Too much Falcon Punch: Sadie gets a big-girl bed.

I stole this illustration from google images because I am too effing tired to draw my own.  That's a sad state of affairs for me.

Up until the last couple of weeks we have been co-sleeping with Sadie and happy with that situation. This isn't a post to debate the pros and cons of letting baby sleep in your bed, because anyone who has a kid can tell you the best sleep arrangement is the one that works for you--and by "works" I mean "provides the maximum amount of sleep, and safety, for all parties involved." To keep you at the top of your parenting game, be prepared for this situation to change, maybe even frequently.  If I've learned one thing in the world of parenting so far, it is that SLEEP=SANITY.   Up until the last couple weeks I can honestly say that I have enjoyed sleeping with Sadie in the bed with me,  it has made night nursing so simple and easy, it has been a good bonding time for us, and she has been such a sweet snuggle bug.

So can I just say, WHAT HAPPENED?  Somewhere around the time Sadie turned 13 months the snuggle bug disappeared and the night ninja hit the scene in a major way.  Literally, it seemed to happen overnight.  Bedtime has become a long and drawn out ordeal. And when she finally does go to sleep, this new baby thrashes and punches me.  In her effort to have maximum contact with my body, she rolls herself over me and lays directly on top of my face.  She turn herself sideways in the bed and kicks my face, no matter how many times I try to gently re-situate her. Last night, in my sleep deprived delirium, I was narrating this nocturnal boxing match with some "FALCON PUNCH!" "SHOW ME YOUR MOVES!" "FALCON KICK!"  It was kind of funny, but kind of not funny...see SLEEP=SANITY above. I can't imagine all this night-time restlessness is good for Sadie either, especially since she seems to want to comfort nurse approximately one billion times a night now too. Last night was a last straw for me.  I am so wrecked today I feel like a mombie (mom-zombie)  My whole body hurts. I need some sleep to function... not a lot, but some.

So even though I was loathe to do it, I un-sidecarred Sadie's crib from our bed (shit, I've been the one who ends up in there most nights anyways), put it on the lowest setting, moved it to a corner of our room, and voila, a big-girl bed for Sadie.  She is taking a nap in there right now.  I should be taking a nap, but I am at that too tired to sleep stage.  Ug.

Tonight we begin the transition out of the big bed into the big girl bed.  My prediction: We have a stretch of sleepless nights in front of us, but it can't be any worse than the Falcon Punchfest that has been going down the last couple of weeks.

I am going to follow the Dr. Sears recommendation to help ease the transition with extra parent-baby contact time during the day (more rides in the ERGO, more snuggles, etc..), tanking up Sadie with an extra snack before bed, and using words to help her understand that when "Sadie goes night night, the nums go night-night too." If my blog entries seem to get less and less coherent, you can assume that our new plan is, um, working out NOT so good.

And can I just say to all you lucky devils who get to blissfully slumber through the night... A FALCON PUNCH TO YOUR HEAD! Enjoy it. SLEEP is a luxury that you take for granted until it goes away.