I'm supposed to be working but blogging is more fun...

Last night and early this morning we got more snow (2 more months of winter and counting...San Diego, I miss you. Call me!!). Elizabeth's Day Care was closed, luckily our friend Maria was able to take her for the day. Between my parents and friends, E and I are so lucky to have a great support system.
Anyway, I wanted to write a little about cosleeping....Cosleeping, for me, falls under the category of one of those things I was NEVER going to do. And in fact, when E was a baby, I did all the "right" things to ensure that she would be an independent sleeper. I kept her on a good sleeping schedule, put her in her crib while she was tired, but still awake, all of it...And as a baby, E was a great sleeper. She almost never woke up during the night, and spent all night, every night, in her crib, in her own room. Which meant that I never had to wake up, and I got to sleep all night, every night in my bed, in my own room. I was actually smug. No sleeping issues with my kid. 'Cause I'm such an awesome mother, you know. All was right with the world.

Then she moved to a "big girl bed" and all Hell broke loose.

That happened last spring, and since then my "independent sleeper" is no more. I had to lie down with her in her bed for anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours before she'd fall asleep. I know, I was probably supposed to kiss her goodnight, shut the door and leave. And everytime she came out of her room, calmly but firmly escort her back to her bed. And in my defense, I did try this. But it got really tiring and annoying after the 50th time. So I decided it was just easier to lie down with her until she fell asleep. I should mention, too that since she was about 2.5, she would always wake up around 1 or 2am and come in to my bed for the rest of the night. I asked Day Care to keep her naps to only 45 minutes-1 hour, which helped a little. On the weekends, I usually don't have her nap at all, and she is out like a light by 8pm on Saturday and Sunday nights- love.it!! Anyway, sometime in October, my lying down with her in her bed somehow changed to her going to bed in my bed from the start, for the entire night, every night. So we are "cosleeping." And actually, I am surprised to say- I like it. The truth is, I miss her during the day when I'm at work. I love this extra time we get to spend together. I don't love it when she steals the covers, or kicks me in the face in her sleep, but over all it's good. Some people can look at this and say, you aren't letting her be independent, you'll never get her out of your bed... My thought? I think she isn't going to want to be sleeping with me when she's 12 or 13. I think she's going to be more independent that I'm going to want her to be, actually :) I sometimes do have some guilt about letting her sleep with me. Am I spoiling her? Taking the easy way out? Maybe so. But for now, it's ok. We're both getting enough sleep, and I know she's safe, snuggled right there next to me.