For all of Helen Grace’s life, I have held her when she got sleepy- affectionately called the “sleep hold”- and put her down in her bed once she was out cold. She has been sleeping through the night in her crib since she was about 4-6 weeks old but only after using the sleep hold…so I guess that doesn’t really count, huh? I just love that cuddle time with her, and since she gets sleepy so soon after I get home from work, I feel like that’s the only way I get to look at her for more than an hour.
She is almost six months old, and I am still struggling to get her to take a nap without being held (although my mother and mother-in-law can get her to nap on her own…arg). I know, I know- you are saying, “Duh, Sha, I wonder why you are having trouble??” I finally decided it was time to put her down awake and get herself to sleep. This can only make her nap time easier and help her get more rest during the day.
Tonight, after her bottle, she was tired and rubbing her eyes but not happy and cuddly like normal. She was crying and fussy, even after a bonus few ounces. So I thought that since she was already mad, this would make putting her down and walking away a little easier than when she’s giving me that adorable little smile. However, as soon as I laid her in her bed and got her in her sleep sack, she was happy as a clam! How do they do that?!?! I kissed her goodnight, turned on her CD, and walked away. After about 15 minutes of crying, she’s out cold.
John says our baby has grown up. ;) I know it will get easier each night and I know this is better in the long run, but I already miss our snuggles. Be strong, Sha; be strong! Emotions aside, I am proud that we’ve crossed this milestone. Maybe this way I will finally be able to work on smocking her dress before she outgrows it and ordering pics from the last few months and Christmas shopping online and doing laundry and washing dishes…can you tell my mind is going a million miles a minute??
1 comment:
Be glad you did that! We did the whole "rock to sleep" deal with Emmersen and ended up having to do it up until 12 months old when we FINALLY had to call it quits. She was just too big to hurdle over the crib at night after she would fall asleep in our arms plus we would spend almost 2 hours rocking her to sleep! It was ridiculous! It also made nap time awful especially when we were out. With Clara, we started putting her in her bed awake at 3 months because we didn't want the same thing happening. Good for you! And yes, I agree, a bit sad but it's for the best, I promise!
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