Beds

I'm torn! Abi slept in her own bed last night. She slept through the night. She is still asleep at 9am (after nursing at 7am). I didn't sleep quite so well, but I refused to succumb to my own fretting and check on her, thus risking waking her as I opened the door. Robin checked for me.

How did this happen? Last night we attempted to go see Avatar. Alas, it was sold out and we ended up going for dessert and lattes (and a few geocaches for Robin, including one near Chapters which allowed me to browse for a little while). We enjoyed our evening out, but we were only gone less than two hours. We returned home by 9pm (rather than after 11:30) and expected to find Abi not sleeping.

Our friend Chris had come over to babysit. We'd given 8:30 or so as a bedtime. Lately we've been struggling to get her to sleep. The old routine stopped working - it all being signs of bedtime which Abi resisted. I knew it would be different for Chris, just as it is different for J at daycare when Abi takes naps. Abi listens better to others - as is common for kids. I expected it might be more difficult to convince Abi to fall asleep alone in our bed when she is used to us being there to put her down, so I finished setting up her bed in the purple room. Before Chris arrived I gave Abi her nightly "medicines" of vitamin D and the homeopathic Calm we're trying. I showed her the new bed prepared for her with her pillow and blankets, her horse (current favourite animal, and technically this one is a unicorn since all my horses tend to have horns), and her favourite books and other toys in a basket beside the bed. Much to my delighted surprise she decided to play "night-night" and climbed into bed, pulling the blankets up. Of course, when I suggested she really could go to sleep them if she wanted, she quickly jumped out of bed. That was the same moment that Chris arrived. As we were heading to the door to greet our guest, Abi ran back for her pillow and horse. She also decided she wanted a blanket so I grabbed her pink Earth Goddess blanket from the basket of favourite things.
I should note, Abi still has no "loveys" - no transitional objects. She simply is not attached to any of her things. She enjoys the toy she is currently playing with or fixated on, but that changes very regularly.
Downstairs she proceeded to put her horse down for night-night on the couch. She loves to play night-night with toys. That's why she wanted the pillow and blanket.

When we returned home we were surprised to discover she was fast asleep. We plugged in the monitor and proceeded to watch a movie in the basement, still expecting her to wake up. We went to bed fairly early, keeping our door open to listen (much to the delight of Fenwick), and I drifted in and out of sleep, waiting for her to wake... Finally I heard her stir at 7am. When I went in she was still mostly asleep, so we nursed and (again, much to my surprise) she fell back asleep.

Needless to say, after co-sleeping for almost two years, it was difficult for me to sleep. I've suspected for a while she'd be happy in her own bed, but we decided to wait until after the holidays in Winnipeg, and then we were wanting to get a bed rail, and then the fight to get her to stay in bed to fall asleep... While we were out last night, I told Robin I thought her first night in that bed might mark a turning point. We discussed whether or not we will continue putting her to sleep there, whether or not we think it will be effective with *us* putting her to sleep there. It's worth a try, especially if she sleeps so well in her own bed! No snoring dad to wake her...

And that, dear friends and family, is the story of Abi's first night in her own bed and why her co-sleeping momma didn't sleep well.