by Kelcie Huffstickler
8/1/2010
Amidst the smiles, laughs and hugs that come with new parenthood is one aspect not quite so pleasant. (Yes, I just admitted it--there is ONE thing about being a mommy I don't exactly like.) And that is the relentless crying of a 9-month-old who STILL won't sleep through the night. You expect your newborn to wake up a lot--everyone warns you to get your sleep in before they're born or to "nap when they nap." I took these pieces of advice in stride, assuming the sleepless nights would go on three to four months tops. Yet, here I am, nine months into my daughter's life, and she still hasn't learned the art of sleeping through the night. Maybe, as some have suggested, it's my own fault. I have never gotten her in a routine or carried out adequate "sleep training." At her six-month check-up, my doctor informed me it was time to start "letting her cry." This, however, is much easier said than done. For starters, if I just let her cry all night long, no one else in the house will get any sleep. And while this may pay off in the long run (I'll probably never know), it's hard to think long term in the middle of the night. When you're dying for just a little more shut-eye, you'll do anything to get it. So, I typically rebel against what I've been told, run to my daughter's room, scoop her up and hush her back to sleep. Besides, who actually has the heart to let their child cry all night anyway? It's one thing when she whimpers softly, but when her cries turn to full-fledged bawling, it's as distressing for me as her. Luckily, my daughter is the most precious creature I could ever hope for during the day. With one innocent, heart-melting smile in the morning, she fades my memories of the night before. Her loving, bubbly, sweet-hearted nature makes each day worth the night that will follow. Or, as my husband likes to say after being woken up, "It's a good thing she's cute!"
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