Almost six months

Hi,
it's been nearly six months since our daughter came into our life.

She has grown so much. She is getting smarter, and learning things about parents, and the world around her.

Since thanksgiving she has been sleeping in her own room. We heard that if you don't move your child into his/her own room before six months, then you have to wait unto 3 years to try the move again.

Imagine that? I thank God we got that crib from our brother in law James.

Eleanor doesn't seem to mind.

After visiting our friends in NY, we learned a lot about sleep training from other first time parents. "sleep training" = purposeful discipline for mom and dad.

We have a baby monitor. Sometimes sleep training means turning down the volume a bit and let the baby cry things out.

Eleanor has only surpassed 30 minutes one time, and that was because she genuinely didn't need a nap time. The rest of the time she doesn't exceed 20 minutes.

She has been sleeping better since we buckled down with the sleep training.

Before it was like this: 8:30 pm sleep.
wake up 1:30 - sora go into room, soothe refeed, sleep - 2 oz formula
wake up 3:30 - Sora go into room soothe refeed sleep - 2 oz formula
Wake up 5:30 or 6 am - sam wake up, sora actually sleep.
Baby plays from 6 am until 7:30 with daddy. usually sitting with daddy on futon and playing.

Not good for parents, not good for formula wastage, not good in general. Sora is not rested, and not sleeping much.

Now its more like this


Put eleanor down to sleep 8;30 pm or 9 pm after bath.
she fusses sometimes, but usually sleeps.
cries for us at 1:30, we sleep, she goes back to sleep.
Wakes up 6:30 with wet diaper, and hungry appetite.

Sora sleeps, daddy takes baby in the AM... sometimes, eleanor plays by herself for 40 minutes more just enjoying her wake up time. But she is most happy when she sees daddy or mommy come into the room.



We told our neighbors to not be alarmed if they hear eleanor cry for 20 minutes. but we have her in one of the interior bedrooms where no one except us can really hear her cries.

so, that mostly it for sleep training.

As weeks pass the crying time is supposed to shorten.
And she will learn to sleep for up to 10 -11 hrs. Which would be nice!

I am so thankful to my wife. because you have to be in agreement with your spouse if you want to succeed. And i am thankful to eleanor, for allowing us to work with her thru her emotional development.

Hopefully sleep training will lead to well behaved happy child behavior, and all the demon child spoil brattyness will not befall us...

imagine this for the next 18 years...


haha

Sam