Rock-a-bye baby

Zoë had a rough night last night. I can't isolate the factor that threw her off so it must have been a combination of things: I put her down asleep instead of awake, I forgot to put on her nightlight, when she woke up Daddy was home, she'd had a rough afternoon (face planted on the slide and gave herself a bloody nose). 

All she needs is a waffle

Whatever the reason, she just had an off night and decided she was going to party like it was...the time before she figured out that bedtime was a useful thing (so, like, last month).

I just finished reading 100 Birds Taught Me How to Fly, a beautiful book, by the way, and Hoiland talks about picking up her sad, little Thea in the middle of the night and cuddling her close to let her know that "she's home." Or something like that. And when I read that I was like, "Aw, how sweet. I love cuddling my babies, too."

But it turns out that when they're awake from midnight until 5:00 in the morning I end up setting them outside of my bedroom door and locking them out so I can flipping lie down without being kicked in the stomach or having my hair pulled or my eyes gouged out. 

I listened to her pound on the door for a minute before she sank to the floor. Then I heard her padding around, full of toddler rage. And then I heard silence. Sweet, sweet silence. 

I got up to check on her, tiptoeing around so carefully.

I found her fast asleep in my rocking chair. 

Knowing that Andrew had to leave the house in just a few hours I decided to leave her there. After all, she's not a newborn anymore...and at this point sleep anywhere was going to be healthier for the two of us than an admittedly dangerous sleep on a rocking chair. 

When Andrew got up for the day I muttered, "Check on Zoë..."

So he did.

He said she stirred a bit while he was getting ready, but in response the rocking chair lulled her back to sleep again. So maybe sleeping on the rocking chair isn't such a bad idea after all (just kidding: I'm pretty sure this is against every kind of safe sleep method protocol (but, again, there is a point where any sleep is better than no sleep)). It's where she got the bulk of last night's sleep (if you call 5:30 to 8:00 "bulk").

Tonight she fell asleep in her own bed, tucked in with her lulla doll, with her music playing, and her nightlight on (not that she's particular or anything). She knows that Daddy is home, so that won't freak her out, and she didn't take any traumatizing tumbles today. So—with any luck—last night was just a fluke and not a regression...