I think that it is hysterical that I ever made "Never will I ever statements..." when it came to all things Caroline. The fact that I ever made them is privy to the fact that I was a first time mom.
One of the very things that I made a statement like this was, "Never will I ever put her into bed with me. She will sleep in her own crib, and I am sticking to that no matter what!"
Boy was I wrong...
I remember the moment when I realized what a cuddle bug Caroline was. She was about 2 months old when she and I both were exhausted from a long night of 2 hour feedings. It was late one afternoon and she was getting ready for her nap. I decided that I was tired and needed a nap too. So I took the sweetness, her and I cuddled up in our huge king size bed, and out like lamps we were.
When I stirred from the nap, I remember a quick moment of panic until I felt the warm little body wrapped up in my arms snoozing away. It had to be the best moment thus far...she was so tiny and so sweet just snuggled there next to me.
Fast forward 3 months later and that little sweetness some how makes her way into our bed more than I would like to admit. :) Every night I have the best intentions as I lay her in her crib and walk away. Then comes 3 in the morning when she wakes up for a feeding that somehow she and I both fall asleep after a fully tummy right back in our big ole bed.
Chris and I every now and then will just put her there straight from the start... and we laugh at how small she looks in the bed. As we fall asleep all together Chris will reach for my hand, and I feel as though life couldn't get more perfect.
But then there are those other nights, when I desperately want her to sleep in her crib all night... knowing that it's the best thing for her. Low and behold I am up for 2 to three hours with a child that just won't fall asleep. I feel as though she is speaking to me through her eyes saying, "I won't go to sleep until I feel the comfort of your bed." or "I can outlast you... just give in and put me in bed with you." She plays with my hair and three hours later as irritated as I am, I give in and back to the family bed we go.
Chris asks me every night as we get ready to lay her down..."where should I put her?" I simply state, "her crib. I will just keep trying till it works."
All that to say, never say you won't do something. Odds are your going to end up doing it if you do.
Threes Company,
Lindsey
One of the very things that I made a statement like this was, "Never will I ever put her into bed with me. She will sleep in her own crib, and I am sticking to that no matter what!"
Boy was I wrong...
I remember the moment when I realized what a cuddle bug Caroline was. She was about 2 months old when she and I both were exhausted from a long night of 2 hour feedings. It was late one afternoon and she was getting ready for her nap. I decided that I was tired and needed a nap too. So I took the sweetness, her and I cuddled up in our huge king size bed, and out like lamps we were.
When I stirred from the nap, I remember a quick moment of panic until I felt the warm little body wrapped up in my arms snoozing away. It had to be the best moment thus far...she was so tiny and so sweet just snuggled there next to me.
Fast forward 3 months later and that little sweetness some how makes her way into our bed more than I would like to admit. :) Every night I have the best intentions as I lay her in her crib and walk away. Then comes 3 in the morning when she wakes up for a feeding that somehow she and I both fall asleep after a fully tummy right back in our big ole bed.
Chris and I every now and then will just put her there straight from the start... and we laugh at how small she looks in the bed. As we fall asleep all together Chris will reach for my hand, and I feel as though life couldn't get more perfect.
But then there are those other nights, when I desperately want her to sleep in her crib all night... knowing that it's the best thing for her. Low and behold I am up for 2 to three hours with a child that just won't fall asleep. I feel as though she is speaking to me through her eyes saying, "I won't go to sleep until I feel the comfort of your bed." or "I can outlast you... just give in and put me in bed with you." She plays with my hair and three hours later as irritated as I am, I give in and back to the family bed we go.
Chris asks me every night as we get ready to lay her down..."where should I put her?" I simply state, "her crib. I will just keep trying till it works."
All that to say, never say you won't do something. Odds are your going to end up doing it if you do.
Threes Company,
Lindsey
Glad I'm not the only one... it is so much easier!
ReplyDeleteAll 3 of mine slept in our bed :) They slept better... which meant I slept better hahaha!!! They eventually get the sleeping on their own thing... your sweet baby will too! Enjoy all that cuddling ;)
ReplyDeleteAsk Heather R. to tell you about me eating crow on the comment "I will never do that!"....one day I just called her and said, "Can I just go ahead and do an overall serving of crow for all of the times where I will do things I said I would never do?" I don't think I have ever heard her laugh that hard!!! :) We all do it sister! The point is to laugh at ourselves as much as possible...and I have that one down! haha
ReplyDeleteFrom Gran
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your blog concerning Caroline sleeping with you all I had to chuckle to myself. Honey, we have all gone through this.........it just come from desperation for sleep for a first time parent, or for a parent that has been one a dozen times!
I do wish I could give you a "ray of hope" that this will end soon, however, I will just have to tell you the truth about her Daddy..............!
This was before he came to live with us. He often came to spend the night at our house. I would get him all ready for bed, a bubble bath, (we would make beards with the bubbles. Bubbles are NOT just for girls) and put clean P.J's on. Then we would read the book about Moses over and over and over. I would sometimes lay down with him until he would go to sleep or most of the time he would go to sleep in my arms or Granddad's. Sometimes later in the night if he woke he would want to get into our bed. Keep in mind that our bed was a queen size and Granddad was taking us most of it! Tooooo small for all three of us, however, we all three have slept in our bed, but it was not comfortable. So one night I thought about making him a "pallet" on the floor beside me. Wellllllll...........that was it..........NO More sleeping in the other room he wanted the "pallet"!
I prepared the pallet on my side, as I could wake and look beside me and check on him, which I did many times throughout the night. Early one morning I woke to check on Chris and he was gone!!! I called his name, and got out of the bed quicker than a flying bullet and went all through the house. As you know, our beds are high and have a long bed skirt on them. I went back into the bedroom and I lifted up the skirt and there he was............... sleeping like a log under our bed! I pulled him out and laid him back on the pallet and covered him up and he never woke up!
I wish I had a dollar for every time I pulled Chris Campbell out from under our bed! It would probably pay for a good college education for Caroline!
Now, when Granddad got up early, usually around 4 am, Chris would hear him get up..............well actually the entire world heart him get up! Chris would get up in the bed with me. We would sleep for hours more.
Also when we were in Phoenix Chris had his own bedroom. One Sat. morning we woke to a storm, very rare in Phoenix! Chris came into our room and said, "Oh, I can hear it lightening!" He hopped into our bed.................he was probably about 9 years old. We all went back to sleep and just let it storm.
Also................During the ice storm when Chris was about 10 or so, he became my "bed buddy" once again. Granddad was in Phoenix suffering for Jesus, and Chris and I were at home doing home school and fending for ourselves to stay warm! We had no electricity in an all electric home! We got Granddad's Army blanket out & snuggled up and slept warm and secure for several nights together in our bed.
We never told Chris that he could not sleep with us, or at least near us. So who knows, it may be just be genetic for Caroline! We will see where she is sleeping at age 11!