Saturday, June 1, 2013

It's an Un-Wrap

It still hasn't happened quite yet, but at 7 months old, Annabelle is juuuuuuust about to roll over from back to stomach!


When it happens there will be controlled jumps for joy (true story: when this happened for Lukas the first time we were both right there and both immediately hooted loudly, then turned and high five'd each other.  This caused Lukas to cry uncontrollably in fright. Needless to say, we were not selected parents of the year that year).

However, Mrs. LIAYF and I had been kinda dreading the day she does roll over.  Because when she does, we knew that we would need to start sleeping her un-swaddled.  You know, so she doesn't roll over onto her face in the middle of the night with no free arms to roll herself back.  That could be dangerous, and nerve wracking too.

Anyway, so we have been meaning for a long time to begin the process of un-swaddling her.   We talked about leaving one arm out first for her to get used to, then moving her to a special sack we bought made specifically for the transition.

I can't remember what that sack is called, but we tried it on her for size after buying it, and it made her look like a cartoon baby starfish.  Lot's of extra fabric in the body of the outfit, but very short arms, with a smiley face somewhere in the middle.

I wasn't looking forward to that.

As convinced as I was about the horrible trauma that we were about to have inflicted on us in the form of multiple night wakings, last night as I readied my daughter for bed she started to nod off.  Without much forethought I decided to simply lay her down with her bottle, lights out, white noise on, and leave the room.

And, do you know what happened?

*crickets*

Not the whole night through mind you, but she did sleep a pretty normal schedule for her, waking only a couple of short times once to get another bottle, before going immediately back to sleep.

And all that without her swaddle! No one arm bandit, or cartoon starfish tricks needed. Heck, if I knew it would be that easy we would have tried this a couple of months ago.  Okay, scratch that.  I honestly don't think she would have been ready for that a couple of months ago.  Although come to think of it, there were nights it couldn't have gotten much worse.

But she is obviously ready now.  PTL!  As I type this, Annabelle is once again un-swaddled in her crib.

Sleeping like a  baby.

3 comments:

neal call said...

There is nothing, and I mean nothing, as beautiful as a baby sleeping like a baby. Congrats.

Mrs. LIAYF said...

You forgot to mention that Lukas did not properly sleep on his own through the night until he was about 1 year old. So, I think we were due for some good sleeping karma!

James (SeattleDad) said...

@neal - I wholeheartedly agree. And thanks!

@Homemaker Man - You know me so well. Thanks.

@Mrs. LIAYF - I was repressing that. Ssssshhhhh, don't jinx it.