11.04.2007

Week-end news...

Nothing much to report, just some tidbits...
  • Yummy had her first shots at the pediatrician on Thursday: didn't cry, but got really sick for 24 hours, with a runny nose, fever, swollen face, crying eyes, and drooling mouth, this one from the teething... Oh, she was lovely! Everything is better now, except for the puddles of drool she leaves everywhere.
  • She is starting to tolerate being more than 2 feet away from us for more than 10 seconds! Yay!
  • She imitates more and more, the current funny skills being the "fake cough" and the air kisses, which she does with her top teeth and bottom lip. Very cute!
  • The girl loves books! She'll point at images, and listens when I name them. Curiously, she's not too found of baby images, but really likes animals and objects.
On a longer topic, sleep is still difficult. We are now making a conscious effort to try to establish a routine, and to slowly help her learn to fall asleep on her own. It works sometimes, but definitely not others, and she still wakes up 5-8 times a night. We haven't had any other night terror episodes since the one last week though. Am I ever thankful for that!!!

She sleeps in her own bed. Co-sleeping is not really an option, as she thinks that when we are in bed together, it's party time! It was like that in China, it's like that here. Plus, we know that she was used to sleeping in her own bed.

Most every site or book I found that talks about sleep talks about co-sleeping, or gives recommandations that a 10-month old baby simply wouldn't understand. Or they say to wait a few months before doing anything too proactive... She's doing great during the day, although can get a bit whiny if she hasn't slept enough. She's more and more secure, we can even leave the room for a moment and she'll wait for us, she's eating well, baths and showers are no longer a problem. Am I asking to much to want sleep to improve somewhat?...

Any good advice from adoptive parents out there???

4 commentaires:

Anonyme a dit…

No good adoption advice on sleep but I know it took us about 9 months to get Kyle to sleep very well and we had no adjustments like you guys....Hang in there! I can relate-the toughest part about being a parent for me is the lack of sleep when it is for more than a few nights in a row...
Sounds like you baby girl is doing great!!!!
Hope to see you soon...

Anonyme a dit…

We adopted our daughter 2 years ago this month. I'd say it took at least 4 weeks for all of us to recover from jetlag and get back onto schedule. One thing that worked wonders to get our daughter to sleep was one of those FP aquarium type things that you hang on the side of the crib. She would lie there, watching it, and eventually drift off to sleep. One really bad nights, she slept in a Pack and Play in our room. Like you, the family bed didn't really work well for any of us, but being in the room with us, as she had been in China, worked well. Your daughter is gorgeous, I hope you're all soon well rested. :-)

Julie - an ex-Montrealer :-)

Mutha Mae a dit…

Just keep doing what you're doing. Don't start anything you don't want to continue for a looong time. Stick with the routine, and soon she will fall into it as well. Take comfort in knowing even bio kids have sleep issues. Just stick with whatever "sleep training" method that is most comfy to you both. And know that it will be disrupted each time she is sick or there is a big change to adjust to.

More Paul, Less Andrea a dit…

(another Zhangshu mommy here) The jet lag was pretty brutal. I agree it took 2 - 4 weeks before most of us got somewhat back to normal. My suggestions are:

1. Use a white-noise machine. We used this for a good year around here.

2. For NOW, stick to a strict nighttime routine and schedule. That way, Yummy knows what is coming. It will take a few days before she recognizes this routine, but you will be amazed when she does. I am not a scheduled, routine person, and I balked at this! But we did it for awhile until our daughter became a really good sleeper, and now we do not have to be so strict. But doing this now is probably the best suggestion I can make.

3. If you do decide to go in immediately when she cries at night (and the tolerance for how much crying you can/will listen to is a personal decision so I make no recommendations there), then sooth her with the lights off, make very little noise, do NOT make eye contact with her (that stimulates her), and touch her very lightly. Minimize her sensory input in the middle of the night.

Good luck. The sleep thing is a doozy!