Sweeter Dreams...

...Are what I've been having lately. Why? Because Mia...sweet Mia, fighter of sleep, refuser of bassinets, despiser of sleeping on her own, has finally.....taken to sleeping and napping in her crib!
A couple of weeks ago, I began to notice a change in her. She began waking more frequently in the middle of the night..sometimes as often as every hour or two. She became more restless in her sleep and her naps seemed shorter and more fitful as well. Yet, she was often tired. In the past (read as, since she was born) she's refused sleep anywhere other than her swing or my arms. So we'd grown accustomed to putting her to sleep in her swing. About half way through the night, she'd wake for a feeding, and I'd transfer her to bed with me, where she'd stay until morning.
With her new fitfulness and inability to settle in, I figured maybe she was ready to give the crib another try. Maybe she needed the extra room, the chance to stretch out and sprawl...she's not a newborn any longer, so perhaps the very thing she used to crave, sleeping all scrunched up and tight just the way she did inside of me, was the thing that was now causing her to NOT sleep well. So, I gave it a try at night, and presto! She sleep like...well, like a baby...which is an odd saying, since babies don't always sleep that well. She woke up once that first night, and yes, I did bring her into our bed at that point. The second night, she slept nine hours straight! She's been doing excellent ever since. She usually wakes once or twice still to eat, but its so much better than before. She is sleeping better, and so am I!
As good as the extra sleep is, I think the very best, sweetest part for me is, knowing that I was right all along...that my instincts were right. That I knew in my heart what Mia needed and when she didn't need that anymore and when she was ready for something else. I never pushed sleeping in her crib on her. She didn't like sleeping there when she was new, so I let her sleep where she felt most comfortable...which was her swing or with me. I followed her cues, and moved her to the crib when SHE was ready and it worked out beautifully. And I feel amazing that I did what she needed me to do and did what was right for her own unique self. I have long said that Mia's neediness and crabbiness has not much to do with how I parent her, but has everything to do with her individual temperament and the personality she was born with. I parent her based on that. For me, this confirms my feelings. She's finally sleeping in her crib at night, but not because anything I did changed. I've only done the same as always- giving her what I think she's telling me she needs. So, today is a good mommying day for me! I feel happy and like I did it right...which trust me, isn't always the case!
So, yay for sweeter dreams....and more time to cuddle with my hubby, and for waking up refreshed and ready to parent ALL of our little ones more effectively!