Sleeping

Emmet and Benjamin are completely in love with their cousin. Emmet likes to say, “Can I hold her, can I hold her?” every five minutes, which is a hassle because it involves a boppy and a couch with an arm. Benjamin likes to jump up and down and make silly faces, which sometimes, she responds to by stopping mid-cry in surprise at this new development.

Gracie has the widest, prettiest eyes in all the land. Sometimes, after her middle-of-the-night feeding, she’ll look up at me with those large, soulful eyes as if to say, “Well, we’re all up now, what should we do? Maybe a craft?” Cooing and smiling and my heart melts, even as I’m thinking, “Go back to sleep, child.” I’ve learned that I can rock her and put her back in her crib and she’ll cry a little bit and then go back to sleep. 

Sleeping is that thing one strives for as a new parent. So far (KNOCK ON WOOD), she's a great sleeper. Which makes me SOOO happy. Especially since this isn't always the case! My friend's daughter didn't sleep through the night until she was four! I told Gracie early on that she had to be a good sleeper. So far, she's listening.

Baby and I co-slept for the first couple months. Yes, we co-slept! While I’m normally a pretty athletic sleeper who will find myself on various sides of the bed in the middle of the night, I slept still as a rock every night she was in bed with me. I think it’s instinctual, the knowledge that there’s a tiny human next to you so the body tells itself, “don’t crush the tiny human!” I found that we both slept better when she was next to me because I could reach over and pat her if she fussed, and I could easily sit up and feed and change her. Occasionally, I'd put her on my tummy to cuddle her and help her fall asleep, and then I'd wake up a couple hours later, surprised that time had passed and she was still there, a little bundle on my tummy with her hands curled at my collar bone.

A few weeks ago, we started putting her in her crib to sleep. I didn’t sleep as well the first couple of nights, but now I sleep better because I’m not waking up every time she makes a tiny noise. I do have to tiptoe in to check that she’s still alive sometimes, though. Like when she slept for nine straight hours and I shot out of bed, completely terrified that she wasn't breathing. (She was).

Also. Shhh. She sleeps on her tummy. Her head is strong and she’ll whip it from side to side to get comfortable, but she sleeps really well on her tummy. So. Don’t tell anyone because this is against the rules.

Sleeping has gotten so much better and it’s no longer a matter of getting through each night and dreading them as they approach (knock on wood). So that’s nice for now. However, I hear tell that she’ll make a developmental leap at four months and will suck at sleeping well at night again so. I have that to look forward to. :)

I was supposed to go back Dec. 2 to start work. However, due to the fact that it’ll be really hard to go back to school three weeks before Christmas break when I’ll have to get the kids used to my routines only to start over again after Christmas, and the fact that my sub really wanted to finish the semester with the kids… I asked to extend my leave through Christmas. Which means I don’t go back until Jan. 6. Which is just marvelous because I get extra time with my kid and a little more sleep before I have to start making the commute to work again!

Also, apparently people at work are nervous about me and my commute. It’ll be fine. I love what I do and who I work with, and I love where I live. So I have to deal (with a 55 minute drive to work and back each day). People in California do it. I can do it. And I get lots of breaks as a teacher! I can do this!