R.E.M.

Well, it's been a 3 days now and I hope I'm not jinxing myself by writing this post. After the first night of crying, Laura has slept through the night for the last 2 days. She's woken up between 5:45 and 6:30 a.m. to eat-once she stayed awake and once she fell back asleep afterwards. Either way is fine with me because when she stays awake, I get one on one time with her and when she falls asleep, I get to start my day by actually reading the newspaper.

And, in just 3 short days of getting some real rest, I have become a different person. I am happier, more productive and a better mom and wife.

Sleep-it's a wonderful thing. I'm heading off to get some now...

Elusive Dreams...

My husband and I will be celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary this fall. We recently booked a resort vacation for just the two of us, to celebrate. It will be the first vacation we've taken alone since 2004 and even though we're not leaving until November 1st, we're both really excited~

R is looking forward to the beach, scuba lessons, the tennis clinics, golf and the fine dining that are included in our package.

I'm excited about those things, too. But more so, I'm excited at the prospect of a full week of uninterrupted sleep! Honestly, that thought, well, it just makes me giddy.

See, Laura is 9 months old now but still doesn't sleep through the night. With the exception of a few cheerios here and there, she's exclusively nursing. We introduced solids at 6 months and she loved them, but by 7 months, she was boycotting them completely. My pediatrician said to try every few days but realize it may be a texture thing. So, we tried every few days, but she would just spit them out or clamp her mouth shut and cry. Knowing that I have a life-time of battles ahead of me with this child, I decided fairly quickly that this one wasn't worth the effort. So, I packed up the baby food and gave it away.

She's happier. I'm happier.

However, she's now back to full time nursing, which means she usually wakes at night at least once to eat. This wake-up call tends to happen just as I'm falling into that wonderful, deep, coma like sleep. I’ve finally drifted into a dreamlike state and then suddenly, I'm jolted awake by the desperate cries of my hungry little lamb. I've thought about letting her cry, but then I end up laying there, wondering if my baby is withering away to nothing, from starvation. Of course, if you saw her chubby little thighs, you would understand how ridiculous this concern is, but hey it is the middle of the night, so I don't claim to be thinking clearly…

Anyway, we have her 9 month checkup this Friday. I’m hoping we get the "green light" for pancakes and other easy to eat solids. Somehow, I think this is going magically cure her late night snacking and she will start to sleep 10 hours straight. We'll see.

Perhaps I'm just chasing a crazy dream…