Frustration, patience, sleep!!

I need help, advise, a magic rodent foot!! (don't ask) My child does NOT like to sleep. And when she finally gets those weary little eyes closed, the slightest noise can jolt her up. I thought we were beginning to make progress in our nighttime routine, and perhaps we are, but my lack of patience wants more, NOW!

We've started, what I consider to be a substantial night routine. We feed her between 6-630. Then anywhere from 7-730 she is bathed, massaged with her "sleepy" lotion, rocked and read to, or enjoys her "Mozart and Friends Sleepytime DVD". This usually involves a LOT of crying, hair pulling (Lena pulling my hair), pinching, kicking frustration, and as of last night a headbutt to my cheek resulting in a beautiful bruise on the left side of my face! Once she is snug in one of our laps we continue to rock for atleast 10 more minutes, just to be sure. Then we lay her in her crib, where if we are lucky she sleeps for about 4 hours. Then the real fun begins. She begins to wake periodically through the night, sometimes in a pattern, other times just because. If we can coax her right back to sleep, no bottle, if we can't we give in and allow her a fix of milk!

I won't lie, she ends up in bed with us, and in her bassinet almost every night! Because I am the one that usually wakes to get her back to sleep, I am willing to do ANYTHING to get just a couple of hours myself. Selfish? You betcha, but without sleep it's so hard to function properly enough to be a good mommy!!

Once we were given the clear for cereal, we went for it. This was simply in hopes that it would keep her full through the night and she would sleep!! HAHAHA...you know that saying that God laughs when we make plans! Well this is just hillarious! I know we will find a way that works for us all, and patience is our only virtue at this point. But I'm becoming frustrated, and my nerves are worn from the constant cries. There are days when she cries most of the time, simply because she didn't sleep well the night before and is still soo exhausted. These days I feel like a failure, a tired, unshowered, matted hair, failure.

What to do? She's only four months, almost five. Maybe I'm expecting to much out of her, and maybe my lack of faith that life with work it out, is getting in my way! But I need sleep, I miss sleep. And napping when she naps is getting me no where. The days I do nap, I'm up all night because I am no longer tired. AHH the pattern! What to do?