Sunday, February 27, 2011

Change


After many weeks of thinking, considering, hesitating and finally deciding and cleaning - we moved the boys to their own room. Yes, from yesterday they live "next door". :)
The main reason for that was the nights... I know this is going to sound whiny, which isn't my intention at all (especially as I do not want to make an impression that I'm not happy about becoming a mom of triplets and all the incredible experience I'm going through), but some days ago Erik was reading some posts of my blog and commented that my post are mostly cheery and make the parenting of triplets look so easy, and in reality - it's not. So, without wanting to sound like a complainer, I write the truth here: I'm NOT looking forward to the nights anymore. It's crazy... most of the time.

It all went so well until the boys got the chicken-pox. Until that point, I had managed to train the boys to eat only around 3.30 a.m. and not before. It meant some very good hours of sleep to me. But during the chicken-pox weeks I fed the boys as often as they wanted since I thought they might be thirsty due to the fever. And after that, we never got the good routine back. The boys really fool me during the nights! It's not possible to sleep in the same room with them anymore.

Let me describe you a typical night:
At 8.45 p.m., the boys start to eat. Usually it goes well, as far as Ralf and Fred are concerned. They eat well and go to sleep with no problem. Sten refuses to eat, but we have got used to this as well - it's just NOT possible to feed a 6-month-old boy if he doesn't want to. He shuts his mouth and that's it. Finished. No way I can force him to open it! So we leave him hungry and put him to bed. He normally wakes up around 10 p.m. and eats his milk while sleeping. So I'm not worried of this anymore. From 10.15 until around 11.45 the boys sleep really well. But I do not go to sleep so early, because I need to pump out the milk + I want some "MY" time, too. Otherwise it feels like I'm a slave of the boys. So I normally go to sleep around 11.15 p.m. and manage to sleep around 30 minutes before the circus starts. First, Ralf usually wants to eat around 12. Or at least I think he wants. Sometimes he eats, sometimes he doesn't. Around 1, Sten eats and usually I wake up Fred to eat during that time, too, because otherwise, I cannot sleep during "the first part" at all. from 1.30 t0 3.30 it's usually quiet, well, good nights are. I try to sleep. But after that... it's just crazy! The boys try to wake up at every reason. A tummy is lost... they are bored... they think it's more interesting to look around (even when it's deadly dark)... If not before, then Ralf is surely awake at 4. During that time, at 4, the boys used to eat before, but now they just fool around. As Ralf and Sten are sleeping in the same bed, then they do anything to wake each other up. Ralf invented a way how to do it: he bounces. How does it work? He lifts his legs very high up and then, with free fall, he lets them down to make a nice bounce with a big sound. Oh how he enjoyes it. He doesn't do it once, twice or three times, he does it 30 times in a row. To make sure Sten is awake, too. Quickly Sten learnt to do the same thing, so they are now bouncing by turns.
If Ralf gets bored, he can also play with bed sticks - he hits them with fingers to hear how it sounds. I'm happy if they finally fall asleep before they are up again, sometimes at 6, sometimes at 7. And how many hours of sleep have I got? I guess I can count the minutes and not the hours...

Yes, I've had it enough. I wanted my bedroom back. Hoping that maybe, after moving the boys to their own room, they finally start to sleep. Like normal babies! :)

The first night in separate beds in their own room was yesterday. It was not more awful as a normal night. I only went to their room maybe 25 times at night. I do have a bed for myself in their room, too, but right now, I do not plan to move there. I think we might succeed and one day, they let me sleep, too.

We changed Kert's old bedroom to the triplets' room as it was the largest. Kert was happy to get a new room with new bed and TV. I'm quite happy with the result of the triplets' room, however, I'm going to make some decorations for the walls - to make the room more childish.

The boys' room:

The boys at Kert's new room and bed:

10 comments:

Eda said...

Njaa, kui tegemist oleks ainult ühe lapsega, siis ma oskaks võibolla isegi midagi soovitada või vähemalt oma kogemusest rääkida (venita söögivahed lutiga pikemaks, oota, ehk uinuvad ise uuesti, ja jää enesele kindlaks), aga mul pole aimugi, kuidas seda kolmega teostada:( Selleks peaksid Sa end vist kolmeks kloonima (veel parem neljaks, siis jääks Sulle ka üks Sina;)) ja kõik erinevatesse tubadesse magama saatma kuni jälle reziim paigas. Aga ilma naljata - soovin Sulle vastupidamist!

Maarja said...

Päris raske on nii jah. Kui ma vahel miskit valet asja söön ja lastel gaasid tekivad, siis nad ärkavad ka öösiti jube sagedasti üles ja ägisevad ja pugisevad ja teevad kõvemat häält ka. Ma alguses üritasin iga kord neile süüa anda, aga siis sain aru, et nad tegelt tahavad gaasidest lahti saada. Nüüd proovingi toitmiseaja enam vähem sarnase hoida (3...4 paiku) ja siis muudel aegadel kas aitan puuksudele kaasa või annan rahustuseks lutti. Kui gaase pole, siis magavad väga vaikselt ja ärkavad vaid tühja kõhu peale.

Tahaks sulle ka miskit soovitada, aga ilmselt see lõppeks lausega, et iga laps on erinev ja eks sinu laste mured on juba teisest klassist, kui minu pisikeste...

Ma mõtlen, et kui sa ise teises toas magad, et siis sa ära selle niisama poiste mängu peale nende tuppa mine...äkki kui neil paar ööd publikut pole, siis nad jätavad selle järgi. Ja näiteks määra jälle söögiajaks sama mis enne ja kui tahavad varem, siis venita lutiga. Äkki õnnestub.
Me võõrutasime Erichi lutist nii, et ta üks õhtu karjus pool tundi järjest. Päris raske on seda kuulata, aga toimis. Me mehega vaheldumisi 10 mintsa tagant hoidsime teda süles, endal kõrvatropid kõrvas. Järgmine õhtul enam lutti ei tahtnud.
Aga kõige raskem on sul muidugi endal, sest oma lapse kisa on ikka väga raske kuulata... aga kui vastu pead, siis mõne öö pärast saad jälle magada...ma usun. Kui sa veel ei ole lugenud, siis raamat "Päästke meie uni" võib ka sind aidata.

Maarja said...

Igal juhul jõudu ja tugevat meelt. Kui mul väga raske on, siis mõtlen, et ka see saab kord läbi... :)

Karin said...

Tänud soovituste eest, Eda ja Maarja! Ma ise ikka loodan, et läheb üsna varsti paremaks ja et praegu on lihtsalt mingi raskem vahe-etapp neil, kui öösiti peab sellist tsirkust tegema. Varem, kui lapsed olid pisikesed, sai lutiga söögivahesid väga edukalt pikendada, aga nüüd ma olen juba nii läbi endaga, et ma isegi ei mäleta keset ööd, kas see, kes vigiseb, juba sai süüa või mitte ja kas ma olen talle juba lutti toppinud või mitte... Hommikul tõustes ei tea enam, kes millal sõi ja kui palju! :) Õnneks päevane rezhiim on meil väga hästi paigas ja sellega meil probleeme ei ole.

Karin said...

Aga jah, Maarja, Sul on õigus - ei tohiks iga vigina peale reageerida. See on minu viga, et ma kohe vaatama lähen - osalt on see tingitud sellest, et kardan, et kui üks hakkab kisama, siis on ka teised üleval ja kui juba kolm kõik üleval, siis magama neid uuesti saada on pikaajaline protsess ning öösiti ma muutun juba üsna tigedaks, kui mõtlen, et no nii, nüüd on minu need mõnedki unetunnid jälle kaotsis. Pluss mul on majas veel mehi, kes öösiti magada tahaks, mitte laste kisa kuulata... :)

Karin said...

Where can you find these normal babies you mentioned, that sleep all night long? I wonder....

Sorry I had to laugh when I read about Ralf and the bouncing, he sure seems to be a very active and innovative young boy.

I put Anna in a her room many months ago, but sometimes I sleep there as well and that is hopeless. Now she has a cold so I find a good excuse, but I think by the end of this week I will take the bed out.

Good luck, I hope it works, I am sure it will:-)

PS! Do you get to watch somehting from the skiing in Holmenkollen?

Karin said...

Karin - yeah, I wonder also, where I can find a baby who sleeps well! I read about good babies in forums, but at least among my 3 babies, none is like that!
I hope Anna will be soon well! I started to write a letter to you a few weeks ago, but it's still unfinished. This week I'll be at work, so I cannot write until Thursday, but then, I surely want to finish it! I'll let you know!
I've been able to follow Holmenkollen skiing, too, not watching, but hearing it as TV is on, when I'm with the babies. So I know all the wonderful joy Marit Björgen has brought to Norwegian crowd! :)

M said...

Karin, see on väga hea otsus, et Sa nad omaette tuppa panid! Usu, see on juba pool võitu! 6 (varsti 7)- kuused lapsed on täiesti võimelised kogu öö magama, nad peavad seda nüüd ainult veidi harjutama. Ega nad Sul päeval liiga palju ei maga? Mitu korda? Kui pikalt? Öeldakse küll, et lapse uni on püha. Aga mina jälgisin küll väga valvsalt just päevaunede pikkust. Nad peavad ööseks nii läbi olema, et MAGAVAD! See on asja võti. Soovin Sulle südamest edu - ja muidugi peatset väljamagamist!

Marta said...

i said before, I can say again: A SUPERMOTHER is what you are!! with a super father and super brother to go along:)

stay trong Karin, first year is not easy but look at them: they're tremendously CUTE!!!!


lots of love to you all!
from us 3;)

Karin said...

Maris ja teised - ööd on nüüd juba palju paremaks läinud! Eraldi tuppa magamapanek aitas kõvasti kaasa + see, et jätsin ära õhtuse väikese une. Kuigi esialgu nad väsisid väga ära ja ülevalhoidmine oli raske, siis paari päevaga sai asi paika ning nüüd nad tõesti õhtul langevad voodisse ja magavad sekundi pealt. Ning öösel ka palju paremini. Ehkki nad keset ööd ikkagi ärkavad, aga ma ei lähe enam nende juurde (kui võimalik) ja viimasel ajal ei ole nad enam ka kisama pistnud, v.a. siis, kui söögiaeg on. Seega ma saan juba täitsa arvestatavalt magada, isegi hommikul ei jookse ma kohe nende juurde ja lasen neil omaette voodites veidi aega tegutseda. Nii et väga hull enam olukord ei ole. :)