Revelations
Sleep is a precious commodity in this house, which is why we have taught Stardust to sleep on his own. He is an independant little soul and treasures his privacy. In fact, we realised that he slept longer hours when we moved him to his own room!
Although I do envy my peers whose children fall asleep in their arms or who snuggle up to them at night for comfort, I do not regret the decision to teach Stardust to sleep independantly. It is important for MDH and myself to get adequate rest if we are going to function well during our waking hours!
This past week, Stardust has been feeling a little bit sad since the departure of the Outlaws. He doesn't ask for them, because he knows that they have returned home. However, I have watched him walking into the guest room and just looking solemnly at the empty bed. He has been quieter this week, and more needy.
One afternoon, he woke up midway through his nap, sobbing his little eyes out. He was still sleepy but he was also agitated, so I decided that he could take his nap on my bed next to me. Once he realised that I wasn't going anywhere, his whole body relaxed. I pretended to sleep, so that he would understand what he was meant to be doing. In the meantime, I had the opportunity to observe his sleep-time behaviour.
I have learned that:
1. He sings himself to sleep in a whispery-soft voice.
2. He makes up the tunes himself, repeating random words that have a soothing sound (e.g. 'Starfish', 'Finger-thumb', 'Choose').
3. He counts the patterns on the bedsheets or the shadows on the ceiling (this was a big surprise because he has not counted out loud in front of me before. I didn't even know that he understood the concept of numbers.).
4. He can count from one to twenty three before getting bored.
5. He can count from one to ten in Mandarin (again, a big surprise because I have not been consistent with teaching him mandarin)
6. It takes him about ten to fifteen minutes for him to settle himself to sleep.
7. When he sleeps, he tucks in his chin and curls his hands underneath his chest, just like a little dormouse.
8. Sometimes, he flips over onto his back, but tucks his hands under the backs of his legs.
9. Watching a sleeping baby makes one feel very, VERY sleepy.
10. It's nice waking up to a slobby kiss on the nose from a happy, well-rested baby.
Although I do envy my peers whose children fall asleep in their arms or who snuggle up to them at night for comfort, I do not regret the decision to teach Stardust to sleep independantly. It is important for MDH and myself to get adequate rest if we are going to function well during our waking hours!
This past week, Stardust has been feeling a little bit sad since the departure of the Outlaws. He doesn't ask for them, because he knows that they have returned home. However, I have watched him walking into the guest room and just looking solemnly at the empty bed. He has been quieter this week, and more needy.
One afternoon, he woke up midway through his nap, sobbing his little eyes out. He was still sleepy but he was also agitated, so I decided that he could take his nap on my bed next to me. Once he realised that I wasn't going anywhere, his whole body relaxed. I pretended to sleep, so that he would understand what he was meant to be doing. In the meantime, I had the opportunity to observe his sleep-time behaviour.
I have learned that:
1. He sings himself to sleep in a whispery-soft voice.
2. He makes up the tunes himself, repeating random words that have a soothing sound (e.g. 'Starfish', 'Finger-thumb', 'Choose').
3. He counts the patterns on the bedsheets or the shadows on the ceiling (this was a big surprise because he has not counted out loud in front of me before. I didn't even know that he understood the concept of numbers.).
4. He can count from one to twenty three before getting bored.
5. He can count from one to ten in Mandarin (again, a big surprise because I have not been consistent with teaching him mandarin)
6. It takes him about ten to fifteen minutes for him to settle himself to sleep.
7. When he sleeps, he tucks in his chin and curls his hands underneath his chest, just like a little dormouse.
8. Sometimes, he flips over onto his back, but tucks his hands under the backs of his legs.
9. Watching a sleeping baby makes one feel very, VERY sleepy.
10. It's nice waking up to a slobby kiss on the nose from a happy, well-rested baby.
Labels: Stardust
posted by tscd at 11:47 am
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