Sleep Drama, No Mama

I hardly want to write about this because the moment I hit publish, everything will change again. Alas, I feel like I should document the good times as well as the exhausting ones to truly capture what our days were like during Tory's toddler years.

I'm happy to say we've had a few weeks of peaceful sleep around our house. Sleep drama seems to ebb and flow and right now we're riding the lovely, restful zzz-train. Coincidentally, she started sleeping soundly all night and taking two wonderfully long 1 1/2 hours naps the minute I switched her back to a two-nap-a-day schedule. I initially thought Tory might be ready to cut down to one nap because she was fighting me so hard to fall asleep in early January, but I'm now further convinced teething rocks her world in every way, shape and form. Tory gained her 13th tooth (canine, lower right) at the same time her sleeping improved and now that she seems to be on a teething hiatus at the moment, she's sleeping soundly with hardly any attitude. Her nighttime sleep lengthened from a very early rise time of 5:30am to now 6:30am and sometimes 7:00am. This means Tory is getting a solid 12 hours of sleep at night and on most days 2-3 hours during the day at naps. Her whole attitude has brightened now that she's operating with a rested body and mind.

A few weeks ago, I stopped rocking Tory to sleep before naps and bedtime and it's really improved our sleep routine. The rocking chair with a permanent butt imprint from many, many, many hours logged on its cushion, has sat vacant as of late. Tory is so sensitive when it comes to sleep, the minute she would drift off in my arms and I'd move her in her crib, she'd wake up and I'd have to start all over again. Getting her to sleep would take at least 45-60 minutes and by the end, my patience were fried. Lately, I've been giving her a baby doll to cuddle with in bed and laying her directly in her crib at naps and bedtime. She's asleep in under 10 minutes. It's glorious. It also means my baby is growing up and no longer needs me to rock her to sleep anymore.

In times like this - no teething, no sickness - everything is just so much easier. I find myself thankful for everyday where Tory sleeps with no hassle because nap/bedtime battles are so terribly draining and most of December and January were that way.

Today, sleep is good. We are rested. We hare happy. We are healthy and I am thankful.