Bath and Sleep Update

I am happy to say that after a long two weeks, things seem to be getting better with Adalyn. :D A very sleep-deprived Mom and Dad are so incredibly thankful...

A well-rested and drooling baby makes for a happy baby--and Mom and Dad.

Last night was the first night in a long time that bath time actually went pretty well. Before, we used to play with toys, etc. and leave bath time as one of the last things that we do before bedtime. Last night, we took a bath right away after she woke up from her late afternoon nap and had eaten. This seemed to work soooo much better. I think when we used the previous system, Adalyn was just way too tired to enjoy her bath time. This is a schedule we will definitely have to stick with.

I also enjoy that we are starting to get a really good bed time schedule set with Adalyn. On nights that we take a bath, Adalyn will wake up from her last nap of the day and eat (we stick to the eat, play, sleep schedule for all of her naps during the day--it works really well). 

After she eats, Adalyn will take her bath. After the bath (there were no tears last night!!!), we will play. This is also generally when the music comes on and we will sing and dance--okay, so for Adalyn dancing means me standing her up and wiggling her hips, but it is still cute. :) 

After play time, we will go to her room and read some stories. Adalyn generally lets me know when she is getting too tired by rubbing her eyes and yawning. Then, we turn on the lullaby music and I will have Adalyn snuggled up in my arms while I rock her in the glider for a little while. I will lay her down in her crib, sleepy, but not asleep. 

Depending on how tired and relaxed Adalyn is really determines whether or not she will start crying at this point...

On days that we do not have a bath--every other day, we will keep the same schedule, except during bath time we try to do a massage. If Adalyn is too tired, she absolutely does not enjoy having a massage. Most of the time, she really enjoys it. 

Of course, when Dad is home and not at work, he will join us with bedtime. He has had a lot of evening work shifts, as well as the camp counselor training on weekends, so he has missed many bedtimes in the past few weeks. Needless to say, he really cannot wait until this summer when he will have a normal work schedule and will be home in the evening.

Last night, I did not think bedtime would go very well. Adalyn woke up about four times between 7:45 pm and 10:30 pm. She was hungry at 10:30 (and Dad got home around that time, so he got to snuggle with her for a little while after she ate). Surprisingly, Dad was able to put her down in her crib without a single fuss. She woke up a few times after that, but generally fussed for a minute or so and was able to put herself back to sleep. She didn't wake up until 4:45 am....Hallelujah! 

Adalyn is always eating, so of course she was hungry at 4:45, but who cares, she slept for more than an hour at a time!!

Jon and I didn't go to bed until after 1 am...oops. But I can definitely say, after a few weeks of Adalyn waking up every hour, those couple of hours that I got to sleep before she woke up felt AMAZING!

:)