The Sleep Problem in our house!

Well today was yet another day of getting up at 422am! I was so upset and frustrated! Thanks to my MOMS group and Wendy(a fellow mom with 5 month old twins), who just called out of the blue, after my frustrating email to my moms group this morning... i may have a few solutions to try out. Before i go through what i(we) have been doing so wrong...i want to say how helpful my MOMS group is to me! I really think it was one of the best things i could have done. I've met SOO many wonderful friends now, all going through or have been down the road we are traveling on right now. I'm just amazed everyday at how helpful these wonderful ladies are to me. I send out an email asking anything...and someone ALWAYS has a plan or help for me. ALWAYS!

So now on to the conversation(30 minutes to a lady that looked my number up on the yahoo group...i've never even met her before) with Wendy(by the way she has 5 month old twins who sleep from 10p-8a...that does sound impossible to me)! LOL! Anyway, she asked me all about the girls...i told her our schedule and she made a couple of REALLY good points. The Most IMPORTANT POINT...i'm a sucker(she didn't say this...but now i feel like one)...anyway back ot the POINT: Paul and i have always babied the girls...we hold them and snuggle with them at night and PUT THEM TO BED ASLEEP AFTER THEIR BOTTLE! The problem with this...they don't and have never learned to put themselves to sleep! We are always holding them to put them to bed...we put them down asleep! We did this with Hannah and STILL do...she falls asleep out on the couch(which is a REALLY BAD IDEA) and then we carry her to bed fast asleep! Anyway, it may take a while...but we're going to have to work on this and start putting them to sleep AWAKE! I'm not sure how yet...but we're going to probably feed them their bottles earlier..and then put them in their sacs and put them into their cribs while they are awake! I'm kinda embarassed...this sweet wonderful lady, who's twins are only 5 months old...is teaching ME...a mom of a 3.5 year old, how to get my girls to sleep longer. I'm embarassed...but hopefully i'll be thankful too! Right now, i'm so exhausted and at a loss for things to do...anything is worth a try. I do know that i'm only hurting my girls by not making them put themselves to sleep.

While ago, while i was on the phone Sarah came up to me and wanted me to hold her...she feel asleep right in my arms...because she's SOO tired from getting up so early. I told Wendy and she said...well you should probably wake her up...once again she wants you to hold her so she'll go to bed. I put her down on the couch to sleep for a couple of seconds so i could finish up my conversation with Wendy and woke her up...she'll just have to wait till it's nap time to sleep. It's not time now!

Anyway, it's time for a bit of tough love. We did it when we finally put them in their cribs and let them cry it out instead of getting up every night to feed them every 3 hours at 6 months...we're going to have to do it again!

I also figured out that i'm doing them another dis-sevice by putting them down for a nap...letting them cry for 15 minutes...sleep for maybe 30 minutes and then when they start crying i pick both of them up and sit down in the recliner and hold them to let them take a real nap. BAD BAD IDEA! That's another thing that's going to have to stop! I guess now if they get up...i'll just keep them up...holding them is once again not helping anyone! What was i thinking???

That's all for now...just some ramblings for the day...cross your fingers this works!