Sissy makes it all better.
We were away visiting my parents again this weekend. Let me preface this story by saying that Evelyn decided on Friday night that she would wake up at one and keep me up for two and a half hours, just for kicks. M had to work late, so I was already pretty tired from doing the baby thing all alone all day. We were all three awake at eight, and we had a nice long day with lots of activity. She did not nap. Twenty minutes before her normal bedtime, we headed out to eat in a group of eleven, which included one of the world's slowest eaters (my mom). It was probably eleven by the time I got her to bed and then to bed myself. Given that my husband had taken a four-hour nap on the couch at my parents, I had forewarned him that if indeed the baby woke up in the night, he was going to get to handle it (after I fed her in bed.) I felt that was more than fair. Of course I hate getting up at night like anyone does, but it's not usually horrible when we're at home and I have my couch and laptop all set up and I don't really have to worry about disturbing anyone else. At my parents.. especially when my niece is asleep on the couch... it stinks. Luckily, it's only happened a few times, so I was really hoping I was planning for something that wouldn't matter.
Of course I was wrong.
The girl woke up at 4:38, and I fed her. She fell back asleep, laying there in between M and me. I am just not comfortable with co-sleeping for myself, so after a while, I got up and carried her back to bed. It worked! But then she woke up as soon as I raised the crib rails. Attempt two: nursed back to sleep, and when her butt hit the mattress, her eyes flew wide open again. "Dada?" she asked me, and I said, "Yes, Dada!" and handed her off, secure that I had done my part and it was M's turn. I went to the bathroom before crawling back in bed, and while I was gone, that is when all hell broke loose, and the screaming commenced.
So she is crying when I get back and M is trying to comfort her and I am trying to comfort her. I suggest a diaper change, which does not help. (I didn't think it would cure the problem necessarily, but a wet diaper wouldn't help, no matter what, so I was hoping for distraction.) She clearly has a bellyache and she is yelping "ow! ow! ow!" by now, in between all the wailing. We don't have any medicine in the diaper bag except Tylenol, which wouldn't help. M is thinking of going out to get some. There is more screaming. It's five a.m. by now. She hasn't had a bellyache like this in months. (Her stomach used to bother her, but it's pretty good these days.) There is even more screaming. Finally, there's a knock at the door. My mom (who usually does not come check on her when she cries at night because she rightly knows that it will only wake her up even more) and my niece are there, probably wondering if we had perhaps began an early morning beating regimen. Evelyn is still screaming, and then she looks at my niece and says "SISSY" and lunges for her. As soon as she is in W's arms, the screaming stops, and she snuffles for just a few seconds and then is super happy and sweet.
Little brat.
Whitley tried to let her down a minute later (because she was squirming like she wanted down) and as soon as her feet hit the ground, the screaming started again, so W picked her back up and all was well with the world again. My dad also showed up around this time and the whole family ended up in the living room at five in the morning. It really was her belly (the evidence was loud and overwhelmingly obvious, let's just put it that way) but apparently Sissy made everything better. I love how much she loves W! It's so sweet.
The only question is... what will W's mom say if we show up pounding on her door in the middle of the night? :) I guess it's a good thing that it takes an hour and a half to get there from here, so as not to be tempted in the future...
Of course I was wrong.
The girl woke up at 4:38, and I fed her. She fell back asleep, laying there in between M and me. I am just not comfortable with co-sleeping for myself, so after a while, I got up and carried her back to bed. It worked! But then she woke up as soon as I raised the crib rails. Attempt two: nursed back to sleep, and when her butt hit the mattress, her eyes flew wide open again. "Dada?" she asked me, and I said, "Yes, Dada!" and handed her off, secure that I had done my part and it was M's turn. I went to the bathroom before crawling back in bed, and while I was gone, that is when all hell broke loose, and the screaming commenced.
So she is crying when I get back and M is trying to comfort her and I am trying to comfort her. I suggest a diaper change, which does not help. (I didn't think it would cure the problem necessarily, but a wet diaper wouldn't help, no matter what, so I was hoping for distraction.) She clearly has a bellyache and she is yelping "ow! ow! ow!" by now, in between all the wailing. We don't have any medicine in the diaper bag except Tylenol, which wouldn't help. M is thinking of going out to get some. There is more screaming. It's five a.m. by now. She hasn't had a bellyache like this in months. (Her stomach used to bother her, but it's pretty good these days.) There is even more screaming. Finally, there's a knock at the door. My mom (who usually does not come check on her when she cries at night because she rightly knows that it will only wake her up even more) and my niece are there, probably wondering if we had perhaps began an early morning beating regimen. Evelyn is still screaming, and then she looks at my niece and says "SISSY" and lunges for her. As soon as she is in W's arms, the screaming stops, and she snuffles for just a few seconds and then is super happy and sweet.
Little brat.
Whitley tried to let her down a minute later (because she was squirming like she wanted down) and as soon as her feet hit the ground, the screaming started again, so W picked her back up and all was well with the world again. My dad also showed up around this time and the whole family ended up in the living room at five in the morning. It really was her belly (the evidence was loud and overwhelmingly obvious, let's just put it that way) but apparently Sissy made everything better. I love how much she loves W! It's so sweet.
The only question is... what will W's mom say if we show up pounding on her door in the middle of the night? :) I guess it's a good thing that it takes an hour and a half to get there from here, so as not to be tempted in the future...