Sleep.

I am so happy to say that the last fewweeks everyone has been getting more sleep around here.

Ella has alwasy slept so well. Gone to bed each night with no problem and slept completely through the night; however, around the time Claire was born she started to have some issues. She was having a hard time falling asleep, waking up one to multiple times a night, and waking anywhere between 530 and 615. Right before Claire came she was also napping every.single.day for two to three hours; however, after Claire's birth, and out of nowhere, she was really struggling to nap. If she did nap it was taking her two hours to fall asleep at night and if she didn't nap her mood was awful by late afternoon. By how strict we were with her nap and bedtime schedules and how well she did with them I just always assumed she would nap til she was five or so. Well the last few weeks she has not been napping. We still require that she rest in bed quietly for thirty mintues each day. For the last few weeks now she has been going to bed at 730 and falling asleep right away. She rarely wakes in the middle of the night anymore and is sleeping til 630 or later. I always dreaded the day that she would stop napping, yet Im not finding it anywhere close to as bad as I imagined. Ella is great at entertaining herself and playing quietly so it isnt as if I really need that break for myself.

Claire has been in her own bed, in her own room for a few weeks now. She has been wanting to go to bed around 630 each night. She is a little restless from 630 til around 9 but doesnt fully wake during that time. She is out like a log from 930 til after 230. I usually feed her around 8 or 9 while she is half asleep and then she goes til about 230 without eating. Just like Ella, I am able to feed Claire and put her right back in bed. She then goes til 530 or sometimes even later without eating. I wake her when Ella wakes up. At bedtime I am able to lay Claire down sleepy rather than asleep and she falls asleep on her own. She still loves to be swaddled for the entire night. I NEVER thought I would not have a monitor in her room but Ive found this is the best way for me to sleep. Definite proof that I am no longer an anxious, first time mom! Claires room is diagonal from ours and I keep her door cracked and ours and only go in there if she cries.

And of course Winston, well, he'll sleep anywhere