We FINALLY decided to go away this month. It's been a long winter. We were preparing to head to my family's for Thanksgiving, but a ridiculous early snow kept us here. Then, for Christmas, when Brian's parents offered to come here instead, I quickly took them up on their offer because I was in the throes of morning sickness at the time and really didn't feel much like sitting in a car for three hours.
Last summer, I chickened out on traveling at all, because I had worked SO HARD to establish Caleb's sleep schedule, and I was so afraid that I would shake him all up by going anywhere, and have to start all over. I have gotten unwelcome comments about this, and my fears in general, from several people. (Honestly, I'm not sure why people feel they have to share their point-of-views and opinions when they are not asked for, especially in regards to such a delicate topic as parenting.)
Whether or not I was right or wrong doesn't matter. I wanted to wait until Caleb was a bit older, when I thought he might be a bit more adaptable. We decided now was the time, enough was enough. We were going to travel overnight and see what became of it.
Caleb did amazingly well. From the car ride, to seeing a bunch of unfamiliar family at once, to sleeping overnight, he was a champ. The worst issues were the same ones we battle here: not wanting to submit when we call him for diaper change, nap time, etc.
During the car rides both ways, Caleb slept for only half an hour. That is all he ever sleeps in the car. So, a car ride nap is IN NO WAY EVER a substitution for a real nap. He sleeps much better in the crib. Both ways, we left an hour and a half to two hours before his nap time, and he fell asleep early on, for a half hour. Obviously, this was something we could not avoid and just had to deal with. It made the afternoon extra long for him both days.
When we got to my parents', I set up the pack n' play for bedtime as soon as I could (meaning, as soon as Caleb stopped needing to cling to me), and I set it up exactly as his crib is set up here, with his stuffed animals in the same exact spots and the lamby sound machine hanging in the same place. I wanted him to see it and become familiar with it.
When it came time to begin his bedtime routine, he fussed immediately, because he knew that separation was coming. It took some time trying to calm him down. We had brought ALL of his bedtime books from home, and we began to read them, in the same order, as we always do. We did the same exact things in the same exact steps: read his stories, read Scripture, nursed, and said prayers. Then we put him down.
Normally at home, he is out right away. But we began to hear his immediate cries. I started to get upset myself. Would he go to sleep? We let him cry a few minutes, and I know his cries pretty well. I can tell if he is winding out or if he is sitting or standing upright. I told Brian, "He is waiting for us to come back in." Since Caleb was in a strange place (my old bedroom!), we didn't want to delay in giving him the comfort that he needed. We went back in, read a few stories over again, gave him a thousand kisses between us, and lovingly put him back down. We left the room, and HE WENT TO SLEEP! He simply needed that reassurance that we were right there.
We had to share a room with him (and Brian and I had to share a double bed with my pregnant belly), and that was probably the hardest part of the whole thing, because Caleb is such a light sleeper. The door makes noise, and so does the bed at the slightest movement, and he definitely stirred a bit when we climbed into bed. The first night, I saw him wake up momentarily, and he whimpered, struggling to make sense of where he was at, but I just let him be, and he was able to drift back off to sleep.
When he awoke in the morning, I made sure to lift my head from my pillow immediately, so he would see me and not be afraid of where he was.
Later that day, we decided since he slept so well overnight, why not try putting him down for a nap at his regular time? We figured we didn't have anything to lose, and if he didn't sleep, we would put him in the car and go for a drive. We followed his routine, and HE WENT TO SLEEP! The boy was a champ.
That second night, we didn't have any problems putting him down, and he went right out.
Now, onto other topics besides sleep.
Caleb did really well seeing everyone. He was shy and uncertain at first, but after a time, he was walking around and mingling, seemingly unafraid. He loved to watch his cousins, and frankly, they loved watching him. (At one point, they were all gathered around his high chair, watching him with great interest eat his pizza.) He gave one of my twin nephews a kiss (I can't remember which one). He and one of the twins collided at one point (again, can't remember- just don't see them enough!), and he shocked us all by butting his head against him in response. It wasn't done meanly, but I was too stunned at the time to even correct him. Where did he even get that from?
Matthew and Nathan are only two years older, the cousins closest in age to Caleb on either side, and so it was really good for Caleb to see them. His cousin Lindsey (who is turning six today!), is his biggest fan. She absolutely loves him, can't stop hugging and kissing him, and even gave him a kiss on the lips through the glass door as she was leaving. Emily, who is almost eight, wanted to feed him his pizza, and I had to remind her that he can do it himself. Still, she wouldn't leave his side.
Needless to say, we had a great time. My mom and I got to do a bit of shopping. (It was by no means frivolous. I desperately needed some things because we live in Rural Town.) Brian and my dad watched some t.v. together (weird for us since we don't have t.v.), and my nieces and nephews could not get enough of silly Uncle Brian. (Truly, I think they love him more than they do me- their own mother's sister!)
Just before we headed home, we made one last stop- to Chick-Fil-A, the best fast food chicken on earth, and Christian owned and operated. Yum, yum, yum!
Sisters reunited after a year and three months without seeing each other. (She's not really this much taller. She is wearing shoes and I am not.)
