Shhh I'm quitely shouting from the roof top!

I am smiling from ear to ear! I am breathing easy and I am giddy! So this is what it feels like when your child goes to sleep without a fight. I love it! I have to blog about it in case, heaven forbid it's just another phase and the torture returns. Oh but I won't think like that, I am just going to stick my head in the sand and enjoy every blissful second of peace & quiet.

From the day we brought dear LeAnne home from the hospital sleep has been an ongoing mystery for us. She didn't sleep through the night until she was 16 months old,though she still woke up a few times a night but my times of getting up with her far fewer. She's always been a pretty restless sleeper. I don't think I helped matters by jumping at her ever whimper from day 1. It didn't seem right to let her cry and I wanted to know what she needed. Yep she's my first child. I tell ya after 16 months of 2-4 hours of sleep a night I was a wreck. I was on the verge of a break down when our lil princess began to sleep so mama started getting a decent nights rest. Although we were still prepared for a fight when it came to nap time and bed time. Then she started waking up when we laid her down & let the screaming begin. Oh my the torture! The painful time spent listening to her cry, crying myself while reading online what to do. Nothing seemed to fit our girl. Then she got better and then it got much much worse. The time I've spent with my stomach in knots thinking I've screwed up with her,and how do I teach her how to sleep. Our vacation was a train wreck, co-sleeping is not for me and I was never so glad to be home. That first week or two that we were home was a nightmare. I was at my wits end, and I ordered a few books. One of which that hasn't come yet. tee hee! I'll browse through it in case the torture returns. So what changed you ask?

Well my mommy memory is already a little foggy already but I believe she just starting crying less at and less and night, then our nap time routine took a shocking turn and bedtime routine was soon to follow. Night time routine: Dinner, bath, PJ's, play a little more, snack, change diaper, read 3 books and rock to sleep, lay down in her bed. That was the normal routine UNTIL a few weeks ago when I'd get the reading 3 books, then I would say okay that's it lets rock for a bit now she would start to fight me so I said okay lets just go to bed. I'd lay her down, walk out and she'd put herself to sleep. Even better she'd been sleeping the whole night without waking up whimpering! The nap time routine is slightly different because I put her glow worm in her bed, along with 3 books. I figure I don't mind if she looks at a few books during nap time and then puts herself to sleep. It's working! It was so funny today we got done reading our 3 books and I said are you read to take a nap and she said "yeah" and was happy about it. PRAISE GOD! I am so thankful, so much more relaxed and less stressed already!

I tell ya parenting is one big experiment. Reading the books, surfing online for answers, talking to others with similar experiences can be helpful but also frustrating because every child is different to some degree. When LeAnne was young I was given a piece of advice that I really appreciate. She said something to the effect that what ever decision we make about raising our child has to be what works for our child & for our family. There is no one right answer.

On that note I am still smiling from ear to ear and silently shouting from the roof top!