naps, bedtime and sleep

this whole week our major new accomplishment has revolved around sleep. as i previously wrote, i have recently given up breastfeeding. in turn our sleeping routine has changed in ways i never dreamed possible.

our night time routine has always been a struggle. between teething and breastfeeding, it's just been hard. i've tried several times to sleep train maya, but most of the time something changes in our schedule and we get off track. it could be traveling out of town or her being too cold in her room, etc. either way she and i have had this off and on battle in getting to sleep without my nursing her. since she has pretty much decided she didn't want to breastfeed anymore, i've had no choice but to be firm with her nap and night routine.

this week what became a new tool for getting her to sleep was integrating a new toothbrush and taking her to the potty right before sleeping. it seems strange but her making her own choices seems to help. she brushes her teeth, with my help, and then i wait for her to ask to go potty. i tell her, "ok, let's go potty and then we go to sleep" (i say this a few times before we get to the potty). once she is on the potty i let her choose what book she would like to read and after see is done (most of the time she actually goes potty), i take her to the bedroom and tell her it's time to go to sleep.

she doesn't like to be rocked in a chair, or cuddled, so she doesn't stay long in my arms most of the time. this last week i have followed this routine to the t. now when i put her down in the crib she lays there most of the time, without crying or growling and then she falls asleep (knock on wood). oh my, what a beautiful thing that is! the silence is blissful!

naps, well that's another story, but we are getting there. she does cry more with naps, but with the same routine being used i'm sure see will get it very soon. and on a side note, i have noticed that she is sleeping through the night more often and her naps are longer.

i was very sad initially about not nursing but now i see that there are advantages! the fact that she can sleep without much fighting is so wonderful.

31 for 21, Day 9: tooth #4

a few days ago i discovered that maya is not just getting her 3rd tooth, but also her 4th one. i just happened to discover it on monday evening when i was feeling around for tooth #3. (a very dangerous act to do because of her super jagged bottom teeth and her willingness to bite just about anything). the 4th tooth had just broken through the gum so i wasn't a 100% sure until wednesday night. turns out maya also realized she had a 4th tooth by discovering she can grind her teeth together. uh oh. luckily she hasn't done it since.

while i was putting maya to sleep tonight i was thinking about the hard road ahead. this week she has been waking up 3-6 times during the night. i'm thinking it's all because of the teething. and i'm sure it will continue off and on until all of her teeth are in. who knows how long that will take. in maya's case because she has down syndrome there has been a delay in teething. so i am grateful that she is finally getting in those teeth but on the flip side i'm not looking forward to dealing with "needy maya". while she does seem more loving towards me (ie: licking/kissing my face when she climbs over me) she often demands milk the moment she gets close.

more than anything i know that all my sleep training has probably gone out the window. all the books say, don't sleep train if, a) the child is teething or sick, b) visitors are in the house, c) there are other changes going on in the home...well you get the point. my question is, when IS it a good time to sleep train?! it sure seems like a small window of opportunity. nevertheless i've done it once before, i will do it again.

anyway, i say hooray for maya. she's finally getting in her teeth. my mission lately has been to try and photograph her with those teeth. so far it's seems almost impossible. she moves so fast and without warning.

i'd like to capture how different she looks with teeth. they are cute and dangerous things. two little mount everests poking out from her little mouth. it looks like my baby girl is growing up.

sleep or a movie?

tonight is the first night that my baby girl fell asleep on her own. i am so excited and hope that all the hard work on the sleep training is starting to pay off. i've been on this road, reading books, fighting with myself on how to go about getting her to "self soothe", how and if to ween her off my breast milk at night, for weeks now. so many people have advice for me like don't give in, don't pick her up, let her cry it out. i've given up so many times, thinking ok, this time you win.

tonight is also the first night that D and i watched a movie, without once getting up to soothe or pat maya. i thought for a second that perhaps i too should go to sleep. but for once, maya fell asleep and i was awake, not tired and not stressed about the next mornings chores. we watched kabluey, and had so many laughs (quietly muffled under the palms of our hands of course). this is a momentous day in so many ways.

more on that later...