Co-sleeping, bedsharing, pulling a little foot out of your crack at 3am...whatever you call it, it's controversial among doctors and parents to say the least. With Eden, we rarely co-slept, believing it to be the first step in our demise as parents. Surely she would grow up to be a mass murderer if we didn't get things under control by her 2 week birthday. We occasionally fell asleep together after an early morning feeding...thus this adorable picture above. Now I read this is not recommended due to an increased SIDS risk. Had I known that, I would have lain fearfully awake every second Eden was in my bed. I spent most of the time raising my first child in a state of panic and terror :)
Now, enter child numero dos. My precious Elly Lyn. She has always marched to the beat of a different, um, parade of sheep. You know the ones you're suppose to count to fall asleep. Ok, bad metaphor, but you get the idea.
Elly started sleeping through the night at 6 months, which we thought was a little late, but no biggie. She slept blissfully through the night, going to sleep on her own from the age of 6 months to 18 months. Then, she decided she was lonely. She began creeping out of her bed and into ours in the middle of the night and has been ever since. Now, this post is not a plea for help and advice, because we've tried different things (gate, rewards, threats, I mean, consequences) and to be honest, we're just not committed. And I know why. There is something sort of special about it. She wants to be near us (read: me). She is a light sleeper and hears everything going on in our small living space, so when someone moves or snores or breathes, she hears it and comes a-calling. We call her our "heat seeking missle" because she finds you wherever you may be. She is a toucher, a hugger, a lovey-type. She comes into our room and snuggles up to me as close as she can. Sometimes I notice (when her foot literally goes down my pants) and sometimes I don't (when I wake up and see her smiling face right there in mine). If I fall asleep on the couch, she finds me. When Dan is gone on business trips, she knows she will be welcomed into the bed even earlier than on a regular night. She loves sleeping with us.
There are many, many reasons why we shouldn't co-sleep with Elly...it doesn't teach her how to sleep alone, it interrupts our sleep, yadda yadda yadda. But this morning, I realized why we let it continue (and continue, and continue...). This morning, I was still sleeping rather hard and I rolled over and turned toward Elly, but with my eyes still closed. Elly said to me in the most adorable and sweet voice ever, "You look so beautiful!" I mean, seriously. Isn't that so worth it? Her childhood will be over in a blink. So I'm choosing my instincts over good sleep :)
