Positive Thinking For Next Week!

Sometimes I believe that if I put something in writing, on a computer or on a piece of paper, it might just come true.  This is why I have titled this entry "Positive Thinking For Next Week!" (in my head I imagine someone like Tony Robbins shouting this at me while fist-pumping--perhaps I also would've added a couple of exclamation points because those always seem to get me hyped up).  In reality, I am dreading next week.  Next week, I embark on what could just be the most anticipated and anxiety-inducing trip ever know to mankind.  I am moving the Bee into the crib, full-time.  No do-overs, no excuses this time.

Let me explain...Bee sleeps wonderfully in his crib at night.  He usually averages between 11-12 hours a night.  Trust me, I know I'm lucky.  The problem is, his naps.  It started when he was a newborn, so I broke out the swing as a last resort and TA-DA!!!!  Napping began.  It even helped him get into a consistent napping ROUTINE (god, I LOVE that word) for a few months.

We encountered the first issue when he was about 4 months old.  Bee was getting so heavy that the battery-operated swing would run through three D batteries with every nap.  If the batteries ran out mid-nap?  No dice--he would scream and there was no way to replace them quietly.  Most people would have used this as a prime time for the transition...but not us.  Bee wasn't sleeping through the night yet and we (okay, I) needed those naps for sanity savers during the day.  Off to Target we went and bought a new swing.  Don't worry, we were smart about it.  We bought a swing that plugs in, no batteries needed.

Two months went by and things were still humming along.  Bee was napping *pretty* well, AND he began to sleep through the night about 80% of the time.  I started envisioning rainbows, unicorns prancing through tulips while bathed in sunlight, and practically skipped everywhere I went, that's how good I was feeling.

In the beginning of January, I took both of the boys back to Virginia to visit my family.  My mom didn't have a swing and neither did my brother and sister-in-law (their youngest was about to turn 2 and my brother had tossed out most of the baby gear.  Ass-Munch.  Kidding, I love my brother and his little family).  Bee was sleeping in a Pack n' Play in a closet in my parent's bedroom.  Now, before you call CPS, it wasn't child abuse--it is a huge closet, basically soundproof and the darkest place in the house.  He slept great at night and even took a few good naps in the Pack n' Play (I didn't have unrealistic expectations on naps back there--time change, on vacation, having fun, etc. was more important).  Here's where I got stupid...because a smart person would've moved Bee right into his crib for naps when we got home because he had been without the swing for over a week.  He had basically already gone through swing detox AND rehab.

In my defense, I tried.  I tried VERY hard.  For about two days.  Then I caved--for both good and selfish reasons.  Bee WASN'T napping in his crib and was so cranky throughout the day.  Selfishly, I wanted a couple of hours of peace and quiet back.  So, back into the swing he went.

Now the day is lurking on the horizon--I feel as much trepidation and anxiety as when I left Connor at kindergarten that first day.  Bee is almost 8 months.  He's the size of an 18 month old (this is a true story--one of my friends has an 18 month old boy and he and Bee could probably share clothes).  The swing doesn't really "swing" that much because he's so heavy.  Just the other day, I caught him trying to "sit up" in the swing (more like launch himself out of it because he was just not as excited as I was that day about nap time).  It's now become a safety hazard.  Also, he's not napping in it as well as he used to.  No surprise there--his head butts up against the damn net in the back and his chubster thighs basically dwarf the buckle on the harness.

So, we soldier on to more grown-up pastures little Bee.  Your crib is nice and comfy.  You like it very much at night.  It's time to give it more of a chance to be a restful place during the day.  I know Bee will cry and cry (because trust me, you know the babies who eventually start hiccuping and softly sobbing to themselves and finally fall asleep after a meltdown?  That's not Bee.  He has perseverance, this one). I know I will feel guilty at times, but I can reassure myself that Bee won't be a sociopath later in life because he cried during the transition from swing to crib.

Let's end with a little honesty, though...I also know I'm going to turn the baby monitor sound off after awhile (but we still have a video one to make sure he's not bouncing himself off the crib rails like an MMA fighter).  I'm probably also going to go sit in my car in the garage at times because his crying will be hard to take.  There might even be a time where I toss little Bee to his dad as he arrives home from work like I'm throwing the pass for a winning touchdown in a Superbowl.  I will feel like Bee hates me (and maybe he might, but thankfully, I think his long-term memory is still in early development).  I can practically guarantee that 5 o'clock will come early this week and maybe even into the next...but, I must think positively.  Perhaps I'll be surprised and Bee will take to his crib like pinot noir does to my wineglass.  And there it is, folks--positive thinking.