Co-Sleeping 101

I'm quite possibly the world's lightest sleeper. I hear everything. Everything. It drives me a little bananas. And it definately drives my poor family bananas. Because I can occasionally be a bit grumpy in the mornings if I'm woken up at night because I'm hearing things.

So if you had asked me a year ago if I would ever co-sleep with my kids, I would have laughed out loud. Whaaaaat?? Co-sleep?? That was almost a dirty word at our house. Almost.

Until about 6 months ago. When a certain little somebody decided that toddler beds and big girls rooms are for other kids. But not for her. And since I was feeling mighty sleep-deprived and also might generous, I gave in and did it. I allowed co-sleeping at my house. In my bed. With me.

That was 6 months ago. Six months, people. Now let me say that it actually hasn't been as bad I thought it would be. And there were actually a lot of good things about it. Not that I'm going to go out and write a book about co-sleeping or anything. But I can honestly say that for us it was probably one of the best things we could have done.

How can I, the world's lightest sleeper, even begin to praise co-sleeping, you might be wondering? Well, in hindsight, I can see the tremendous benefits it had for both us and for Maia. Because she initiated it, but we kept it going. We could have transitioned her a long time ago to her big girl bed in her big girl room. In fact, about a month ago she asked me if she could sleep in her big girl room! So why in the heck didn't we go ahead and let her??

Well, my instincts told me that moving her into her big girl room at the same time we were starting school was probably going to be too much. Because SuSu hasn't slept apart from me once since China. And suddenly we would be separating her from us at night and then during the day for school. And thankfully, we didn't make that transition a month ago when SuSu started showing interest! Because her food issues would probably have pushed us all over the edge.

But now that we're into the swing of preschool, I think we might be ready to begin the end of our co-sleeping days. Did I just hear the angels singing?? Seriously. Did I??

So why is it that co-sleeping ended up being such a blessing for even me? Why would I ever agree to let a squirming wiggle worm into our bed for so long? Well, as crazy as it seems, I think it actually helped me. And her. In a way that I can't really explain. Except to say that I think it added to my feelings of attatchment to SuSu dramatically. It helped me to feel more attatched to her. I know that seems kind of odd. Didn't I already feel attatched to her? Well, yes and no. I knew in my head that she was my child. But she didn't always feel like my child. Maybe because we didn't have that closeness you have for those 9 months when your baby grows inside of you. Or maybe because she came to us an instant preschooler. Not a tiny helpess baby. But a strong, three year old, who was already so independent. But at nightime, it all changed. At nighttime, she was most vulnerable. She needed that security of holding Mommy's hand to fall asleep. That reassurance in the middle of the night that Mommy was right there. And I needed that, too. I needed to hold her. To snuggle her. To have that closeness as much as she did. And maybe more. That time with her at nite helped solidify in my mind, as much as hers, that we belonged together.

I didn't know how long she would sleep with us. I never set any time limits. I never really thought she would co-sleep with us at all! But co-sleep we did. And co-sleeping we are. Maybe only for a few more nights. But maybe for a few more months. But I think we're all beginning to be ready. Our bond is strong. Not completely solid. But getting there. This feels like the right time to take the next step. Not so much because Mommy's totally ready. But I sense that SuSu is.

So off we go this weekend, shopping for a big girl bed and big girl sheets. Not because we didn't have any. But because our SuSu suddenly seems far too big for that toddler bed. And she wants a BIG bed like Peanut. And if we make it a celebration, a ceremony, a BIG deal, I think transition will go even more smoothly.

Look out Target.....here we come!