It's interesting the things that stick with you as you leave adolescence and become an adult. Titus has been having a very hard time going to bed lately and most nights he keeps me up till around 1 or 2 in the morning. He of course is fed and changed and most the time he has his sleepy eyes on but he just wants to be held and to know that I am not too far away. This can be very frustrating when I have to be up for work at 5 every morning and I found myself more and more stressed as this continued. The other day a friend was telling me about something that he had read about babies and helping them get on a good sleep schedule; what to do and what not to do. I kind of blew him off at first, saying that I'd already read a hundred things like that and that none of it had ever worked with Titus no matter how dedicated I was. Well, I think he knows I'm stubborn cause everyday I've talked to him since, he's somehow slipped a little bit of information from what he read into the conversation. The biggest thing of course is a routine; we all have one before we go to bed to help us relax and the little guy needs that too. I've tried routines before and they've never worked; going on walks, giving him a bath, singing to him, none of it worked so I kind of gave up on them but this Monday I figured, what the heck lets give it another try. Now at the beginning of this blog I said it's interesting the things we carry over from childhood to adulthood and this is why; it honestly didn't really dawn on me until I was letting my mind wander while I was feeding Titus this morning but the routine I ended up going with is the one that my dad had for me from the time I can remember all the way up to the last time I went to visit about six months ago. Like I said, this wasn't on purpose but I keep my favorite childhood book on Titus' changing table, 'You Are Special' and on Monday night I decided to read it to him. He enjoyed listening to me read so much I ended up reading from the scriptures about Noah's Ark too. Before I left the room I said a short prayer and kissed him goodnight. He seemed really relaxed after I left so I did this everyday this week and finally last night he was asleep by 10:30; blew my mind! For those of you that know Titus, you know that 10:30 is pretty much insane!
Now this is the exact same routine that my dad in Utah and his family have done since I can remember; all the kids come into their room and we all sit on their bed or on the floor. We would rotate who got to pick the story and dad would read it then we would read some scriptures and pray. After that we all said goodnight and got into bed. It's funny that I gravitated to that routine so naturally as I was only with my dad half of the time when I was younger and hardly at all through my Jr. High and High school years. Yet something about it must have stuck; maybe it was the way it calmed me down and got me ready for sleeping even if I didn't realize it at the time. So thanks dad and thanks Gloria! Next time we come to visit Titus will feel right at home sitting on the bed next to grandpa as he reads 'You Are Special.' 
2 comments:
We are so alike! I don't like the idea of routines, especially since my kids don't do well with them much. But just went I feel like I'm loosing my mind, I try a new routine, and it works for a few months. I have to remember, I change my routines often, so I should probably adapt theirs too! Being a parent is definitely a learning experience. Glad you are getting some sleep!
I like that: I change my routines often, so I should probably adapt theirs too! Well said, thanks Juli :)
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