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Life with two kids: More sleep and sharing
Jan. 9th, 2024 09:15 amGideon goes to sleep next to Jane. Always has done. It's generally pretty quick, he settles in, snuggles up to her, and falls asleep.
About 5 months ago we started him sleeping in his own room - Jane would put him to sleep, in the bottom bunk under Sophia, and when he woke up (somewhere between 12 and 3) I'd bring him back to our bed so she could put him back over (because trying to settle a screaming beast next to Sophia when she was trying to sleep felt unfair and unworkable).
And this worked really well. We'd get a few hours of sleep in a block, and on two occasions he slept all the way through the night, so that we woke up at 7am worrying that he'd died.
And then we moved home for the renovation and he switched to sleeping with his sister in the double bed here. And because he's a wiggly beast who rotates in his sleep he would wake her up and she'd wake him up, and they'd both sleep badly, with him coming through earlier and not sleeping through the night at all.
We tried having me take him in the night instead - taking him through to the spare room with me. But the shouting could be heard from the moon, and so those attempts didn't last more than ten minutes.
And then about a week ago I had a sudden thought, and when he woke up at 2am I just climbed into bed next to him, gave him a hug, and he went back to sleep instantly, and stayed that way until 5am. I slept badly next to the twitchy beast, but Jane got a much better night's sleep, and so I was delighted to be able to do my share of nights.
So we started alternating. Except that 4 days later he suddenly slept through the whole night until 6:30 without waking at all. And then he did it again. And then for a third night.
Last night he woke screaming at half past midnight and then kicked Jane in the head all night. But we now have proof of concept that he *can* sleep through the night, and so I have hope that tonight will be a better night.
In other news they've been playing together a bit more. Not that they don't spend lots of their time at home chasing each other in circles (and then complaining loudly that the other one is chasing in the wrong kind of circle), but today on the bus to nursery they shared a tablet between them and first played a two player game against each other (taking turns to launch balls of fire from catapults at each others castles, scream-giggling "Naughty naughty!" whenever their own tower was hit) and then solving puzzles together in what seems to be an app designed to teach basic programming skills (you issue a series of commands to a cop to get them to reach a doughnut). They're still terrible at sharing, but not quite as terrible as they were a few months ago.
About 5 months ago we started him sleeping in his own room - Jane would put him to sleep, in the bottom bunk under Sophia, and when he woke up (somewhere between 12 and 3) I'd bring him back to our bed so she could put him back over (because trying to settle a screaming beast next to Sophia when she was trying to sleep felt unfair and unworkable).
And this worked really well. We'd get a few hours of sleep in a block, and on two occasions he slept all the way through the night, so that we woke up at 7am worrying that he'd died.
And then we moved home for the renovation and he switched to sleeping with his sister in the double bed here. And because he's a wiggly beast who rotates in his sleep he would wake her up and she'd wake him up, and they'd both sleep badly, with him coming through earlier and not sleeping through the night at all.
We tried having me take him in the night instead - taking him through to the spare room with me. But the shouting could be heard from the moon, and so those attempts didn't last more than ten minutes.
And then about a week ago I had a sudden thought, and when he woke up at 2am I just climbed into bed next to him, gave him a hug, and he went back to sleep instantly, and stayed that way until 5am. I slept badly next to the twitchy beast, but Jane got a much better night's sleep, and so I was delighted to be able to do my share of nights.
So we started alternating. Except that 4 days later he suddenly slept through the whole night until 6:30 without waking at all. And then he did it again. And then for a third night.
Last night he woke screaming at half past midnight and then kicked Jane in the head all night. But we now have proof of concept that he *can* sleep through the night, and so I have hope that tonight will be a better night.
In other news they've been playing together a bit more. Not that they don't spend lots of their time at home chasing each other in circles (and then complaining loudly that the other one is chasing in the wrong kind of circle), but today on the bus to nursery they shared a tablet between them and first played a two player game against each other (taking turns to launch balls of fire from catapults at each others castles, scream-giggling "Naughty naughty!" whenever their own tower was hit) and then solving puzzles together in what seems to be an app designed to teach basic programming skills (you issue a series of commands to a cop to get them to reach a doughnut). They're still terrible at sharing, but not quite as terrible as they were a few months ago.
