Sleeping Like a Baby

We have reached a MAJOR development in the world of Baby Sarah. First of all, she in 6 months old now. Six months! So much has happened in the last half a year. I can't believe my baby girl is such big stuff. She crawls everywhere. She eats food like sweet potatoes and bananas. And she is now....drumroll, please....

Putting herself to sleep like a big girl and mostly sleeping all night long and taking really long naps!!!!

In just a few, actually not so difficult, days, Sarah has learned to put herself to sleep. Yes there was some crying, hers and mine, I'm afraid. But I get to sleep in my own bed for most, if not all, of the night. I get to be alone with my husband before eleven o'clock at night. I am getting SLEEP. I feel like a new woman.


I did mention that there were some tears. Sarah had been getting increasingly difficult to put to bed. She required lots and lots of bouncing and walking and would get up at unpredictable intervals throughout the night. The pediatrician told us that we should wait until she was 6 months old for any sleep training. So I read another sleep book (I think I read most of them when Jack was a baby, but I wanted to try another). And we let her cry to sleep.

When we finally made the decision to teach Jack to put himself to sleep I went through all of the emotions of "should we" and "could we" and "OMG, I can't stand to see him cry for even a minute!" I thought that I had already figured it out in my head and dealt with my own anxiety about letting a baby cry to sleep.

So, with Sarah I was ready to be the "enforcer" (as my husband calls me with bedtimes.) I was ready to follow a plan and stick to it and have the happiest, most well-rested baby around. And plus, she was already grumpy and crying as I walked her, how different would it be if she was in the crib?

But it is hard to see my baby cry. It is hard to lay her down and tell her good night and feel her tear-filled eyes watch me as I leave the room.

But it is wonderful to have a quiet house at 8 o'clock. To know that for the next several hours I can do whatever I want. To know that Sarah is getting the sleep she so desperately needs.

And then I can get the sleep I so desperately need.

P.S. It is not yet 8:30 in the morning and Sarah is already down for her morning nap. She got up at 6 and is tired already!

My two angels!