Elsa's Graduation

Elsa graduated to her crib in her own room yesterday, which was a big step for both parents and baby. She started out sleeping in a cosleeper in the middle of our bed during her first week at home, and from there slept in a bassinet in our room. I had originally planned to take the big step on Friday, which is her two-month birthday. I had it all laid out -- Jarrett and I would set up camp on the floor in her bedroom, we would swaddle her and put her in her crib, and we would all camp out as a family so that I'd be sure she'd survive her first night in the new locale. Yes, I realize that if she just suddenly stopped breathing for no apparent reason, it would really make no difference whether we were in the room or not (though I have read studies that say a baby can somehow regulate their breathing with their parents' if they arre in the same room). But it would at least ease some of my worry. And a mother's sanity is not to be messed with.

But all my plans were tossed aside yesterday when I had a breakthrough with napping. Just as I was becoming worried that she was never going to be a good napper again (we've had some trouble over the past few days), everything changed... at least for now. We started out the day with what was supposed to be an early 8:45 a.m. appointment with Margaret the Midwife up in Alpharetta (meaning leaving the house by 7:45 a.m.!) for my last post-partum appointment (everything looked fine, all the nurses doted over Elsa, it was great fun...). They didn't actually take me back to a room until after 10:00 a.m., so poor Elsa had to endure the wait -- and poor me had to try to get her to sleep every way possible during that time, which she was just not having. She did sleep in the car some, but still did not really conk out for a good nap. After getting home and feeding myself and Elsa (again), I decided to wear her in the baby carrier and go for a walk with Merckx in yet another attempt to get her to go to sleep. That worked, but when I got her back home and decided to lay her in her crib, she woke up not too long later. She was still obviously tired so I decided to swaddle her somewhat loosely in a blanket, lay her back down in the crib, and turn on her mobile. She cried for maybe a minute after the mobile had been playing awhile, but then was able to soothe herself to sleep. She slept from 1:45 p.m. until 4:15 p.m.! Then she woke up, I fed her and changed her, we played on her playmat until she was obviously getting tired again, and then I again swaddled her and repeated the process. She slept again from 5:30 p.m. until around 6:30 p.m. We attempted Community Group with her last night, and she made it through the beginning social part okay, but had a breakdown once the discussion actually started, so we left early. We bathed her, fed her, and had her down in her crib by 9:00 p.m. Jarrett did get her to go down in her crib at 9:00 the previous night, but we ended up moving her to the bassinet. This time we decided not to move her. Her first chunk of sleep was not as long as it has been (six or seven hours... it was more like four-and-a-half hours last night), but she slept longer than she has been for the second chunk, so it was just a trade-off. So we're trying the nap thing again today and will see how it goes. I might never get to leave the house again, but what the heck!