When it rains it pours

What started out as a little appendix issue soon became the flu, lumbago, iron deficiency which resulted in uncontrolled outbursts of nose bleeds and zombie tiredness all caused of, I guess, not resting enough…


In the middle of it all my husband calls from the hospital with a torned tendon after playing basketball.
8 weeks of hardcore plaster.
Looks rather cool but damn it’s going to be hard work.

Then we have my little, well what should I call him…
Let’s see – Labrador? bully? sweetness? loose cannon? or simply just crazy?
His rhythm has gone bezerk. He sleeps when he is not supposed to and wakes up like 4.30 in the morning. waking everyone up. Running around in the apartment. Screaming – dead tired but without any hint of wanting to sleep more. When we put him in a crib – he climbes out and sometimes hurts himself. If we leave him in a ordinary bed he runs around. We try less sleep during day – more sleep during the day.Singing, caressing, screaming methods but without succes.
AAAHHrgg I go nuts. And I’m beaten.
So please hit me with all sleep and bedtime methods you’ve got – pretty please!!

Maybe what we need is Cesar Millan?

In my opinion my son is more like a dog than anything else. Probably I don’t have any parental skills at all. When we meet other kids they all proper dressed, well behaved, sitting still eating their organic vegetables. My kids are mostly covered in either chocolate or something I don’t wanna know what it is but it looks like chocolate. They stay put at the table for 3 minutes, hating their veggies,  before they cause a mess as above. (Can you spot Beppe holding the toilet seat?)
Beppes latest idea of fun is taking of his pamper -wander about our home and marking his turf.
Just like a dog.

With Della though, everything is pretty normal.
A  monkey, a dog and a one legged man  – I guess I should grow a beard and then we have a circus.
Hurray!

23 Comments

Join the discussion and tell us your opinion.

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stjerneglass
September 18, 2011 at 18:30

‘Marking his turf.’
*giggle*

My deepest sympathies!
My little one continues to climb everything climbable (and NOT climbable, for that matter…), leaving him constantly with bruises on his forehead. At least he keeps his diaper on.

About the sleep (or lack thereof):
:: Beeing consistent with your bed routines is important.
Eat, brush, read/sing, and then nightynight.
:: I’ve been told that a child that sleeps well during the day will sleep well during the night, so perhaps let him sleep as long as he needs to during the day? But important that the naptime is ca after lunch. Late naptime = not too tired boy in the evening. And again, too little sleep during daytime might give you a overtired boy in the evening.

Good luck!
And remember: this too shall pass! ; )

Isabelle: Thanks for support. We are doing the rutine and trying for the sleeps longer during daytime. Well we’ll see. Feels good just hearings stuff from you!

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Åsa
September 18, 2011 at 19:11

Jag satt just i soffan och tänkte att det är skönt med söndagkväll för då får man gå till jobbet och vila upp sig imorgon… Men, så läste jag ditt inlägg och fick lite dåligt samvete. För de vaknar i alla fall inte 4.30 och den stora går på toa och den lilla har blöja, som får sitta kvar. Men mitt i allt så ser han i alla fall underbar ut. Om det är till någon tröst;) Krya på er (eller vad man ska säga)!

Isabelle: tack åsa. Söt som fan är han men lite jobbig. Och det är inga världsproblem dirket men ändå sjukt jobbigt.

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alessandra
September 18, 2011 at 19:53

We went to a same crazy sleeping pattern for 18 months very similar to yours…then we became two zombies and a friend (out of pity) came to the rescue and gave us this book http://www.amazon.co.uk/Days-Perfect-Nights-Sleep-Child/dp/0345501802/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1316368097&sr=1-1 .
which out of desperation we (reluctantly) tried (there are lots of controversies and polemics about this method) but it worked and our daughter( now 6 and a half) is still a normal and lovely girl! and we were definitely more happier (and fairly rested) parents.
I have to say that Anita is still hard work at night time, we have to stick to a routine otherwise she goes into anarchy again!

Isabelle: thanks! I am ordering the book as we speak! xxx

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mette / ungt blod
September 18, 2011 at 21:31

wow that sounds and looks crazy – As an outsider who does not have to deal with (too many) bad nights and crazy behaviour (yet) I can only say that its so refreshing to kids -and parents- with so much personality.¨+ my kid always dirty/wearing weird clothes and looking like a monkey child.

My biggest sympathy goes to the climbing thing! that must be crazy stressfull with a kid who can climb out his crib!

Isabelle: thansk mette. Well the nights are ok but he mornings…. And yeah good with personality and strong will but I need to learn how to work it my way ;-)

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sian kellaway
September 18, 2011 at 21:43

i feel your pain. nothing like lack of sleep to turn a person into one zombie bee-ach mama! in my experience daytime naps (but ending no later than 3.30ish, i introduced a sleep monkey for daytime naps, it’s a soft toy monkey that always feels sleepy at the moment when o-o needs to have a nap!), fresh air, not too much sugar, evening routine (food, bath, story with dad, story with ma, lights off, cuddle, bed) and grobags (difficult to climb out of the cot when incased in one!) are KEY. best o’ luck, i love your blog. x

Isabelle: great Sian – thanks. Grobags- he would eat them – he is lika a dog ;-) but Ill try!

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Anja
September 18, 2011 at 23:07

Going for a walk after dinner, then something to eat + to bed – the fresh air made my boys super tired. Best tip I have. Good luck –
from an overtired mum after nine months of baby waking several times each night. You have my sympathies!

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Anja
September 18, 2011 at 23:09

…also, my oldest kid climbed out of his crib at 18 months and scared the living daylights out of his babysitting granny. She thought it was a burglar ;)

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Sannalinnea
September 19, 2011 at 07:31

Heips,

it´s allmost like my family few years ago.
Oh those days a gone, children a bigger, husband has grown up ;) and so they have now other great things in their minds….. they keep me busy.
So as you allready know its not gone be like that forever.

Some days I´m even so crazy that I allmost miss those days without sleep etc. :)

May the force be with you!

xxx Sannalinnea

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Diacritique
September 19, 2011 at 09:14

About the sleep, my husband has a theory and a method (apparently good) :
we always use bed as a reward after a long day/morning etc.
It means we always say to our kids : “You’ve earned a good night of sleep (or a good nap) because you had a long day where you made a lot of things (and then you say all the things they’ve been doing). ”
We’re very careful about that : never use bed as a punishment (don’t know if it’s the right word). Never say : “stop that now or you’ll go to bed”.
And I have to say we never had problems with sleep. Our boys (2 boys, one is 6 1/2, the other is 18 months) sleep very well and they always did, even if we’re not at home.
I agree with the other comments of course: have a bed routine is certainly very important and I think going to sleep everyday at the same time (or almost the same time) is important too; so the kids understand how the day works : there is a time for everything. A time to eat, a time to play, a time to rest, a time to sleep. It isn’t always easy but they need that.
Besides, if he wakes up at 4 am and it is still dark outside, be sure not to turn too much lights on: it’s important to let him know it is still night and he’s not supposed to be up. Make him feel the difference between daytime and night time.
One last thing: let him sleep during day if he needs too. It doesn’t change anything for the nights and a tired kid can behave like a dog, indeed!! ;-) But try to make him go to sleep always at the same moment(s) – after lunch is the best.

Good luck!
These things can really drive everybody crazy in the family!
And thank you fir this blog.

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Lisa
September 19, 2011 at 12:12

Except routine and following methods I have no tips about sleeping.
But I LOVE the photo of the crazy room with a child wearing a toilet seat.
Yep, THAT’S what a home with kids looks like.
It’s a relief to see that from someone who works with interior design.
Life with kids is not “Sköna hem” photos with perfect stylish and OCD organised interiors, blurred humans in motions, and cute, calm kids in expensive, pretty clothes sitting on a sofa cuddling up to their parents.
It’s wading through the toys and clothes covering every surface, and wiping what you hope is chocolate, but often isn’t, from places it really shouldn’t be.

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fanfamfun
September 19, 2011 at 12:14

i really feel for you, but i am really happy to see this! other people are in the same boat as we are!!! :) when things get hard for us i just have to remember what my grandma said “dont worry, once you figure out the answer to your problem, they will be on to something new any way!” reassuring and also terrifying ;) i guess we should not stress and just go with it. good luck! x

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gigi
September 19, 2011 at 14:22

isabelle, you made me laugh so hard! been there, done that! i have a chattering monkey and a bull (you know, sees red, puts head down, shakes his horns and charges!) – can we join your circus?? sleep when he does! gigi

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beatrice
September 19, 2011 at 17:30

Isabelle, I love your blog and your cute house, and I also wonder about those mums who are capable of having 3 kids all immaculate dress in white with lace dresses and lots of layers of clothes, while I literally fight with my only one to just change a diaper!
I gave up on all kind sleeping theories, believe me, and I am not going to try the ones of letting him cry till exhaustion, but what I do to keep the house tidy is to sing a song so he helps me picking up his multiple toys and I can mop the floor. He likes dancing and clapping so at least lets me pick everything up and clean in 10 minutes. Also a CD or even MTV works. And I put some toys in the closet and exchange them often for the ones outside, so there are not 1.000 pieces of different around at all times. Maybe it works, u never know.

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Della @ Della Grace’s Life
September 19, 2011 at 18:12

I just had to comment because I saw that your daughter’s name is Della, as is mine! It’s wonderful to hear of another Della that isn’t 80 years old. ;)

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Angelica
September 19, 2011 at 20:00

Hej Isabelle!
Vi har haft liknande problem, fast vår son var yngre än er. Jag höll på att hoppa i älven av trötthet men fick tips av en kompis att köra en kur som heter “Sova hela natten” av Anna Wahlgren. Jag ska inte säga att jag var helt övertygad men jag var så nära att bryta ihop så jag körde på. Och det är som en dröm och har så varit sedan vi kurade i februari. Hoppas verkligen det löser sig snart för er, kur eller ej. Om ni bestämmer er för kur så svarar jag gärna på frågor om ni har några. Jag fick sån otrolig hjälp av massa underbara mammor och pappor under vår kurning så jag vet hur ovärderligt det är, och hjälper gärna till!
Lycka till!
Kram från Angelica

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Helen
September 20, 2011 at 08:49

Fy attans vad tufft ni har det nu. tyvärr har jag inga bra knep att komma med. Jag hoppas bara att det snart går över. Har inte haft problem med barn som vaknar så tidigt däremot barn som inte vill somna på kvällen:(

Tror inte alls att det handlar om att du inte har “parenting skills”, kämpa på, ni fixar detta bra och om några år har ni helt glömt det (helknasigt jag vet men så är det faktiskt)

Styrkekramar!

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Ella
September 20, 2011 at 20:07

It will pass! But you know that. If you are even tempted by any kind of ‘let them scream until they fall asleep’ method, then read Price’s ‘The Magical Child’. This is an excellent read for all parents. In fact it is a must read (and then I promise you that you will not leave your child to scream). He goes into detail about what it does to a childs psyche and how it affects their development in the future.

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Ella
September 20, 2011 at 20:08

update to my last post – got his name wrong! Pearce, not Price ! ;)

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Melinda
September 21, 2011 at 06:16

Enjoy the beautiful chaos! Never a dull moment hey :)

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Malin
September 21, 2011 at 12:37

Hahaha, det är underbart att ha familj, men de är knäckande ibland. Helst vill man bara sitta under ett stort täcke äta godis och se på en bra film och när man kryper ur sin kokong ska det vara rent och städat, söta små barn som är glada och en man som är hämtad ur en tidning. Självklart ska man själv också vara snyggast i världen med ett collgate smalj och inte se ut som ett ras, vilket händer ofta pga för lite sömn och alldeles för myckett göra.
Drömmen och verkligheten krockar. Men lyckan i kaoset är ändå fantastiskt!
(Har själv två barn i liknande åldrar som du, så jag känner igen mig…)

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Henna
September 21, 2011 at 19:44

Thank you for this post! It is brilliant you telling the truth about your kids behaviour and showing the real picture of your living room. I know the feeling. I have got three monkies myself and it is hard work. Keep up the great blog!

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Miriam
September 25, 2011 at 02:52

Oh… I feel for you all. The best book I have ever read about sleep is called ‘Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child’ by Dr Marc Weissbluth. He is a sleep psychologist and a pedatrician and he looks at sleep right through to the teenage years. We found his approach very successful. Hope things improve. BTW LOVE this blog is is gorgeous

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Isabelle
September 25, 2011 at 14:01
– In reply to: Miriam

Thanks -you all for supporting comments, tips and shoutouts!
I reas all you comments straight away but have been failing to have time to answer. Ill be back soon
Xxx