A spirited boy

Sam and I can count on one hand the number of nights we have slept all the way through in the last 2 years. 

Our sweet boy has a hard time sleeping, whether it is falling asleep, staying asleep, or going back to sleep. His poor little body is unable to calm itself down enough to get a decent night of sleep. 

He is an expert at what we call the "crocodile roll." 

Bedtime has traditionally taken us several hours, only to have Quentin wake up every 2-3 hours during the night, and then he generally ends up crawling in bed with Ada, or with Sam and I, usually not to our knowledge.

For the first 16 months, Quentin was unable to consume any dairy. Once he was done nursing, we moved him to Rice Milk. For 12 months I consumed no dairy products, and for an additional 4 months, he consumed very little dairy -- only during the times I tested it out to see if it was OK. 

I thought we were in the clear at month 16. I stopped cow's milk again about a month ago. 

You see, I think he's still having trouble, and I have a sneaking suspicion that this, along with his temperament, is robbing him of feeling well, and resting well. 

I was tucked in between these two boys. Q snuggled up behind me while I was nursing Lee, wrapped up in my shirt and fell asleep.

I have read just about everything you can think of about sleep disorders, sleep deprivation. Sleep, sleep, sleep! I have bored my mother and sister to tears with my daily theories. Have burst into tears myself for many reasons as we try to figure out what is going on, and try to get our boy some good rest.

He deserves good rest, and good health. 

We visited his Pediatrician on Friday, and in addition to prescribing melatonin (a supplement to aid sleep), she really listened to me and is sending us to an allergist to see if we can get to the bottom of this. I like his Doctor, and am grateful she didn't brush me off...I mean, what parent doesn't complain about lack of sleep?

This is different.

She also listened when I talked with her about his temperament, and that while he's not so much interested in sitting down to look at a book, I can see in his eyes that he is scheming a way to get on top of the fridge...and you know what, he could totally do it. 

I recently found two books that changed my entire perspective on raising this little man: Raising the Spirited Child and Sleepless in America. I feel like the author wrote a book about our intense, sensitive, perceptive, and energetic boy. 

What a joy to live with this exploding personality.

All I can say is what an amazing person he will be someday -- and I have no doubt that he will climb mountains, bungee jump, and do incredible things.