Help! Game over man, game over! (me with my pillow over my head this morning.)
My 'been sleeping through the night since 5 months old' daughter has decided to shake things up a little.
For the past 3 nights, she’s been waking us up and asking for popcorn (“EAT! EAT! pe’corn! Pe’corn!”) at around 4:30 A.M. It’s as if the ghost of Orville Redenbacher appears to her every morning and tells her to wake the parents up for some real buttery (artificially flavored) popcorn – at that very moment. It’s driving us a little crazy and we’re hoping this doesn’t become a habit.
We’ve been really good about keeping her on a schedule for some time; she goes to sleep every night at 8 and wakes up around 7, like clockwork. Sure, we’ve heard stories about other people’s kids waking up at random times- but thats other people, not us! We’re special like that, right(?) we recycle!
Some other parents have resorted to the “let them cry” method. Which has worked for us a little in the past, to a certain extent - like when we know nothing else is wrong and she’s just tired and grouchy. We don’t resort to that often but that Orville (Colonel Sander’s wimpy geeky evil younger brother) is one crafty fella.
I'm looking for some parental hints and tips- does anybody have any suggestions or experience with kids waking up and not wanting to go back to sleep?
So you want to know what I thought of the Super Bowl? (Woo! Woo! Wooo!!)
To tell you the truth - I don’t even know who played. Yes, really. I have gone to ‘super bowl commercial parties’ in the past. The kind where they mingle, turn down the sound when the “game” is on, and then turn it up when the commercials are on.
I didn’t know who played then either.
THe Bears lost, the Colts won, and the commercials were not that good.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry about the waking up thing. I have no advice, because I have no idea what I am doing. My son finally slept all night last night, but I had to get up early to let in the kids I watch. Of course this is the day he chose to sleep late!
Ride it out, dude. We have a great sleeper and she does this occasionally. One idea - does she get a bedtime snack? If not, maybe give that a try.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
Mrs. Chicken said -- Funny,
ReplyDeleteFor the past month right before we put her to bed she'll say "EAT! EAT!"...trying to get out of going to bed. We'll give her a snack and she'll slowly eat part of it...and then hands it back, then says "PLAY! PLAY!"....
Great title....I almost commented just from that. My girls have crocs, well, not the 1 year old, but when my next door neighbor got a pair, oh did I lay into him. I bought him a pink pair for Christmas.
ReplyDeleteAs for the sleeping thing...welcome to the club. My 3.5 year old did the same thing. Boy does it suck.
Good hell...how do you not know who played in the Super Bowl? I just do not get people who have lives that don't revolve around football. We Nebraskans pretty much plan our lives around the Cornhuskers. It's a rule or something.
ReplyDeleteAnd, I am with Mrs.Chicken. Ride it out. The only alternative is to let her cry and well....that is just so wrong. My theory is that if you do that to them when they are little, when you are old and drooling, it will be pay back time. Mr. Wrinkles.
Maybe you could try going in and giving her a cracker (if I gave her popcorn, I'd never be able to sleep worrying that she would choke) and saying, "Oooh. It is so late. The sun isn't even up. Look! Time to go back to sleep. Goodnight, lovebug." (Or whatever your pet name is for her...mine is lovebug or Miss Frog, go figure.)
Sorry to hear about the popcorn demon from hell. I have no good advice, but know that it WILL pass.
ReplyDeleteIn about 15 years.
I look forward to hearing some of that advice since I often wake up myself around 4:30am wondering why in the hell I'm awake instead of peacefully slumbering. Maybe it'll help me too!
ReplyDeleteAnd you didn't miss much! The game was bad and the commercials worse. Except for the one I posted about today. LOL
The only "solution" I can think of is to put a microwave in her crib and load her up with microwave popcorn. That way, she can take care of her urges, while you sleep in.
ReplyDeleteYeah... I got nothin'. Our little guy ets up extra early. It's not too unbearable, since I'm a morning person, but we're usually well into our day by 5:30. It's crazy, but so far, is working.
Good luck finding something a little more sensible for your family!
I can only say one thing... don't knock the croc until you try it.
ReplyDeleteSure, they're ugly as hell, but man are they comfortable!
I still don't know who played. Seriously.
ReplyDeleteYes, yes...Crocs on men are a serious fashion faux pas punishable by death. But your daughter waking up at 4:30 am and asking for popcorn? Possibly the cutest thing I've ever heard!
ReplyDeleteIt will pass. It's always something with these little people. My almost-3 yr old went through that just a few months ago and I would tell her to go back in her room and play with her doll houses. I gave her a stool so she could turn her light on at the ungodly hours she got up. And she'd go back in and play and I'd hear the dialogue and snicker to myself. And lately she's been sleeping until 8. And she has crocs too! They are too cute on her. (I have crocs too. While I may be grown, at least I'm not a man.)
ReplyDeletei will admit, the crocs are not stylish, but, like rob says, they are DAMN comfortable. i was on a plane for the super bowl, which is a better excuse for not watching than "i could give a shit about the super bowl." and i loathe the office buzz about the commercials the day after. as for the popcorn, i don't know man, but it IS cute. never had the kids waking up asking for food. they like to sleep too much. hug it out man!
ReplyDeleteGive her some popcorn chicken!!! That's steer her back to the Colonel, and it still looks like popcorn!
ReplyDeleteMy son was doing this but asking for chocolate milk. It lasted two weeks, and died out on its own. I hope it does the same at your house!
No advice. Just me laughing my ass off at the thought of her waking up and asking for popcorn.
ReplyDeleteVery smugly, I'd like to add that my children are perfect and have never done this.
It is amazing the assortment of sins a little mommy-juice helps to cover.
(That is, I drink it, not them.)
Popcorn in the morning? She must be related to this dude down the hall. He eats it for breakfast almost every day. Gross.
ReplyDeleteMy advice is probably bad. "No. It's not time for breakfast yet. Go back to bed. This is still sleep time. The kitchen is closed." I actually told mine that. And they actually went back to bed.
Go Colts!
We go through the ebb and flow of sleep around here too. It should pass.
ReplyDeleteWhatever you do, don't bring her to your bed b/c she won't want to go back to hers.
ReplyDeleteAnd have you seen the commercial from Orville lately? I thought he was dead or something b/c this guy looked faked. It looked like someone put a really bad face mask on and pretending to be him.
Diana - Popcorn Chicken! Why didn't I think of that. (I'm loosing it)
ReplyDeletewayabetty - the wife did bring her back to our bed one night, we stopped that because we don't want her to get into that habit.
Ahhh, my sympathies are with you. There is nothing worse than the rude awakening from a finally-got-the-kids-to-sleep-through-the-night type of deep sleep. It's almost worse than the sleepless nights with a newborn, because you expect to not get any sleep. Once you think you've mastered the art of sleeping through the night, having a child wake up again is torture.
ReplyDeleteAs for advice, co-sleeping was the only trick in my book. They never developed a habit from it, since the fitful sleep usually seemed to just be a phase.
it'll pass. It may take a few more days, but it'll pass. Meanwhile, I keep a futon in Pumpkinpie's room and a stash of board books, so I can nap in there in her line of sight until she figures out there's no action to be had and sleeps too. Once or twice I've let her come down onto the futon with me and lain with her there, which is okay, too. But it'll be over soon.
ReplyDeleteI just plunked 'em in the bed with me for a bit, and eventually they quit. They never had problems getting back to their beds, and it was so much easier on us. ;o)
ReplyDeleteBut everybody's different!
p.s. I've hear benadryl works wonders...