::Henley:: Sleeping Like a Big Girl!

Well, we made the leap! Last night was Henley's first night in the crib. I have to say I was extremely nervous and expecting the worst. I'll give you details on last night later but first let's back up a bit :-)

Since birth, as many of you know, Henley has been sleeping in the Rock n Play. On a typical good night she would sleep 6 hours, nurse and then go back down for 3 to 4 hours. I really think the RnP attributed to this, that little thing has been a lifesaver! She nestled right against our bed and I could check on her just by leaning over. It was also great when I was still on maternity leave because I could move her around the house to wherever I was.

Jan 2013

We really have had no issues with the RnP but recently it has just felt like it was time for Henley to move on from this. She was stretching like crazy after getting out of there and she started rolling over, loving to snooze on her belly.

About two months ago we started putting Henley in her crib for naps. I placed rolled blankets on the side of her and place a pillow under the mattress to mimic the RnP. She would nap here and there for 20-30 minutes. We weren't absolute about it and sometimes she slept in the RnP for naps as well. At daycare she was usually sleeping in the swing or the bouncer.

Starting about two weeks ago I decided to transition her to the Pack n Play in our room. This move was horrible---not a disaster but close. On her best night in the PnP she was down for 3 hours and then up every hour until I caved and put her in our bed. I got a little frustrated with this because I wanted her to be happy and rested while still being able to get a good night's rest.

This brings us to this weekend. On Sunday I put Henley down for a nap in her crib and she slept for almost two hours!! She was out like a light. I decided to give it a try last night and put her in the crib. I was expecting a bad night but was pleasantly surprised! She went down at 8 like usual. I had her little seahorse that sings lullabyes on and the white noise. She stayed down until about 11 and then did a little rumbling. I got up, put my hand on her back, reset the white noise, and she was back asleep. She woke at one again and I nursed her. She fell asleep while nursing and stayed down until four!! I nursed her again and she seems to go back asleep. About 30 minutes later she was awake and chatting away. If it wasn't 4:30 in the morning, I would have loved to chat back with her lol. I got up again, rubbed her back but she wasn't interested in going back to sleep. I picked her up and rocked her for about 20 minutes and she was back asleep.

I think because I was expecting the worst possible situation, I was so pleased. She slept almost 8 hours with two very short nursing breaks. I'm hoping it wasn't just beginner's luck but tonight we will see. I love seeing her in her crib, it's so cute how she stretches out and hugs her little stuffed bunny (I know---stuffed animal in the crib ::gasp!::)

Wish me luck---I'm off to bed as she is already down for the night!

Mere :-)