The Dolan Weblog

(And I thought that my high school reading of Hamlet would never come in handy.)

As I mentioned in a (much) earlier blog, BabyGirl has been spending part of the night in my bed for most of her two years now.  I haven’t minded too much because she’s just precious and warm and will never be this age again.  But lately, I’ve been feeling my age with aches and pains and I think it’s because I’m not sleeping as well as I should.  Maybe because I’m sandwiched between the Sugar Daddy (who’s having to use special pillows in an effort to alleviate neck pain) and BabyGirl (who leaves little drool marks all over my pillow and my side of the bed.)  She usually likes to sleep sideways in the bed with her feet pressing against my side.  Just turning over can be a complicated maneuver for me.

Almost two weeks ago, I decided it was time for BabyGirl to sleep in her own bed all night.  When she cried for me to come get her just after midnight, I went in and placed the “magic” binkie in her mouth and told her she could lay down in her own bed and sleep.  She cried for about 20 minutes.  (Seemed more like two and a half weeks, I was so tired.)  Once she realized that Mama was not going to “Hold you, Mama!”, she started calling for other family members, going through Daddy and each of the four older siblings.  No one came to rescue her.

The only way she’d sleep was if I lay on the floor next to her bed.  She woke up a few more times that night, but kept sleeping in her bed.  Next night, she only cried about 5 minutes.  Mama still on the floor next to her bed.  By the third night, after binkie replacement, she went right back to sleep.  Queen’s “We Are the Champions” was playing in my head as I crawled back into my OWN bed, where Sugar Daddy said, “You are the Baby Whisperer!”  Let me tell you, if you really want to feel old, spend a couple of nights on the hard floor with someone waking you every couple of hours insisting, “Hold you!”

Ever since then, she’s just needed me to re-binkie her and she’s OK.  The payoff for all of this?  She slept all night with no wakings for several nights in a row!!!  When she does wake up, it’s only to get her binkie again and get her blanket, then she’s OK.  Some of my aches and pains are starting to feel better already.  A few more months of this and I might be back to my normal self.  I bought her her own pillow (”pee-yo”) and now she thinks she’s totally a big girl.  Even walks herself up to bed and climbs right in saying “Night night, Mama.”  She’s so cute, makes me want to bring her into my bed a little bit.  See how I get myself into trouble?