Dear Kid Saturday- Growing Up
Another late one. But at least it’s going up this week.
Dear Becca,
We have been breastfeeding and co-sleeping since day one. Literally. I realized in the hospital that you would cry almost non-stop if left in the little plastic bassinet to sleep. So I would pick you up. And then I fell asleep. It wasn’t intentional, at first. I was exhausted, and this kept you from crying. As a brand new mom, I would have done anything to not hear that pitiful little noise.
We tried putting you back into a crib as soon as we got home, but you would have nothing to do with it. It was too big, you were too little. So, back in with us you went. You had to be right on our chest. It took a few months before you would let us put you next to us to sleep. Being sleep-deprived already, your father and I went along with this.
You are now 19 months old. Over a year and a half. And there are going to be some changes made. You now take up half of the bed by yourself, if given the chance. You still wake up 2-3 times a night to nurse. Two days ago, I made the decision that there will be no more nursing from the time you wake up until bedtime. The first day, we made it until 4:30. Yesterday, until after 5:30. Today, we are going all the way. We’re even going to be putting you to bed in your own bed, and seeing how long you will stay there. I won’t go all the way with that one all at once, but we’re going to start transitioning you.
We’ve had a really good run. And I’m glad that it has lasted this long. But you are a big girl now. And I think it will be much easier on all of us, including you, once we get past this challenge. You’ll sleep better. Daddy and I will sleep better. And that means we can all have more fun during the day.You are such a big girl now, and I know you will do just fine.
Love,
Mommy
