It was late afternoon, and I had Caleb in the pack 'n play while I was getting the trash together for pickup, and I had my back to him. Brian had just come home, and literally, just up the stairs, and I turned around and Caleb was standing. I exclaimed about it immediately, and Brian and I just stood and watched him, shouting things like "Wow!", "What a big boy!" and the like, and Caleb just looked at us with an expression that clearly said, "What's the big deal?"
Since that moment, he's been going to town with standing. The worst, however, is in the crib, where, now that he is standing, he is having an even harder time getting settled for naps. Yikes. I fear we will never be done with "cry-it-out". Before he was standing, I was having success with getting him down, twice a day, and his naps were starting to get longer. Then he started standing, and forget about it. All that success has vanished.
To say that Caleb's poor naps have left me utterly and totally weary is an understatement. I have tried, folks. I have tried and tried and tried. I have done cry-it-out. I have stayed home more deliberately and avoided long car trips so I could work hard on getting him straightened out. His naps were getting better. They really were. I thought our problems were just about over... but then they took a turn for the worst. It is always the same... one step forward, and two back.
I guess I just have to bide my time until he's four years old and is done with naps for good. Yikes. That doesn't sound very promising.
Needless to say, I've been tired and weary lately. We've all been sick in our house, my back is killing me again, and Brian ran into a deer yesterday with my old faithful '93 Geo Prism. Don't get me wrong- I am abundantly grateful that Brian is okay, but it is more money into that old car that we don't really want to spend.
If this doesn't sound like the most upbeat post, well, I really can't apologize. I've never been one to promote something I'm not. With me, you'll always get the truth. Life is hard. This blog is an outlet for me, and a journal of both the ups and downs. It is not, nor never will be, a portrayal of only the best things in life, because that is only one side. Some days, I feel like a failure as a mom, and when my son can't or won't sleep... I feel like the worst. Today is definitely one of those days.
That being said, and so as I don't make this post too much of a downer, I do know that the sun will shine again. Bad days come and go, but so do the good. Next week, Brian will be on Spring Break, and boy, do we need it. We have plenty of cleaning projects planned, as well as some important appointments. In the midst of the work we want to accomplish, we also definitely need some family time. Brian works SO HARD and we all need to be a family next week... the three of us. Perhaps we will finally make the long-awaited, first trip to the park with our boy. (Not counting last summer when all we did was push him around in the stroller.) It is now time for the swing! I can't wait!
Caleb's First Stand
