I am getting some sleep! YES!

Finally, we're all getting some sleep around here. Dot is sleeping for at least 5 hours straight every night, and it only took a week! I am truly amazed, but doctors really do know what they're talking about some of the time.

At Dot's 4 month appointment, we talked extensively about her insistence to be up every 2-3 hours during the night. Which, in turn, was waking Googie up at least twice a night. Not a fun deal.

I never had to deal with this sort of thing with Googie. She decided she was ready to sleep for 12-14 hours a night at 3 weeks old. She had no arguments from me. Now with Dot, I was at a loss. I didn't know how to handle it, or how to promote sleep.

My Doctor told me to just try and push back her feedings an hour at a time every couple of nights. Just get her back to sleep however we need to as long as it doesn't involve food.

The first she woke up at 12, I put her back to sleep. Then she woke up at 1, and I fed her. Then she ws up at 3, I put her back to sleep. Up at 4, and I fed her. Up at 6 and I put her back to sleep. So I got up at 12, 1, 3, 4, 6. And when Dot was ready to wake up at 7, I was exhausted. But I figured it was just the first night, the second would be better. It wasn't. I was up 5 times again, and twice Googie woke up and it took me a half an hour to get her back to sleep. I got a total of maybe 4.5 hours of sleep; in 30-60 min intervals. NOT FUN!!!

I was ready to give up, but I thought I'd just give it a third night and if there was no improvement I was done. But that third night she didn't wake up until 3, I put her back to sleep without feeding her and she slept until 5! I couldn't believe it was actually working! Then the fourth night didn't even wake up until 5.

Now a week after we started she is on a fairly steady sleep cycle. She goes to bed around 9, gets up at 11 to eat, then she sleeps until 6. I'm getting 7 hours of straight sleep people! Can I just tell you how Awesome that is??!!!! I didn't really realize how tired I was until I finally got the sleep I needed.

Every day it just gets better and better. I feel more and more alive and in control. I'm not just going through the motions, or just eeking by. I'm actually making it through the day, getting everything done that needs to be, and having leftover time for somethings I want to do.

It's amazing how much sleep affects all aspects of your life. I am more paitient, more creative, more determined, and definetly more ambitious then I have been since before I got pregnant with Dot. Life is wonderful again.