Who Needs Sleep? Well you're never gonna get it......

I know I am probably falling on deaf ears with this one, but the Barenaked Ladies song pops into my head every time I wake up in the middle of the night. Like a nightmare on repeat...."Who needs sleep? Well, you're never gonna get it! Who needs sleep? Tell me what's that for? Who needs sleep? Be happy with what you're getting. There's a guy who's been awake since the Second World War....". Ok. So it is not that bad. I do get SOME sleep. But, there is not enough coffee or wine to help.

Luckily, it is only temporary and looks like it may be coming to an end. The last few months have been, well.....awful. Not all the time, but especially later in the day and at night. We went straight from the 4 month sleep regression to our first tooth, followed by our second tooth and then the 8 month sleep regression. The 4 month one was not bad. She woke up several times each night, nursed, and went back to sleep. Almost like a newborn would. I was tired in the morning, but I was able to sleep, a little. We introduced food (Sweet Potato and Acorn Squash) a week before she turned 6 months and it helped a lot to fill her up at night and sleep longer. Our pediatrician is against starting with cereal because it has no nutrition, so we followed their guidelines. The 8 month one is the worst, because it is also linked to an aware week. They are now aware that Mommy leaves and will cry every time they get put down, or Mommy goes to get more coffee in the kitchen, or the bathroom to pee in the middle of the night (yes, she is still in out room in her cradle). They start having bad dreams (of mom not coming back and there are no more boobs? maybe? lol), and cry out in their sleep, which is enough to wake Mom up, even if they stay asleep. But, several times during the night, she just wants to be held for a little but and know Mommy is still there and all is ok. Great. I am so glad you love and need me so much that you just need to know I am there and everything is good, but Mommy needs sleep too. And a few hours on and off does not cut it.

The teething gives some good nights, and some bad. Tylenol helps a lot on the bad ones. She would go from screaming to sleeping in a matter of minutes, I am not looking forward to the rest coming in, but at least I know there is something I can do to help her. We also made our own yogurt drops which seem to help a lot during the day. We mixed plain whole milk yogurt with either blueberries or banana and put it in a Ziploc bag with the corner cut off and made dots on parchment paper  to freeze. We left them overnight and then put them in a bag. They last about a month in the freezer and feel good on the gums. They also melt very fast, so they are safe.

Besides all of that, she laughs, smiles, is on the move, loves to pull herself up on everything and stand, walks while holding onto things and has even started talking. Her first word was "Bella" (our dog, lmao) and Mama is also heard when she is really upset. Maybe we have some sleepless nights, but watching her grow and learn make it all worth it. She really is amazing and I wouldn't change it for a second..... but check back with me on that at 2 am....