Sleep Training

Last Friday night, Josh and I decided that we needed to start getting Harper Grace to sleep in her big girl bed (AKA her crib). She hasn't been sleeping with us, but in our room in her rock n play sleeper.
There are a couple of reasons we have decided it is time for her to sleep in her room. 1) She has her own room now (we are no longer living with my inlaws) 2) She hasn't been sleeping through the night which might be because she hears us come to bed and hears us moving around 3) she's 4 months old now... not an adult, but old enough that she should be sleeping in her own room.

All day I would tear up at the thought of my baby girl having to sleep in her own room, in her own bed, all ALONE. Stressed me out. So, that evening she got her bath, then her massage, then her bedtime story and then I nursed her to sleep, just like we do every night. We had the sound machine on, swaddled her so that she would still feel secure, and had a night light on. I kissed her cheek, whispered goodnight and put her down gently. I paused for a moment to watch my sweet girl sleep and snuck out of the room. I no sooner got the door shut and she started screaming. The method I decided to use was to let her cry for 5 minutes then go in her room, pick her up and soothe her and then put her back down. THREE HOURS LATER she was still screaming as loud and as strong as she did when we started and I had been crying for three hours and we finally decided to call it quits.

As soon as I got her our of her crib I went to sit on the couch. We were both so exhausted we both fell asleep in no time. When I woke up it was about 6am. Josh had gone to bed and left H and I asleep on the couch. I guess he figured we had both had a long night and didn't want to disturb us. I decided to wait until we spoke with her doctor to decide how to get her to sleep in her own bed.

You want me to sleep WHERE?!

 

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is probably one of my most favorite holidays. I love the scary decorations and all the costumes and the fact that it is a fall holiday. And now, I love it because we get to dress Harper Grace up and take her trick-or-treating. It's like reliving my childhood.

This year, of course, she wasn't walking up to people saying trick-or-treat, and she wasn't able to eat her candy (More for mom and dad!), but it was so fun to dress her up and take her trick-or-treating.

We took her to church to do trunk-or-treat. We figured that she would probably get bored with it and there is really no need to walk door to door with a 3 month old to trick-or-treat. She LOVED watching all of the people, and was probably wondering why everyone was dressed so weird. I helped her hold her pumpkin candy bag and said trick-or-treat for her, and she would flash a sweet smile for everyone when they would talk to her.


During the day, she wore her "My First Halloween" onesie and super cute halloween bow, which I am trying to decide how to get away with that bow year round. She got a lot of attention in her cute little out fit.

For trick-or-treat, she was the cutest little pumpkin and had her matching pumpkin candy bag. The tights with this halloween outfit are the cutest things ever. Again, trying to figureout a way for her to wear them again and again.

 

 
 Trunk or treat time.

After Trunk-or-Treat in the church eating dinner. Shortly after this picture she was sound asleep in mommy's arms. (She looks like a different baby here. She is growing so fast.)

 

After trunk-or-treat, and a cat nap, it was time to come home and check out the loot, and open the 'First Halloween' gifts...

 

After all the festivites, we had NO problem getting Harper Grace to sleep for the night. I hope she enjoyed herself as much as we did.