered.  Although, that may just be my silly mind thinking that, and since I haven't really been sane for months, I could be way off.  Anyway, I was prepared for the worst.  Well, not prepared.  Can you really be prepared for what you're going to experience, especially when it's expecting your child to cry for several hours?  Now I really don't believe in the cry-it-out method.  The thought of her crying for an extended period of time, even in my presence with me trying to soothe her, was hard for me to wrap my mind around.

I am grateful to say that I have been pleasantly surprised by how well she's done, all things considered.

Night 1:
Put in bed about 9:30 (yes, I realize this is very late, but Mike was in IL that day, so we waited for him to be home)
Cried for an hour
Fell asleep at 10:30, slept for 2 hours.
Awake at 12:30.
Cried for an hour, this time more mad.
Asleep about 1:30, slept for an hour and a half.
Awake about 3, for 45 minutes, more whimpering than all out crying.
Asleep about 3:45, slept until about 6:15.
I got up with her and took her downstairs to the recliner we nap in.  She nursed back to sleep and slept til about 8.

Not bad for the first night.  I expected much worse.  I was very hands on with her, though I did not pick her up.  I don't know if I should have let her nurse back to sleep or not, since that's such a strong sleep association, but at least it wasn't in bed with me.

Night 2:
Put in bed about 8:15.
Whimpered ever so slightly, but laid right down and stirred for about 15 minutes, no crying!
Slept until 11:30.
Cried for about 35 minutes.
Asleep just after midnight, slept until about 5.  Five hours in a row!  I can count on my fingers the number of times she's slept that many hours in a row in her whole life.
Asleep about 5:45, didn't cry while awake those 45 minutes.
Slept until about 7:10.

I was more hands off the second night, but still there.  The last time she woke up, she held my hand to fall asleep.  I don't want to make that a habit, but it was only once, and if it got her back to sleep, well hey.  She let go in less than 10 minutes anyway.

Night 3:
Put in bed about 9.
Slept until about 1, sat up in bed, cried "mommy" but I told her to put her head back down, she did, so was only awake about 5 minutes. 
Slept for 20 minutes, exact same thing as previous happened. 
Then I got her up from bed about 7:15 this morning!  Sure, she stirred throughout the night, and I believe put herself back to sleep on her own!  I couldn't believe it!

I am truly amazed by how well she's done.  I expected much worse.  Now, if I could only sleep.  I've just been so used to having her right there next to me.  I always know she's breathing.  It's nice to cuddle up with her.  Even though I woke up frequently before, I usually got back to sleep within 5-10 minutes.  Now I lie awake for hours on end.  In the past three night, I think I've not even gotten a full night sleep with all of the hours combined.  I don't know if it's that I was just so used to her, or if it's adrenaline, or what.  I hear her every move and always turn to peak at her.  Oh, we kept the crib in our room next to my side of the bed.  I thought it was too drastic to put her in another room, especially since she's been with us for so long.  I don't honestly know if I would sleep at all if she were in another room right now.  That'd be too drastic for me.  Hopefully soon I'll be able to sleep.  Watching the minutes go by on a clock for a few hours in a row is not my idea of a good night. 

I am so thankful for all the prayers we've gotten over this.  For one of the first times in my life, I can really feel the prayers of others.  I don't think there's any way I could have gotten through this without them, and I don't think Elizabeth would be doing as well as she has been without them.  I pray these good nights, getting better by the night nights, continue for her.  Thanks for all your prayers!

Love & War Devotional for Couples

John and Stasi Eldredge have put together an 8-week devotional book. Five days a week, one can read the devotional for the day. Each day begins and ends with a Scripture verse, with the exception of a few that contain a quote from a reputable source. Also included each day is a prayer based on the subject of the day. The devotional is short and will not take much more than 5 minutes to read per day.

The subject matter of the book is what I would have expected from it, based on the summary published on the back of the book and what one would read if looking up the book. It is different from other marriage books in that it did not just have a section on communication, money, sex, etc. It went deeper than that. There was not much new to me in here, but I am pretty well read on the subject. There might be some new ideas to some people. There were some excellent reminders though, such as Satan is the enemy in your marriage, not your spouse. Or, you can never be completely fulfilled by your spouse, only God can do that. The book did admit that couples will have problems in marriage, that it is not easy. A lot of books don't do that. It gave one a real perspective on marriage.

While I think the book is a good read and could be helpful, I would have liked them to go a little deeper. I would have also liked more personal examples from the Eldredge's lives. The cover of the book states, “The 8-week adventure that will help you find the marriage you always dreamed of.” With a statement like that, I hoped for great things, but I don't think it delivered on that. This book could be helpful to a marriage, but seems a far cry from helping the marriage become the one you've always dreamed of.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.