Sleep or Be Happy: Your resistance to snoozing when cranky and tired better not be a permanent personality characteristic

I'm not sure what's going on with Annaliese.

Three nights ago, she fell asleep at 8.40 (yes!), woke an hour later, got burped and rocked back to sleep in her crib. K. and I went to bed, braced for whatever the night would bring.... and then we woke up at 5.30 in the morning. I had milk soaked through my nightgown and K. was convinced Annaliese had died.

She hadn't.

But on the two subsequent nights, she's woken up 3-6 times; last night, it took a full two hours to soothe her to sleep, so she wasn't out until 10.30. She'd fall asleep, and then push her face into my shoulder, whipping her head back and forth until she was awake and unhappy.

Self-sabotaging behaviour, but whatever.

This morning, despite being TIRED, she would only nap while on a pillow which is shoved between me and the computer desk. And nursing.

The pillow-nursing position is something I'm quite familiar with from her earlier months, but it's been awhile.

Maybe she's going through a growth spurt. Maybe she's going to be a total crankypants for the next eight months as teeth make their way through her gums.

But it doesn't really matter why her sleep schedule is so schizo right now, because really, there's little to do but wait it out.

Babies-- especially the ones who veer between being sunny and being difficult, like mine-- are really good practice in relinquishing control.

But that doesn't mean I'm happy about all this :(