She Sleeps!

Better yet, she sleeps in her crib!

Before Eliza was born, Nathan and I discussed what our plan was for baby regarding sleep. We agreed we wanted to co-sleep until Eliza was at least six months old. However, things didn't exactly turn out the way we planned...with anything! Because of her colic, Eliza needed to bounce constantly in her Amby bed to sleep. As soon as one of us stopped rocking/bouncing her/patting her back, she woke up screaming. Although her colic has ended (thankfully!), Eliza has grown accustomed to bouncing all night.

Our continuing sleep deprivation led Nathan and I to copious amounts of research and differing opinions regarding healthy sleep habits for baby. Nathan opted to adopt some of Dr. Ferber's methods. Like I said previously, I was opposed to letting Eliza "cry it out," but realized I couldn't stay up all night rocking her to sleep. Furthermore, I didn't want this "habit" of hers to become too deeply entrenched in her psyche. Eliza cried for an hour the first night and only twenty minutes last night. Tonight, she cried for less than five minutes.

Of course, Eliza still needs to be fed and checked on throughout the night, but her learning how to fall asleep on her own is amazing. I hated the idea of letting her cry, but Nathan and I checked on her every ten minutes while she was awake so she would know she wasn't completely alone. We did what was best for us. I'm sure with our next baby, it will be a different story!

I must admit, though: sleeping without Eliza is like sleeping without the blanket I had throughout childhood (and adolescence...eek!). It's sad...but she seems much more well-rested! Look at this happy face!