One Goal

One of my goals this year is for M to transition to sleeping without me. We have pretty much co-slept since day one and for the most part it worked wonderfully. Breastfeeding and a bedtime ritual was so much easier with him next to me but now that M is weaned - he stopped nursing around 22 months - I long for the days where not only do I get to sleep by myself, but nights were I have a few hours without a child clung to my body.

You see, M does not only like to sleep by my during the night, but it is virtually impossible for him to go down for the night unless my body is right next to his. This has caused a few problems.

One, I don't go to bed until around midnight. This means that this little ball of energy is also usually up until midnight. He stays strong, rarely falling asleep before I hit the sack. He can even be sitting in a dark room watching TV and stay awake just fine until I get there. Now, there is the huge payoff. He will sleep until 11-12 the next day. So, he gets his required 12h of sleep, just not when normal people do.

Two, because he is up when I am up, I don't get a break. I loved when the twins were little. I put them to bed at 7:30-8p and I had 2 or 3 hours of me time. No one to bug me. I could watch tv, play on the computer or post to my blog (M being awake all the time has also probably effected my posting numbers). I haven't had me time in a long time.

In an effort to get M on a better schedule I have put him down to bed at the same time as the twins - 8p, last night and tonight. Because I am trying to get the boys in the same room, and have been for a few months, I actually sleep in the same room as the kids. Now, I will also include at this time that K also sleeps in this room. This fall I redecorated the nursery into a beautiful new room for a little girl. It turned out great...but the child won't sleep in it. She wants to be with everyone else. So that makes three bedrooms upstairs with everyone sleeping in one room. Crazy huh?

Okay, back to M. So last night and tonight he has gone down at 8-ish. To my surprise he has gone to sleep right away. No fighting it. It has been great. Although...very deceptive. You see, M has now decided that his nap time is now from 8p to 11p. This means that now I have an even more active toddler up at midnight and still next to me for the remainder of the night.

I will keep trying. I know he will eventually get it. I probably need to control the time he wakes up a bit more too. For that I need to get into gear...because sadly after getting us all up and the twins to school, both M and I like to sleep until 11 or 12p. I know...horrible.

In the end, I guess this sleep training is for both of us. If I want to continue my mornings in bed than I guess I need to accept a night owl for a child.

Right now, I am off to do some work online. M...well he's now up after his refreshing nap and enjoying some great cartoons.