Co-Sleeping

For better or worse Stella "I can't sleep in my crib" Hester has been in our room for about a month now and let me tell you co-sleeping is hard. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the snuggling and talking and all the fun play time we have in our bed but when it comes down to sleeping its a whole different thing. Not only does she sprawl out and take up half the bed, and we have a king size bed, but she tends to get right up on you to where if you moved even the slightest bit you would crush her. And when she isn't laying right on top of you, she usually has her head in my back and her feet in Clint's back. So needless to say it is not the most restful sleep.

 

Now the flip side to this sleeping arrangement is we get to have a lot of very special moments with her that we would not get to have if she was not in our bed. I'm talking moments like her falling asleep holding our hand, or her laughing in her sleep for no reason, or her smiling when we kiss her good night on her forehead and the fact that I get to wake up every morning with my beautiful baby girl smiling down on me saying "hi mama". Now if that doesn't just melt your heart I don't know what will. Not to mention she jabbers in her sleep which just makes laugh. I didn't know babies talked in their sleep. So I'm starting to see both sides of it. Now do I think she would be happier in her bed and it would be better for everyone? Heck yes! But I am just not at that point yet where I am willing to let her cry it out hysterically to get there. Now I know letting them cry it out is not wrong, it's not a bad thing. But it's not that she doesn't want to sleep in her bed she is scared to sleep in her bed. For whatever reason, about a month ago, every time I tried to put her down to bed she would wake up screaming at the top of her lungs and start clutching my neck to where she would leave marks. She was terrified. And until I can figure out why I am just not ready to put her or me through that.

 

l have talked to a lot of friends and looked up some different methods and I think the Supper Nanny Method could work. That's where you put them in their beds and sit in the middle of the room with out making any eye contact and no talking to them every time they get up you simply put them back in their bed. And each week you move closer and closer to the door until you aren't in there at all. So that's going to be my game plan when I reach that point where I am ready to try it. Because I know I'm going to be on my own with this because believe it or not Clint is an even bigger softy than I am so this mama is going to have to figure this one out on her own. I'll keep you posted....

Proof that Stella can sleep in her bed. Clint's mom has been the only one who can get her to do it. Now granted it was in the middle of the day during nap time so her room was not dark. Maybe I need to get a better night light.

Clint having a camp out with Stella in our living room.

She has no trouble sleeping in the car that's for sure.

Worn out and fast asleep in our bed. I love how her arms are tucked under her chin and her feet are crossed. Such a lady. :)

Big girl eating. She always has a smile on her face.

Kelly kept Stella for me one day after school. I don't know how she does it, in case you hadn't noticed there's four kids in that stroller. PJ, Kaitlyn, Stella and Kinley. She is super Aunt!

Kelly took the kids to eat at the mall for lunch. She's a little flushed, it was hot that day.

This is when we first changed her crib into a toddler bed thinking that might help. It didn't. Don't get me wrong she loves to play in it. Just not sleep. And no those are not my legs they are Clint's. ;)

I ordered her a nap mat for school. She loves this thing.



Stella started school a couple weeks ago. This is her lunch bag and backpack. I'll blog about her first week of school later on.

My Me Me came in town awhile back for our family reunion we have every year at my parent's house. Stella loves to eat off everyone's plate. It's a Pascuzzi trait.