Friday, April 23, 2010

I Will Require Complete Silence For My Next Trick

We trained my son to be a heavy sleeper. I'd clap and yell when he was a baby and we'd leave the TV or the radio playing so he wouldn't require silence when he napped. We figured it was our house and he could get used to our noise level. And it worked out great. He sleeps through storms, loud visitors, and any time my clumsy self knocks over something ridiculous (coffee tables, brooms, drum sets). If you scream in his face, he'll wake up (tested and true). But general noise won't disturb him. And you can move him all over the place without him even twitching. So when he falls asleep on the couch, it's an easy transition to the bed.

But my daughter is a different story. Despite our best efforts to soundproof her, she still gets startled and awakened by small noises or any kind of movement (and I'm pretty sure my son's gas on occasion has reeked her awake). So one of the hardest things to do is move her when she's fallen asleep in the wrong place. You have to pick her up really slowly and then hold your breath while you tiptoe to the bed. Then you have to gently set her down and try to ease your arm out from under her. It's like a combination of the motion-sensor scene from Sneakers, those crazy people who kiss cobras on the head, and playing Operation.

And now that she's talking a lot more, it's starting to be a little funny. Last night I put her down and she mumbled, "No Daddy." She didn't open her eyes, and I didn't speak. So I'm not sure how she knew it was me moving her. But it took me 20 minutes to get her back to sleep.

3 comments:

Kathleen said...

We trained ours in the same way so that we can vacuum when they're asleep. Or I can turn on the light in their rooms and put laundry away while they slumber. The only problem with this is when it comes to emergencies...like the time my son slept through the carbon monoxide alarm that was shrieking right outside his door.

Kendra said...

My son is the same as yours, and my daughter also, exactly the same. I didn't TRY to train him to sleep like a log, he just does. And the daughter had colic...cried cried cried and everything wakes her up.

Anonymous said...

We TRIED to do so with our older daughter (now 12) but the click of the doorknob when I peeked in on her, the pop of my ankle or knee would wake that child up. Looking at her wakes her up.
I'm the same way. I have much trouble sleeping without my ceiling fan (a Hunter, I hate a fan that makes noise) and my Sleep Mate white noise machine.
Younger daughter (10) can sleep through anything, like the Husband. The only thing that wakes him easily is me saying his name, one of the girls saying Dad, or one of them coughing.
Ame, TN