So I made a promise to myself back at the beginning of the month to blog more and then broke it about a day later. It’s pretty much impossible to blog more when your brain isn’t functioning, and your child is screaming at you 90% of the time he’s awake. I think all of that could be overcome, however, if he wasn’t also screaming at me ALL NIGHT LONG. I have no idea what has happened in the last week, but it’s so bad that even Ferber can’t help us. I think the only thing we can do is perform an exorcism because, clearly, my son is possessed.
Now, I completely understand that he was sick last weekend and the beginning of this week, and I know he’s also cutting molars (STILL…probably will be FOREVER), but now add to that his sudden discovery of the temper tantrum and a healthy dose of separation anxiety, and it seems we are in the eye of the perfect storm of infant irritability.
It is beyond me how one little person can make so much noise and carry on for so long. He’s impossible to please. He wants up, I pick him up, he pushes me and wants down, I put him down, he pulls on my pants and tries to bite the back of my knees, I sit to hold him on my lap, I have even begun DVRing Sesame Street to show him Elmo, he flings himself backward and screams, I put him down with some toys, he climbs back up on my lap and proceeds to hit me. WTF, little man, WTF?! WHAT DO YOU WANT?! Now, NOW would be an excellent time to learn to talk, sign, draw, mime, some form of communication other than the incessant screams that I can’t decipher.
We’ve been to the pediatrician and the ER in the last week. No signs of anything unusual going on. The virus he had last weekend is gone, no ear infection. I’m ashamed to admit, I was actually a tad disappointed the pediatrician didn’t see an ear infection. Not because I wanted him to have one, but because at least that could explain what is going on. Nope, he looks perfectly happy and healthy to her. Of course he was a sweet angel full of smiles and giggles and puppies at the appointment. It’s a shame, really, that she doesn’t do midnight house calls.
Every night this week has been increasingly hellish. He is waking at least 4 times, and will scream non-stop for up to 2 hours. Now, WAIT…just wait… all of you about to jump all over my case for letting my son scream for 2 hours at night. No. That is not what’s going on here. I’m not just lying in my bed with the monitor off, sleeping all peaceful with my dreams of Justin Timberlake and clearance sales at Express. Much of that time that he’s screaming we are in his room with him. Yes, that’s right! We are holding him, rocking him, rubbing his head, he is still screaming. Please understand that when I say he’s screaming, it’s not an exaggeration, but it’s not like an “I’m in pain” scream. It’s an “I’m so freaking pissed that you are making me go to sleep AGAIN” scream. This is not the kind of cry or fuss that I used to be able to listen to for the 5-10 minutes it would take for him to fall asleep with the Ferber method.
I am such a Ferber Failure. I’ve gone back to nursing him 2 times a night just so we can all get some sleep. Even though, most of the time that still doesn’t do much to soothe him. Co-sleeping is not an option for us. NONE of us sleep well co-sleeping, especially Kendall, who tends to sleep crawl and headbutt me. Plus, if he screams while we hold him and rock him, I doubt he will want to snuggle or cuddle. We give him infant Motrin for teething pain, and teething tablets. I have no reason to think he’s got any sort of tummy pain or gas. I’m at a loss. Each night I think it’s going to get better, and it only gets worse. What am I doing wrong? Is it getting worse because we aren’t doing Ferber anymore? Is it Daylight Savings Time? Is he testing us? Is this separation anxiety? Is Freddy Krueger haunting his dreams?
Please. Insight. Help.
Kendall is 10 months, 1 week and 4 days old