Saturday, August 9, 2008

Sleep deprivation...

Ok...anyone have any tips for getting some sleep with a new puppy? He doesn't cry if he's in bed with us. And I wouldn't mind him sleeping with us except for the fact that he is SO small (all one pound 5 ounces of him) that I'm afraid we are going to squish him or send him flying with the tug of a blanket he happens to be laying on. So when he is in bed with us I sleep extra light. I put a box by the bed with one of our shirts and one of his toys in it. If he's sleeping I can sometimes stick him back in the box and he'll sleep briefly but then be crying again to get back to us. After almost a week of next to nill for good sleep I am exhausted. Tonight I tried to let him cry it out but I couldn't take it. So here I sit at 2:30 a.m. awake with him. Putting him in bed was pointless - I still wouldn't be getting any decent sleep. I actually thought if I could find a big box I'd put him in a box in another room so I would have to hear him cry and maybe I could get a half a night of sleep. But I can't find a big enough box. Ugh....

Well, as long as I'm awake I might as well post my next card. This is one that I made with my new stamp that my Secret Sister sent me. Isn't it cute?



This is another of the Stampendous Changito stamps. I colored it with my prismacolor pencils. I love how it turned out. My friend, who is a teacher, got this card delivered to her on the first day of school.

Ok...guess that's all for now. He's happily sleeping at my feet. Grrrr.

Jane

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

You poor thing :) I feel for you. I remember the first night so many years ago with our first black lab. She cried and woofed and everything, but we had been told by so many people to let her cry it out, so we put her in the porch and let her cry it out for one night. It was much less the next night, and then she was fine. She was an excellent dog, and I still miss her. We have a chocolate lab now, and I actually don't recall what she did her first night, but I knew she was safe in her kennel either way. Good luck with the sleeping. Raising dogs is sometimes as difficult as raising kids. I love the colors on your card and the whole design. Thanks for the inspiration :)

Ying Pang, said...

beautiful card.

AmethystCat said...

hope you get some sleep soon but if not - you'll get lots of cards made. hee hee! love the monkey card! good luck with the puppy!

Kristine said...

OH LOOOOVE that card!! And btw, I can totally relate! We got a new puppy (2 yrs ago) and it cried all night. After 2 weeks of no sleep, we gated off a section of our garage and put lots of blankets and toys and box for her in there---we could STILL hear her crying at night. I don't have the answer for ya, sorry!! We finally ended up making her an outdoor dog. :(

Anonymous said...

Oh, sorry for the lack of sleep! But the card is really cute. Its always fun to get mail! You were #34, so you won Teachabella and da dots. Send me your address and I'll get that out to you!

Lori said...

Hi Jane, I do understand your plight sweetheart. Something to try.....do you have a wind up alarm clock? If so, put it in his box with him (don't send the alarm though. LOL!). The ticking may lull him and keep him sleeping soundly. Hope this works for you! Hugs Lori

Deb said...

Oh poor you getting no sleep! It is hard when they are babies! We were really tough on our little one and locked her in a room downstairs, bless her I don't think she knew what hit her, she only whimpered a little bit and then nothing all night and in the morning when I opened the door she looked so terrified, but it worked and she got used to sleeping alone. You have to be so tough with them at the beginning.
Your card is so gorgeous so obviously the sleep deprivation isn't hurting your creativity!

Yani said...

Congratulations on the new puppy! But it can be too much work too... so I feel for you! BTW, great card!

scrappernic said...

LOVE the monkeys--too cute! No advice on the puupy--my dogs are 8 and 9, so I barely remember them as puppies. I think they did pretty well in their kennels after the first couple nights.

Jamie said...

Jane can you get a small crate and put him in that to sleep? My dog Tucker sleeps in a crate. You can put the crate in another room if he cries, but then move it to your room once he gets used to it. Good luck.

Kelly L said...

First thing -- beautiful card, lovely LO you chose, and I love the doodling!

As for the puppy, the old fashioned heating pad or warm water bottle and a ticking clock used to work for us when I was a youngster at home with a puppy, but you have to hide them well under a blanket so the pup won't chew on them.

The lab/Irish setter we have now was a blessing. He slept at our feet as a pup, but when he got too big, he went to the floor beside our beds. We got him at 4 months of age though, and he was so well behaved. He only ever piddled in the house once and never cried or chewed a thing.

Rose Ann said...

This is super cute!! I really love those monkeys!! Great layout, texture, doodling...and of course your coloring is fab!!