Co-Sleeping

The oh-so-very artistic rendition of co-sleeping is the nightly norm in our house. When Man-Love works late the Cat known as "Duckie" is usually in his spot. The men of the house enjoy a plethora of room while I am a human teddy.

Honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way :)

For us, co- sleeping started when Marble was a few months old- also known as the brief when the crib was not used as an expensive laundry receptacle era. The crib was an incredible time waster for me. I would spend endless hours rocking and singing Marble to sleep, only to put her in her crib and have her wake up screaming and then repeat the whole process multiple times. And for those readers who having anything to say suggesting CIO (crying it out) don't bother- it was and is against every fiber of my being. Even back then- before I had read any thing to back up what I was feeling- I knew that babies needed to be near their mothers and that leaving them alone in a room to cry was wrong. I was, however, naive enough to believe that I could trick my child into sleeping in a crib by putting her in when she was asleep and gingerly tip-toeing out of the room...and...that's how I discovered co-sleeping! :)
Fast- forward a few years later and, despite many family member's queries of "When is that child going to have her own bed" and "She still sleeps with you?", Marble is still in bed with us. Does anyone really want to sleep alone- in a room by themselves- especially a toddler? I know I didn't! The special moments I've shared with Marble- the groggy "I love you so much mommy- I just want to fall asleep holding your hand" at the age of 2 and all the times I can be there at night when she has a bad dream are worth it. I say "worth it" but I am having a hard time thinking about any negative things I've had to put up with. I can't... I never had to leave my warm bed at night to go comfort a crying baby or child, I always got a good nights sleep, even when the babo's were infants, and,here's the real kicker- my kids both sleep in- usually until 8.
Ok, so now that you want to co-sleep too ;) you really must invest in a king size bed! It was the best decision I've ever made. And Man-Love appreciates all of the space, I'm sure ;)