Early to Bed, Early to Rise

We had the best visit with my sister this weekend! She came down on Friday morning and we had lots of outdoor time, made pizza, snuggled with LC (of course), went on long walks and had a cookout.  It was so special that she took the time out of her insanely busy schedule to take the bus (which can be pretty rotten) to see us! LC loved being with her and I love that she will grow up knowing she has an aunt who loves her so much!

She also got a good dose of "babies aren't quiet, cute and cuddly all the time" when it took us awhile Friday night to put LC to bed.  Many tears, rocks, shushes and a vibrating bouncy seat later, she was asleep.  This had started to become a trend.  She goes down for naps so well but bedtime was starting to be a battle.  So we read up on our favorite sleep book, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Weissbluth and we came to the conclusion we were putting her to bed too late.  So we pushed up bedtime, kept her up for no more than two hours from her last nap and voila! success! We've been starting the bedtime routine around 6:00 and she's nursing to sleep by 6:30.  We've had 3 nights of no crying, no re-waking, solid, all night sleep! Plus, it gives the husband and I a nice dinner time together and a pretty peaceful evening. Now the flip side is that LC is waking up around 6:00 am.  But, honestly, it's a happy trade-off for an easy bedtime routine.  I really see her waking up happier, too.  Maybe because she's getting such better rest at night? And, since she goes back down to nap around 7:30, I can then shower, drink some tea, work on my computer and light a yummy smelling candle, creating my own morning serenity lounge :)

Cheers to a great sleeper, a beautiful baby, a loving aunt and a happy life!