Bedtime

So I must confess that I have been dreading bedtime with Chloe.  Since the surgery, bedtime has not been much fun.  It also seems like it is getting worse, not better.  Before her surgery she went to bed fairly easily on most nights and slept through the night.  Now when we sit down in the chair to read bedtime stories, the crying and fussing begins.  It is hard to get through any books.  When we first got her, it was hard to get through books because she did not have the patience to sit and listen.  That had gotten a little better before the surgery.  But now I have trouble getting through books because she is screaming and crying and wiggling all about.  Then no matter what I do, whether I rock her or put her in the crib, sing or be quiet, rub her head or hold her hand, it is all out screaming and crying.  I can leave the room and she cries or I can stay in the room and she cries.  It is really hard for me to listen to a crying child.  Caleb was a horrible sleeper and I had a difficult time letting Caleb cry when he was a baby.  I was so thrilled that Chloe was such a good sleeper.  Not now.  Please don't let this be the trend.  I am too old this time around to have a poor sleeper.  Then when she does finally get to sleep, she wakes up multiple times a night and cries out.  Sometimes it is mild and a little pat gets her back to sleep and sometimes it is all out screaming and crying standing up in her crib.  There have been many nights that we have brought her into the bed with us, but you know what, she doesn't always sleep better like that either.   So although she gets her no no guards off this week, I'm not sure that is going to make bedtime any easier.  I'm not sure what we are going to do.  I guess try and have a lot of patience and pray that this phase will not last long.

I also have to confess that I am sick of pureeing food.  I think she has eaten more yogurt, jello and soup in the last 3 weeks than in her lifetime.  Tonight we just cut the green beans up really small and gave them to her that way.  It can be such a mess to puree everything and put it in the syringe.  In 3 days she can eat whatever she wants anyway, so I thought this would be ok.  I can hardly wait for Thursday!
   
On a happier note, she can say 2 words "Mama" and "uh oh."   The uh oh she uses appropriately, but she still does not use mama when she is talking to me.  Hopefully with a little time that will progress.  She is really such a stinker and super funny.  The other night she saw Caleb playing a Wii game where you flap your arms like a bird and the next thing we know Chloe is doing the same thing.  She loved playing the Wii.  Also, last night she was teasing Kevin when he was trying to put on her no no guards.  She would hold her arm out to him and then just as he was going to start putting them on she would pull her arm back and giggle.  This of course made us laugh and I think that added some fuel to the fire.  She is such a fun, happy little toddler and really a joy to be around. (I guess I need to remember that at bedtime)  She keeps us laughing and smiling and completes our family in an amazing way.