Zzzzz.... PLEASE!?

I am beginning to wonder if I will ever sleep through the night again.  Seriously.  I cannot remember the last time I slept through the night without being woken up by my third baby who requires some sort of attention that awakens and disturbs me.  I am certain it has been over a year since I have slept through the night.  I was always told that "third babies are so easy and laid back."  Really?  Lili apparently did not receive that memo as she is a right pain in the backside when it comes to sleeping...day and night!

Since my older girls have been at school this week, I have been trying to encourage Lili to take a nap in her crib in the afternoon... to which she replied, "Mama, Say WHAT??"  Those weren't her exact words.  Mostly she just screamed every time we came anywhere near the crib.  She has grown so accustomed to catching cat naps here and there as I have shuttled her big sisters around, that she thinks I am completely nuts when I suggest that a crib is a suitable place for napping.  I have pretty much ruined her, I think.  Today after literally hours of trying to coerce that very tired little girl to go to sleep in her crib, she finally passed out from the exhaustion of protesting.  I peeked into her room and found a baby who was completely folded in half, sleeping and convulsing with leftover, pitiful sniffles at regular intervals.  This nap lasted about fifteen glorious minutes.  It was basically a power nap which enabled her to regain enough energy to stand up in bed and holler some more.  I went to her rescue and she almost immediately fell asleep on my shoulder again.  (This had been happening all afternoon.  I'd place a relaxed, sleeping Lili into the crib, and she'd immediately wake up, stand up and start wailing.)  I decided to keep her there, on my shoulder and let her sleep.  Lili -1; Mom- nothing.

Last night the child was up at 3 a.m.  By four o'clock when she wouldn't settle down or drink any milk and had made a very amusing game out of pulling my hair and slapping my face, I marched her right back to her crib and plonked her back in it.  It was time for some tough love.  She cried off and on (more on than off) until 7 a.m. when I had to get up and help the big kids get ready for school.  As you can imagine, there weren't homemade pancakes and show tunes from me this morning.  I'm not even sure I gave the girls a bleary-eyed piece of toast.  Hey George, did you feed our children this morning before they got on the bus?  (Yes, I am relieved to report that he did indeed serve them toaster waffles.  It could have been worse.)

So there you go: a week full of similar nonsense explains why I haven't been feeling inspired to write much this week.  I am not really asking for advice.  I am merely complaining.  I'm sure I could have prevented all of this by strictly following the "Ferber Method" or some other such nonsense and being a "Nap Nazi," but instead, I have just held and enjoyed my beautiful, ruined baby.  I may never sleep through the night again, but I'm not ready to give her away...yet.

Better get to bed.  Lili will be calling for me in a few hours!