Operation: Kick Cosleeping to the Curb

If you follow me on Instagram (@linleynoel), you might have already seen that on Saturday night, Ellie slept in her crib all night long for the first time ever.  I know, ten months old and never slept in her crib overnight?  If you're new here or would like a refresher, you can read the cosleeping post I wrote a little while back.  I won't get into the details of how we ended up here since I already explained it once, but I'll just say that even a nap longer than ten minutes in her crib was still a rare occasion for Ellie at this point. 

 I've been thinking of moving her into her crib for quite sometime now, but always found excuses not to.  So, on Saturday night I decided that there really wasn't any time like the present to just give it a shot.  I honestly lost count of how many times she woke up during the night, I'm guessing about a dozen (she was up to five before 10:30 rolled around), but for the most part was easy to put back down so it wasn't completely horrible.  I am so used to running to her as fast as I possibly can because I don't want her to crawl off the edge of the bed, so I think I've become extra sensitive to any noises she makes - which is a lot.  Think puppy locked in a crate away from it's mom for the first time noises (even if she's still pretty much asleep).  I also found her repeatedly hitting her head against the side of the crib trying to get settled in, so she needed a little help adjusting herself since I'm usually the one to turn her back after we find her head in Tyler's armpit and feet on my face.  

Tyler grabbed the twin mattress off our "guest bed" and put it on Ellie's floor for me to sleep, which was more for me than it was for her - both for a peace of mind as well as to make it a bit easier for me to get up and check on her before she completely lost her shit and I'd end up strolling her around the house at 2 a.m.  I'm planning to sleep there again tonight but am hoping it'll be the last night and I'll be back in our bed tomorrow night (fingers crossed!). 

I would be lying if I said I wasn't sad that we're moving her out of our bed.  Tyler and I have both already said that we miss her, which probably sounds silly but the snuggles are just so sweet.  It was also nice to be able to check on her without even opening my eyes.  Now she will be a whole two doors down the hallway, which seems oddly faraway.  I'm sure Ellie will still end up in our bed overnight on occasion, and am already planning a mandatory cuddle session on weekend mornings in our bed. ;)  We'll see how it goes, but I know it's best for both her safety and my sanity - not having to worry about Ellie making a beeline for the edge of the bed the second she opens one eye (which is every. single. time.).  

This week, I am going to look for a sound machine to put in her room.  We sleep with a fan on every night of the year in our bedroom (for me to help drown out Tyler's snoring), so I know she is used to the white noise.  I'm also on the fence about a blanket.  I know it's recommended that you wait until your baby is one year old to sleep with a blanket, and while I will continue to let her sleep with one for naps, I'm a little nervous about overnight.  I mean, she's slept with a comforter for the past ten months, so I don't know why I'm concerned other than the fact I can't just reach over to check on her.  She hates any kind of restrictions, so any kind of sleep sack is out of the question.  Girlfriend can't even stand the constriction of socks or footie pajamas at this point, so I'm sure she would lose her mind if I tried putting her in one of those.  I am worried she will be cold without a blanket though/she's just used to having one.  Suggestions are welcome!

I'm hopeful for another successful night ahead of us in our effort to kick cosleeping to the curb, and am looking forward to our first night just Tyler + I (and three fur babes) in our bed this week.  Imagine how much bigger (and lonely??) the bed will feel!  I'm sure it'll take a little bit to get used to, but it seems like it might be harder on us than her and we are so proud of our baby girl!  

Off to another "slumber party" with Ellie!  Sweet dreams, friends.