Sleep

Okay. I think we have the sleep thing figured out. After 2 weeks of Avi needing a human nipple (only mom's, dad wouldn't try using his) in her mouth to fall asleep, mom went crazy. Her back hurt laying in bed for hours to have Avi take a nap. In fact, her nipple cracked because it was basically immersed in salivia 18 hours a day (okay, a slight exagerration). Mom and Dad realized that Avi needed to sleep better, on her own, and that mom also needed sleep. So, we found a book called Good Night, Sleep Tight. (Maren's brother, when told we were following a book to get Avi to sleep, asked if it was called Go to Sleep, You #*@> Baby! Maren laughed. No, it wasn't called that, but that might make a bestseller!)

After several nights of "training" Avi to sleep, she was sleeping by herself for 5-10 hour stretches! She is an amazing little girl! And she naps better now too, and generally is happier! We are so happy! So, praise must be given to Daddy who put in several long night to help our little one become sleep savvy.

At 8 months old, we put her in her own room for the first time. Mommy cried when Avi left her arms to go sleep in her own room. Up until this point, Avi had been sleeping in parent's room (either in their bed, or on her own mattress on the floor next to their bed). But parents relecutantly realized that when they stirred in the night, Avi would often awaken. She is a light sleeper. So, parents thought putting her in her own room might work better - and it has. Though her little presence is missed at night, everyone is getting better sleep, and first thing when she awakens every morning is she is picked up, brought into parents be, nursed, snuggled, then sung to and then the family does some yoga stretches together. But, back to Dad's sacrifices. Dad would sit up, in Avi's room, until she fell asleep those first few nights. She took about 2 hours to fall asleep the first night, and then awoke 5 more times in the night. Each time she awoke, Dad would run into her room, and sit by her so she wouldn't feel or be alone as she went back to sleep. At first, Avi didn't understand or know to fall asleep, so it was hard for both Dad and her. She would cry - the first night a lot. But by the second night, she barely cried at all, and the third night just had some whines.

This sleep journey has been a very big part of parenting, in fact, maybe the largest part thus far. We still hope that Avi will feel comfortable to climb in bed and sleep with us when she is older, but we have resigned to the fact that where she sleeps best is where she should sleep. I hope our next child is not such a light sleeper! It was so nice sharing a bed with little Avi for those first months when she would just sleep, awaken, eat, then fall back to sleep for another couple of hours...