Teeth, Schedule and Sleep

Right when we got back from New Boston Lyla started getting a really runny nose and was running a low grade fever. She really wasn't fussy but you could tell she was not herself for those few days. Well I soon realized why. Her first tooth cut through. I knew it would be any day until the next one came through. Well this morning, about two weeks later, I realized her nose had dried up and I just checked this morning and the one right beside it finally came through last night I guess. She now has her two bottom teeth :) She is growing SO fast!!

I think after 6 months of a sporadic schedule because she just could not figure out what she wanted when and her sleep pattern was completely off, not much better now, but I think we have somewhat of a schedule down. I have read all the books, taken all the advice and I have just come to the realization that my kid is NOT a good sleeper. She could be exhausted but like clock work she takes a 30 minute nap to the minute every single time. This usually ends up with her taking about three of them during the day; morning, mid-day, and afternoon. By 7:00 she is completely exhausted so she has set that as her bedtime every night now. It was rough when she was in our room because of the light sleeper she is I was having to tip-toe around our room and was taking baths in the other bathroom..ha! Running out of room in her co-sleeper and this I knew it was time for her to start sleeping in her bed.

She has been taking all of her naps in her bed for probably the last month now. While mom was here though I moved her into her big girl bed at night too. I think and pray this is going to lead to a much better sleep schedule at night for her. The first night was pretty rough, more because I think it was harder for me to get up and get in there fast enough to get her right back to sleep when she would lose her paci, so she was up about four times that night. She also as said above was trying to get that second tooth through so I think that had a lot to do with it also because last night was MUCH better. She went down at 7:00 and slept until 1:00 when she woke up to nurse and then was back down until her usual wake up time of 5:30. So as of right now this is what our days look like.

5:00-5:30 - Lyla wakes up and we lay in the bed until about 6:30 (sometimes she goes back to sleep but most of the time we just snuggle and watch cartoons) - this will end when I have to go back to work in a few weeks :(

6:30 - we get up and she nurses

7:30 - we usually eat breakfast (yogurt)

8:00 - She is back down for a 30 minute nap

8:30 - 9:30 - we do our rotations of play

9:30 - nurse

10:00 - 12:00 - she sometimes takes a nap in here but usually we just play

12:00 - lunch (fruit)

12:30 - nurse

1:00 - 3:30- nap somewhere in here (depending on her mid morning nap) and we just play through our rotations again

3:30 - nurse

5:00 - dinner (fruit and veggie)

6:00 - bath and bedtime routine

6:30 - nurse

7:00 - bed

1:00-2:00 a.m. - usually wakes up to nurse

Then start all over again!

I am trying to keep her up longer so that maybe her naps just go to two long ones in the morning and later in the afternoon (instead of three 30 minute ones) but she is such an early riser that she starts rubbing her eyes and getting fussy early and just wants to be rocked! Then she only sleeps those 30 minutes so she is again tired before lunch and the vicious cycle continues..ha! You know they always say you have to do what works best for you and that is what we are doing. I know that as she gets older this will change but for now, it works :)