The Sleep Fairy arrives (Amanda)

Some of you know we have battled sleep issues with Ryleigh, somewhat beyond the normal toddler not wanting to go to bed. When you combine all the change (moving, traveling, starting preschool), it's no surprise she has trouble sleeping. But when you add the confusion arousal and the multiple trips to our bed, not only is she not getting sleep (which makes the confusion arousal worse, which means less sleep/ more exhaustion, which means worse sleeping issues... you get the picture... vicious cycle), neither are we. The exhaustion is starting to take its toll on all of us. We just need sleep.

We got a little bit smarter a few weeks ago and made Ryleigh a "nest" (a blanket and pillow) on the floor next to our bed. Sometimes you are just too tired to deal with whether she's in her bed, as long as she lets you sleep! Now at least we aren't being kept awake by kicking and tossing when she's finally asleep.

Of course, there are also the million visits out of her bed before she ever goes to sleep. Those, I guess are normal. But when your sweet angel is anything but angelic because she's SO tired, and her eyes look so pathetic, and she spends half the day yawning and telling you how tired she is, and yet cannot go to bed... In our online search for help, we stumbled across The Sleep Fairy. So we are trying it. It finally arrived today. I don't want to get my hopes up, but my little girl is in bed, and I haven't heard a peep out of her. She seems clear on what is acceptable (getting up at 2 am to go to the bathroom) and what is not, getting up ten times for another drink, etc. Anything that involves her not waking up in her own bed tomorrow morning means no visit from the Sleep Fairy.

In case you're curious, the Sleep Fairy (whose name is Macy), leaves little presents under the pillows of little boys and girls who stay in their beds all night. It starts out with little gifts (hair bows, stickers, lollipops, etc) every night, then every other night, then once a week, etc. Yes, we are bribing our child to sleep. But she is so tired, we are so tired, and we will try anything. We've tried it all! And despite all the tantrums involved in the hour before bedtime and how tired and cranky Ryleigh was, the story of the Sleep Fairy calmed her down. She seemed to take it all in, asked about how the fairy would get in, where the present would be, etc. She really wants that little gift. I'm so glad I recently found a bunch of my old trinkets from my childhood. I knew there was a reason I saved them all these years. Remember jelly bracelets and tiny flocked teddy bears? Oh yeah.

Sweet dreams, my friends. And pray that Macy the Sleep Fairy helps my child find restoring rest. Dear, sweet Ryleigh needs it so badly. And so do her mommy and daddy.