Barking At The Moon

Is a full moon on the rise? I am pretty sure that is still a couple of weeks away, but of late, one would think that it is consistently bathing my house in it's silent, bright shiny beauty. It of late seems to be particularly shining a path right into Masyn's room, and like a creature of the night, she rises to the occasion. After listening to her paying homage to the moon with tears and screams, I will usually cave and half expect to see fangs or something that have sprouted on her when I go in to comfort her. I mean, who ever thought that letting a kid cry it out is the best therapy? Obviously they were not a working parent nor a sane one to boot. Obviously, they did not have other children sleeping right next door. Besides, it after a couple of months of this, it seems a little barbaric and of course pointless because we are getting nowhere with this format.

I have come to the point thinking that her awakenings must mean something; that she and her little body are trying to tell me something. And, as other parents can identify with this, once your child has experienced a serious illness and all, that tingle of fear will rear it's ugly head and put the thought on the forefront that it is all happening again. Last time Masyn struggled to sleep through the night, I was chalking it up to teething, when in actual fact, she was dealing with a massive kidney infection. So, those little doubts add fuel to the fire in an already tense situation. Half of the time, Masyn is ready to party and is full of piss and vinegar at 2:00 in the morning and the other times, she is just down right fussy. At first, was pretty adamant on not picking her up to console her because I had read that she would come to depend on this. So I would go in, lie her down in her crib and gently tell her that she had to go back to sleep. Ahem ... not the most successful thought plan I might add.

The next attempt(s) I would just let her fuss and cry it out. Again, it came to a point that my sanity was flying out the window with Masyn in her attempts to fly into moonlight freedom. And besides, it seems so barbaric to me to just let her scream and cry. It breaks my heart. I mean, there is a difference between letting your kid cry to let them vent their frustrations, but when one doesn't know the root cause for the tears, it is tough to justify letting her cry for 15+ minutes.

I keep using the excuse that Masyn is still adjusting to some major changes in her life: a move, new house, new daycare and Mommy going to work. For a little child - that is a lot of change that many adults struggle with. So, with this in the back of my mind, I try to have more understanding and patience with Masyn at night and so far it seems to be working. It is almost like Masyn has developed a pattern: if she isn't getting enough attention for me, then she seems to have the sleep issues. If I make a point of cuddling her lots and showering her with affection during the day, then she sleeps through the night. On the tough nights, while it may not be the best solution, I try getting her settled and then make camp for myself on the floor beside her crib. We usually hold hands for 15 minutes until she falls back to sleep and then I will either relocate back to my bed or I have passed out with exhaustion and will remain on the floor.

Does anyone else out there have experience in this with their children? If so, what has worked for you?