Sleep

Sleep is something I cherish. I love the cool of the sheets, the warmth of my down comforter and waking up feeling refreshed. Now as a mother of two I cherish the sleep I do get even more.

Emma

I never intended to be a co-sleeping family. Emma has been a great sleeper from the start. We were a little worried in fact because she slept so long and so hard in her first few days of life. I could nurse her and put her down for a nap with little fuss. In the first couple of nights she even let me have a few 4 or 5 hour stretches of sleep! Unheard of right? Well then she changed her ways a bit. She would sleep hard, nurse and then it would take her an HOUR to get back to sleep. Causing me to be awake for nearly two full hours. That makes for one tired mama.

Last week or so I was getting such inadequate sleep I started heading down that scary path of self destruction because I was so sleep deprived. It is so hard to go to bed at 9 or 10 pm only to be woken up two hours later to nurse, two hours after that....

So I started nursing Emma in bed, with the lights out and she would just stay put. We became a co-sleeping family out of necessity. Phillip was a little worried he would roll over on Emma but I am so aware she is there that I won't let him roll on to her. But now this plan is back firing a bit. Emma has become a lazy nurser and will nurse for nearly an hour on one side! Because she nursing so long I am not falling asleep during the nursing session and then she is rousing shortly after nursing to nurse on the other side.

So basically I keep getting deeper in the red of the sleep debt cycle. Something has to give.

Sophia

Upon talking to my neighbor who has kids 5, 3, and 3 months about sleep and naptime she told me I had to cut out Sophie's nap. Sophie has been going to bed fairly well but will stay awake until 9:30 or 10pm talking to herself and singing songs! My neighbor suggested cutting out the nap to help make Sophie dog tired so she actually goes to sleep at bedtime!

No nap makes her cranky and irritable in the late afternoon/evening. And no nap means no downtime for me. And no nap means that my chances of getting a synchronized nap for Emma, Sophie and I during the week is null.

And Sophie is still staying awake after "bedtime" talking and singing to herself!

So now I don't know what to do.

I'm ready for Emma to move out of the bassinet and into her crib but I can't figure out how to start! Right now Emma is going to bed after Sophia but because Sophia isn't asleep. And Emma has some grunting/fussing to do before she gets to sleep. So because of their respective sleep issues I haven't started putting them in the room together.