Yes yes yes to all of this! Except for mine is almost 4. And I still find myself pat pat patting her at nap just so she will quiet down happily and not cry. I could have written this myself (except for the whole living on a ship part) and well, you've written it beautifully. No, no we haven't failed. We've succeed at moms! And that's really what matters.
My oldest is 5 and a half and I'm still learning how to parent him. Its easier since he can talk but we still have our moments every day. I forget he is his own person and I can not control it nor will every other tip work for us. My boy that is the same age as your daughter will need to be parented a different way than his brother. The learning never stops. I've missed your entries while you've been away. I hope blogging helps you cope with all the changes coming your way.
Hi!
I have been following you since August Birth Club 2012...I promise I'm not a stalker but your life you have chosen is really intriguing to me and also our babies share the same birth month and seem very similar.
I just want to sAy you are not alone trying to figure it out because I am right there with you, especially when it comes to sleeping. My family tells me my son should be sleeping the whole night by himself and I should let him cry. My husbands family says I should have him sleep with us and never let him cry. I feel so stuck too. Last night he was up screaming for two hours bc of an ear infection and I was so frustrated but then felt horrible for feeling frustrated. You are right motherhood is trial and error and we all need to give our selfs a break... Any way I just wanted to say you are not alone.
I remember a stretch of time (perhaps when my daughter was around 18 months old) when she wouldn't go to sleep in her crib. I ended up sitting on the floor with my hand through the bars holding her little hand. When I was especially tired, I'd lay on the floor and would sometimes fall asleep in that position. When she was older and was first in her "big girl bed," I ended up laying down with her to get her to settle, otherwise it was just giggling and running around until I was at the end of my rope.
This too shall pass . . . and by trusting your own instincts about Zoey, you're doing the right thing.
I'm in your Aug babycenter group and also due w/ #2 (in late March). I wanted to say "THANK YOU!" for this post - it has come at the most appropriate time for me and I really REALLY needed this today. My son is in toddler tantrum hell, refuses to sleep alone (he's never been a great sleeper) and I have been somewhat selfishly upset with him over the whole thing. Thank you for reminding me that I'm not failing, and it's ok that I'm winging it on a daily basis!!