Kids don't come with instructions.....

Unfortunately, they don't. As I sit here reading, "The Happiest Toddler On The Block" to try to retrieve some hints on how to get Maeve to sleep through the night, I realize that it's no use. She's going to keep waking up till SHE decides that sleep is more important than mommy. See we didn't have this problem with Kyra. At 10 months old, she slept from 7pm till 7am and still took a good 3-4 hour nap during the day. To this day, Kyra is a 12 hours-a-night sleeper. Maeve has other ideas. If you never put her in her bed, she'd continue to think that there's an all-night party going on and that she NEEDS to be attending. This kid is a clone of her father (who might I add stayed up 24+ hours straight....he worked last night and never went to bed today). She has to be where the action is. I can already tell that we definitely have our work cut out for us with her (again, it's that 2nd child syndrome).

You can read every book on the planet and think that you'll be the best parent or that you'll get your kid to do what this book says or that book says. It's not true. And the more kids you have, the more likely you are to let all of those ideas go out the window. With Kyra, I read every book that I could get my hands on. I had "What To Expect When You're Expecting", "What To Expect The First Year", and "What To Expect The Toddler Years". Honestly, the only books that I've really been into thus far with Maeve have been the nursing ones. And I've found that they haven't provided all of the info. that I was looking for. There are websites out there (like kellymom.com) that have provided more than a book ever could. I'm also fascinated by browsing message boards and reading other's experiences because we just might have something in common.

If you aren't a parent yet, but plan to be someday and you find that your child doesn't do everything "by the book", then don't fret. I don't think most babies go "by the book". They all have unique personalities and what works for one might not work for another. I'm finding this out right now with my two. They are like night and day. Kyra was a very trying infant, but now she's the sweetest, kindest kid I know. Maeve was a dream of a baby, but now her little spitfire personality is shining through.

Forget books. Your best resources are friends or family members that have "been through it all". Or find a message board where you can chat with other mommies that have similar issues. Finding that you're not alone can almost be liberating. Remember that a happy mommy= a happy baby. :)