My Little Monster

(As soon as I typed that title, the "My Little Pony" song came to my mind. Wow, what memories.)

You may be wondering who the monster of this tale is. Okay, you're not wondering. We all know it is Violet. No one ever told me that babies get harder and harder as the months go by. I figured they get easier as they get more independent. Maybe I should've remembered with all my little sisters, but I don't. Don't get me wrong, she has been a wonderful, easy-going baby and I have been one lucky mommy. Until now. Late at night. She has a serious attitude problem. This is how our night-time routine goes.

We've been trying to put Violet to bed earlier than we have--usually between 9 and 10. Nope. She wants to stay up with Mommy & Daddy. So, it is usually more like between 11 and 12. This is fun for no one. From about 9 o'clock onwards she naturally is cranky because she is tired. As the hours, nay, minutes tick by, she of course gets grumpier and grumpier. This leads to constant nursing, which isn't that fun for me. When we think she has finally sucked herself to sleep, I try to pull away and replace myself with the paci. Nope. She'll have none of that anymore. She's had it with the lies and deceit. She's realized what the paci is--nothing but a ruse. And how does she feel about it? I bet you could guess by her actions. She yanks it out and throws it. Seriously. I didn't know babies this young could have such attitude! They say you can't spoil a baby younger than six months, but I'm really wondering.

Violet has also decided she's too big for a baby bed. She refuses to sleep in her moses basket. We thought we had her trained pretty good to sleep in her own bed now. Alas. She wants to cuddle with Mommy ALL NIGHT. Not only that, but she wants to be HELD all night. Thus, the past few nights I've been sleeping in one position on my side with a baby in the crook of my arm all night. Not very comfortable for someone who likes to roll around at night. And it is a good thing her head isn't very heavy or my arm would be dead.

Did I mention she wants to nurse all night? I have become the replacement for the pacifier. At least most of the time. The times when I try to escape her and try the ruse once again are usually failed attempts, particularly because I can never even FIND the paci after she has thrown it. My nights are filled with scrambling around, looking for the paci in the dark, searching for the flashlight so I can perhaps see where she has thrown the paci, banging my fists in frustration on the bed, thus finally waking Dan.

Notwithstanding all the antics, it sure is hard to be mad at Violet in the mornings. Especially when I wake up to find her staring with her innocent wide eyes at my face, probably wondering why my eyes are closed. Sometimes she tries to grab at my eyelids, and I'm assuming that she's trying to open my eyes. Perhaps she thinks sleep isn't something mommies are supposed to do. Mommies OR babies.

Please, Violet. Fall in love with sleep again. Or at least just fall asleep.