Sleep - Ahhhh, Beautiful Sleep

So, since I have had children - 6 years, 4 months and some odd days - I have been struggling with sleep. Sleep for me, keeping them asleep, establishng good sleeping habits, creating a sleep routine. I haven't been the best at the sleep habit thing, but we have always strived for good a routine. Mel's routine seems to have been out of whack from Day1 though. She came out screaming and hungry and waking every two hours and that continued for quite a while. Then it just went to screaming...for honestly, six years. She hates to sleep alone. So, off and on, with the ebb and flow of our ever changing life and routine, Mel's habits also changed. A lot was our fault, but remember that screaming??? So, we slept with her for years during her naps, putting her to bed, when she woke at 3am, we brought her in our room. And while Mark was working in Salem, she got used to going to sleep in our bed with him and we moved her later. I think people didn't understand or either rolled their eyes when they heard she still slept in our room almost nightly, at least part of the night.

When John came along I vowed this would not happen again. But alas, when you are up for the 4th time in a night and you know pulling that baby into bed next to you will quiet them, its hard to not do just that. John is a bit different though. Oh, he seemed just as hungry as Mel and woke just as often for just as long, if not longer, but he did not seem comfortable AT ALL to have me sleep with him. I set up a bed in his room for me and for about 6 months that is where I slept...and where he slept...one day he just kind of changed and I could tell he was not liking this co-sleeping thing. It seemed like he liked his crib more! So, over the course of the next month or so I got up at night, gave John his bottle while sitting in the rocking chair or rocked him back to sleep standing up (half asleep myself) and tried not to get in that bed. Well, it worked. He now goes to sleep in his crib (and has for several months now) and is now consistently sleeping all night (It only took a year!).

Which brings me to what makes me so excited. Mark has started a new position and now has new hours and doesn't go to bed at 8pm anymore. I told Mark I was NOT going to be putting John down and then Mel and spending the hour of free time I have trying to get kids to sleep and that Mel needed to start sleeping in her room. He seemed resistent, but this whole week, that is what we have been doing. Last night I gave John his bottle, put him down and walked out of his room and he went to sleep on his own. Then I read Mel a story, she crawled into her bed and I walked out of her room. I walked down the stairs and it was just like - OMG! Did that just happen??? Wow! It sure was a nice feeling and I think that was the first time I have felt like that in .... a .... long ... time ...