Sleep!!

When we returned home from all of our traveling, Marin was upgraded from the bassinet to her crib! She has been in her room/crib for about 2 weeks now. She really is doing great! I complain some days but I know I've got it easy compared to some moms.  The first week wore me out. She woke up quite a bit...scared and a little confused. Usually I could just give her the passy and she would go back to sleep. But I was not going to spend the next few weeks getting up for a pacifer! Thankfully, with each night, Marin feels safer and more secure in her crib and she has gone from waking up a billion times a night to about twice. She is learning that her crib is for sleep and at night when I want to read to her and give her goodnight kisses, she just wants to be swaddled and put in her crib. And so for the past few nights, that is her little bedtime routine. We can sneak a few kisses in as we wrap her up, but she just wants to be left alone to go to sleep.

We have tried to figure out the best bedtime for her little body and I think it's going to be around 7:30. Her naps were so weird during the day that before it was making her bedtime at around 9:30 and it was just too late for her (uh, grouchy baby). So we've been putting her in her crib earlier and it seems to be helping her rest much better. She usually wakes up for the day between 6:30 and 7:00 AM. She will want to eat twice during that 12 hour period usually around midnight and 4ish. I don't see those two feeding times going away any time soon. But she will eat and go back to sleep.

We haven't really needed to do the "crying it out" phase yet even though they say that should start at 4 months. Apparently, babies this young aren't quite ready to self soothe yet. And I have to remind myself that even though she is the size of a 4 year old, she is still a new baby. But Marin is funny. She really does seem to have her own little timing of things that works just perfectly for her. Right when I want to take a night time feeding away, she does it on her own a couple nights later. Right when I think I need to take her pacifer away, she grows again and has calmer nights where she doesn't seem so dependent on it. I just have to learn to be patient with this little one. She seems to know what she is doing with this growing thing!?!?!  (Speaking of growing, she is now in size 3 diapers. Geez.) But she is as sweet as she can be and we are all getting more sleep around here. I do have to say that there is a HUGE difference in the way we both sleep when Burke is home. Just something about having Daddy home that makes us sleep so much better.



Sorry it is so dark. The only light is her little night light but she is just so cute when she is asleep.



It is hard to see the blanket on the left but it is a monogrammed blanket that Mrs. Mary Joy made for her. It is quickly becoming her "special" blanket. Because it is so small and thin, it is easy for us to pack on our trips and it gives her something to sleep with that smells of home. But even at home she likes to have it close to her face when she is sleeping.