Nursing Your Kids

Since moving him to his brand new room just under two weeks ago Sam has slept through the night all but two of those nights. For those of you counting (me) that’s 11 out of 13 nights. Starting the night before we moved him he slept through the night as well (12 out of 14) and in addition, putting the little guy to bed has been easy. Aside from one night when I went up one more time after he called from the gate and one night when my parents babysat and put him to bed and he came downstairs (they didn’t think the gate was important!!!) he’s gone to bed after a few stories without complaint each night.

I haven’t lost my memory completely. I know that Sam’s sleep habits have always gone in phases, both good and bad. I doubt that this wonderful stage that so perfectly coincides with the end of my pregnancy will last. With Sam, all good sleep is bound to come to an end sooner or later, and since the baby will be a huge disruption to our household and our lives I imagine this good sleep stage will come to an end as soon as this baby drops.

He’s also pretty much stopped napping. Car naps have been sporadic at best (one on Saturday and one yesterday) and napping in his room just won’t happen. He obviously still needs the naps, but I don’t know what to do to help him take them. He’s willing to lie down and rest for a while reading stories when the car naps fail, but the sleep won’t come. I am exhausted when Bob gets home.

But he’s sleeping through the night. Some nights I’ve slept through the entire night for eight whole hours. Other nights I’ve gotten up to use the bathroom and I’ve been able to go right back to sleep without having to spend 15 minutes to an hour soothing an angry toddler later.

The best thing about Sammy’s new room is that when he wakes up in the morning he doesn’t start screaming for me immediately. He plays. He actually wakes up and plays. I hear his little voice talking to his trains and the trains running around the tracks. Some days I hear him reading his books to himself. I can go back to sleep and doze for half an hour some mornings hearing him enjoying his books and toys. It’s lovely waking up to a child in a good mood.