Please don’t say any of this out loud or it will go away

I am taking a break from my corn adventures.  Don’t worry, I’ll tell you all about them at a later time, probably on Friday.  I’m sure everyone is holding their breath, waiting diligently, and will be constantly refreshing their browsers in anticipation.

Right?

Anyway, I hesitate to even mention this.  It’s something that is a long time in the making, but that I’m sure as soon as I say it out loud it will ruin it.  So I expect everyone to read this in a whisper.

Ready?

Adele is sleeping through the night.  At least for the past week and a half, except for the Friday before Sebastian’s birthday party (of course) which resulted in both my husband and I averaging about 3 ½ hours of sleep, but I’m not counting that one.  

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is the longest it’s ever been.  It may have happened a night here, or two nights there, but never like this.  I don’t know what finally changed her mind but I am happy for it.  I worked with her a month or two ago on going to sleep by herself, without help from me in the form of nursing or rocking.  It worked fine in the day time, and even going down for the night.  But if she woke up at all in the middle of the night she basically screamed and screamed until I gave up and put her in my bed.  

Honestly I was sure I had created a years-long problem of her sneaking into my bed every night, or her needing to be with me to stay asleep.  But I didn’t know what else to do.

And then I put her down one night and she stayed there the whole night, no fuss.

And then she did it again.

And again.

And again until it had been a whole week. 

I am trying so hard not to become complacent because I feel like as soon as I start expecting this and letting my guard down, it’s all going to end.  (And also, I put her down for a nap about 25 minutes ago and she’s still up there tossing around.)

But for now everything feels just a little bit easier.  Finally.  10 months later.  

Yesterday at my parents’ house Adele hadn’t slept all day and it was about 3 o’clock.  I’d spend about 30-45 minutes trying to put her to sleep by rocking and patting and pacing but all she did was arch her whole body and scream louder.

So we all sat down to eat and I put her in the play yard with some toys, hoping she’d occupy herself so I could eat a bit.  After a few minutes we realized we didn’t hear her anymore.  My mom went to check on her and she was conked out.

BY HERSELF.  

I hope, so very much, that this is it, and that maybe as a result of me being more rested I can try to be a better mother, a better wife, a better person all around.  

Cause damn.  Lack of sleep makes my shoulders tight and my brain mushy.  

I’m more than ready for this next step.

(Plus if she sleeps better maybe I can stop reading her this book.)*

*I don’t really read Adele that book.  Just Sebastian.