Sleep Training Update - Combining Bed Times

This will be the last update in this series of sleep training, though I am sure it won't be too long before I will be revisiting this topic. After all, we will eventually have to get Levi used to his crib and out of our bed. But for now, let's talk about Noah and Ava. 

Here's what I've covered so far:
Preparing for Sleep Training covered our sleep goals, current routines, and our sleep training strategy. A month later, I shared an update on our goals (We've Made Progress) and how sleep training went with Ava. In this post, I will talk about what bedtime has been like since Noah came back from his stay on the farm in Nebraska.

Goal #3 was for Noah and Ava to go to bed together. They share a room and it was always hard to keep them separate during bed time, yet when we tried to put them to bed at the same time, they would distract each other and not go to sleep. To be honest, I had serious doubts that this would work and was prepared to try for a few days, but didn't think we would have much success. Well, I am happy to say that I was wrong!

4 Months Update (Levi)

Levi is already four months old and continues to change and grow so quickly and I am still trying to soak up every moment.

Here's his 2 months update: http://lifewithmylittlekraut.blogspot.com/2017/06/2-months-update-levi.html

Most of the notes I took when he was three months old are still true: He still isn't on any kind of schedule or routine. On some days he naps for hours, on others for no more than 20 minutes at a time. Levi is happy most of the time and smiles a lot. He giggles when he is being tickled or when Ava is being silly with him and laughing.

Sleep Training Update - We've Made Progress

It's already been a month since I wrote about our plan to work on Ava's sleep. I'm happy to share that we've been successful so far. Not everything is perfect (and I don't expect it to be for a long time), but we've made some real progress. The biggest surprise for me was that this completely changed nap time as well. I hadn't realized how much of an issue nap time was until she started sleeping two solid hours every day. 

Preparing for Sleep Training

It isn't that bedtime is terrible for us or that we have major struggles in the middle of the night, but bedtime hasn't been relaxing and fun lately. So when it became clear that Noah would be spending part of the summer in Nebraska on his grandparents' farm, we decided it's the perfect opportunity to work with Ava on her sleeping. While it's probably time to start working on good sleeping habits with Levi, we haven't made that a priority yet, so I'll focus on Noah and Ava in this post. 

This isn't the first time we're tackling sleep; here are two previous posts if you want to catch up: 

Back to Bed (Sleep Training at 13 Months)

An Update on Sleep (at 23 months)

Our goals

Our main goal is for bedtime to be positive relaxing family time for everyone instead of what feels like a daily battle. Especially for working parents, this can be such a tough time. You've worked all day, and now that you finally get to spend some time with your kids, instead of everyone enjoying each other's company, you're dealing with tears and power battles. At one point, we managed to have a really positive bedtime routine with Noah, and that's what I want to get back to. 

2 Months Update (Levi)

I know, I know, I shouldn't be surprised at how fast time flies, but it's still amazing how quickly babies grow. In the midst of busy life where Ava and Noah are often the more demanding kids, needing actual attention (yes, Levi needs to eat, but let's be honest, babies are a little bit boring), I try to find moments to pay real attention to Levi and this quickly passing infant stage. I'm trying to soak it all in, to take mental snapshots, to remember all the little details, knowing very well that it's impossible to remember everything. Every day there's a new memory, and there will be new little details to remember, and I will be excited about all of the new things he will learn and discover, and memories of the first smile, the first little sounds, the cries, the rooting, the baby hick-ups, the funny faces, his smell, will all fade away. And that's okay. I guess the best I can do is to enjoy it all in the moment and not be caught up in mom guilt when I feel like I should empty the dishwasher instead of taking a nap with a baby cuddled up next to me. 

Levi is two month old today. 

At night, he loves to sleep next to me, preferably with his face comfortably rested on my boob. Ha. Since we co-sleep I am not sure how often he wakes up at night, but I'm guessing about twice after he goes to bed late, at the same time I do usually. 

Levi's Birth Story

Read Noah's birth story here and Ava's birth story here (part 1) and here (part 2). 

Earlier this week, I had my postpartum appointment with my midwife at the Providence Pavilion for Women and Children, the same place I had given birth to all three of my kids and where I had come for almost all of my appointments during my pregnancies, the place where I began my journey of becoming a mother in 2012, not knowing what to expect and insecure in so many ways, where I developed confidence as an expecting mother during my second pregnancy, where I found the wonderfully supportive group of midwives, and the place where I could focus for a moment on nothing but the baby inside of me at a time when life was insanely busy with work, a house, a husband, and two kids. As I was hugging my midwife goodbye and leaving the building, seeing nervously happy new dads walking in with infant car seats, I was closing this chapter. As hard as it was sometimes, I have had wonderful pregnancies and birth experiences and it felt strange knowing that I wouldn't be coming back to this place.

A day in the life of...three kids edition

Last time I wrote a "day in the life" post, Ava was two months old and I was staying home with Noah and Ava while on maternity leave. You can catch up on it here. Apparently, some things don't change: babies need snacks all day and when things are about to turn south, we head outside. The following describes a day last week. Noah is almost four years old, Ava one and a half, and Levi is five weeks old. 

5:00 am (ish, this is a bit of a blur by now) - Levi wakes up for his breakfast. He has been waking up at around 1 am and again between 4 and 5 am to eat. Not so bad for a 5 week old. I enjoy the morning snuggles and try to close my eyes for a few more minutes knowing that my alarm will go off at 5:30 am. The kids usually wake up at around 6 am and having set my alarm gives me half an hour of much needed time for myself to get dressed and enjoy a hot cup of coffee in silence.

5:15 am - Never mind. Ava is up and wide awake and comes walking into our room. All she wants to do in the morning is cuddle with Levi, but she moves around so much and I have to pay attention to make sure she doesn't accidentally hurt him, so there's no point in even trying to close my eyes for a little bit. In an attempt to let Levi and Tony sleep, I get up with her. Right at that time, Noah comes walking out of their room, carrying his pillow. He's not ready to start the day and lets me know he is crawling in bed with daddy. I try to lay down with Ava in Noah's bed to snuggle, but as soon as we lay down, I hear Levi wide awake and ready for another snack. I bring him to bed with us and I nurse him while reminding Ava to touch his head really gently.

hugs and kisses for baby brother

5:30 am - My alarm goes off.