This moment. It may NEVER happen again, so I must document.
Elise fell asleep for her morning nap, get this, ON HER OWN. For the first time, ever.
This babe sleeps like a champ at night, usually 11-12 hours. She wakes up occasionally and will whine, but gets herself back to sleep. I know how blessed I am...which is why I haven't fussed too much that she is not the best when it comes to nap time. She sleeps at night, when many of my friends's babies do not, so I was feeling pretty dang lucky.
But the older she gets, the more nap time has become my worst nightmare; I seriously dread it. The reason is because Elise will not go to sleep on her own. The only way she falls asleep is by me walking around bouncing/rocking her to sleep. Which was fine when my baby didn't weigh 18 pounds and counting!!!
I have not been living in ignorance people. I have researched sleep training methods, and tried them all. I tried the "cry it out" method. Let me tell you, my babe does not calm down, she just wails and wails until I finally can't take it any more and go in and pick her up. I get her to calm down, then lay her back down in her crib, stay there soothing her, or leave the room for a few more minutes....this goes on repeat for about 30-40 minutes, when I have finally had enough that I end up just rocking her to sleep in my arms after-all (I'm a wimp, don't judge). I spend more time trying to get her to sleep than she does actually napping.
Her room is dark. Her bum is clean. Her tummy is full. What am I to do?!
I was seriously at my wits end last week after battling for some many days with her. So today, when nap time rolled around I was asking myself, "do I spend 40 plus minutes working with her to fall asleep on her own??" OR "do I just rock her to sleep, and try the training 'tomorrow' (AKA probably never)??"
Well, I decided to give it another go. I sat with her for a few minutes on her rocking chair, singing to her and rocking her, then I told her I loved her and to have a good nap. In my arms she was starting to doze off. I was so tempted just to get her all the way asleep. BUT I set her down in her crib and walked out.
Cue the whining. She whined for about 5 minutes. Then, total silence.
"Am I crazy?" I thought. "There is no way she fell asleep." I walked to her bedroom door ever so slowly, sure that every creaking floorboard along the way was going to be followed by crying. I put my ear up to her door and listened. Silence. I opened her door a few inches and saw her fast asleep. I didn't even dare try and take a snapchat to send to Dan for fear of waking her.
My first, first-hand, MIRACLE. So, apparently, the sleep training is working...unless this was a fluke.
It may not happen again this afternoon, or tomorrow, or EVER again. But it happened this morning. I had to document it.
Aahhh, this momma's proud.
Just for giggles:
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