Sleepless in St. Louis

Evie's will is stronger than mine, at least when it comes to sleep.

Several weeks ago, I was fighting the battle to get her to sleep, and I just wanted to SHAKE HER! Um, that's a bad sign. So then and there, I gave up. I have spent way too much time over the past year and a half trying to make Evie fall asleep in her own bed, and stay there during the night.

Under the "New Sleep Plan," Evie takes her bath, we brush her teeth, we have a sip of water, and I hold her on the couch until she conks out. (This has allowed me to get all caught up on The OC, much to my embarrassment. DID YOU KNOW MARISSA DIES? HOLY COW!) Then I carry her into her room and lay her in bed.

At first, this worked well. She would fall asleep quickly and sleep in her own bed until two or three in the morning, when she would cry and I would bring her into our bed. Do-able, right?

But she began waking up when I put her into her own bed. She would cry, and I would take her back to the living room, and finish my The OC episode. When I finally got her down, she would wake up between ten and eleven o'clock, and I would have to put her in our bed to get her back to sleep. I felt like I was losing all of my Alone Time with Chris. (Plus, it was seriously cutting into my nightime Bloggy Time!)

So last night, I implemented the "New New Sleep Plan." We followed the same routine, but when Evie woke up as I was putting her in her bed, I didn't take her back into the living room. I waited it out through a couple minutes of crying (that was all!) until she layed down in her bed. I played her new favorite song Mermaid Lullaby, and sat with her until she fell asleep. Then I snuck out! It took about twenty minutes, but it was pretty painless. And she was in HER BED!

I expected her to wake up by eleven, but she kept sleeping. She didn't wake up until 5:30 AM!

Now, you would expect that I slept well? Nope. I missed Evie. I like watching her sleep, knowing she is safe and sound. I like her warm little body next to mine. I don't like when her chubby fist punches me in the eye while she's sleeping, or the way her tiny feet dig into my back. Still, I woke up a million times last night, almost willing her to call for me! I am one seriously messed up mother.

But I brought her in at 5:30, snuggled up to my baby, and slept well for the first time all night.