Sleeping babies

A sleeping baby is quite possible the most delicious, lovable, kissable, cutest thing that ever happened.  If you have ever held a peaceful sleeping baby, you definitely get it.  I could take pictures of sleeping babies every day and still find it beautiful.

Some people have babies that fall asleep any time, anywhere.  Do babies that sleep all night from the start even exist?!  Maybe so.  I wouldn't know.  

Enter: the sleep saga.  So many conversations with different people, especially other parents, end up revolving around our kids sleeping habits which inevitably affect our sleeping habits unless your like one of those husbands that pop ear plugs in every night.  

It's so cute but such a bummer when they fall asleep for a short nap in the stroller because that means NO good longer naps at home in their own beds (at least for her, that is).

I sleep trained Maddie at six months by letting her "cry it out" for two weeks.  She was only waking up once a night but after those two weeks, she wasn't waking up at night.  She would go usually 11 hour stretches.  She's always been an early riser and we've grown accustomed to waking up between 5:30 and 6:30am for the last 29 months.  She's also not a long-nap taker.  We're used to her getting about a 40 minute nap in every day and if she's super tired, she sits up or moves around, then naps for another 40 minutes or so.  If that happens, she always wakes up extra cheerful and lovable.  I get at least three kisses right when I pick her up and she says "I love you, Mama!"  Shortly after she loves on me, she asks for Carter and then exclaims, "I love you, Carcar!"

Having a baby is enduring some kind of change in routine almost on a weekly basis.  I was scared of each change.  When we moved her from the pack in play in our room to her crib around 3 weeks old, then each time we moved or traveled for multiple days, going from formula to dairy milk, going from bottles to sippy cups to nothing most nights before bed, going from crib to pack n play to toddler bed, and all the other little things I'm forgetting.  I watched a Gray's Anatomy recently (because I am hooked and just started watching the show for the first time ever about a month ago on Netflix), and one of the themes was that it's okay to be scared because that means you have something to loose.  So yes, I was scared with each sleep change because we all had sleep to lose. 

The stool was promptly removed from her room after this.

I just want to share one thing in case you are a parent with a similar strong willed, independent child.  Just so you don't feel like you are the only one because I did until I read more online about it: we locked her in her room when we started the toddler bed.  We don't have to lock it any more because she rarely even gets out of bed once we put her down (unless her stoplight alarm clock turns green in the morning).

Now, I am a proud parent of a little two year old who goes to sleep without bottles of milk, in a toddler bed in her own room, falling asleep on her own for naps and bedtime.  It feels like such an accomplishment after a long rocky road!  

Now I get to do everything all over again.  On the other hand, this little boy is totally different than his sister, so it feels like a big new challenge.  The only thing is, I'm not as scared, because I'm aware of the ability to function with nearly no sleep at all.    

Carter actually took a pacifier or "binky" which was pretty nice.  He no longer wants it.

We sort of "sleep trained" him for the two weeks after Thanksgiving by wearing ear plugs and keeping our door closed.  When I took them out, it just seems like his nighttime sleep is so inconsistent still because of a dirty diaper or acid reflux or just being a really light sleeper.  In general, though, I feed him once or not at all from 10pm-6am, which is great considering that I went for three months waking 5-7 times a night.  But then each time we travel, we regress and have to get back into our home routine.

He also refuses the bottle.  He was taking it a little bit for a couple weeks but now we have a very picky milk drinker.  Hopefully this doesn't last too long because Mommy would like to have a break longer than 2 hours.  He hates formula but seems to like dairy milk.

Aren't those cheeks irresistable?! And those thick little hands!

All this to say, and I'm convinced that you have to expect and accept no good sleep for the first three years after a baby because there's no telling what it will be next: poopy diaper, teething, pee through the diaper, night terrors, nightmares, traveling, sickness, scared, lonely, or just stubbornness.  Maybe some would even say that once you have a child, you won't sleep well again.  I don't even want to imagine staying up late when they're teenagers coming home after curfew!  (...I've cried multiple times holding these two little ones thinking about how these moments are flying by...)  Parenthood is such a journey.  Tough and rewarding all at the same time.  I'm glad that I have a great man to walk beside on this journey because I don't know if I could do it alone.  

She was protesting her nap with a tantrum on the floor and ended up falling asleep after almost an hour of fussing.

He is now a side/belly sleeper (without the pillow). 

On my birthday, I spent the day with the two greatest gifts...

We do have a newly developed challenge now.   Maddie wants binkies, bottles, and bibs nearly every day.  We have talks about big girls all the time.  "But big girls get to eat cookies, go down the slide, jump on the bed, eat pizza, eat ice cream, eat lollipops!!!!"  I try not to make a big deal about it and distract, but she loves acting like she's a baby.  

I do recall being six years old when Amy and Aaron were born, thinking that it was so cool to drink chocolate milk out of their bottles.  

As long as they don't have a binky or diapers when they go to kindergarten..........