Sleep Time for Sawyer

Dear Sawyer,

Hallelujah! After two and a half years, you have finally finally started sleeping through the whole night in your own bed on a regular basis! Let me get a "Woooo!"

I sleep-trained GuhGaw, I didn't need to sleep-train JieJie and I should have sleep-trained you but didn't have the energy. For a loooooong time, you would wake up crying every couple of hours if you slept in your crib. But if Daddy and I brought you to our bed, you would immediately fall asleep and stay asleep for the whole night, so it was just easier to let you sleep in our bed. Well, easier for you since you got to rest. You often flopped around like a wet fish when you were sleeping, so Daddy and I would often be harshly awakened by your fist hitting our cheeks or your foot kicking our chins or your head butting ours (dude, you have a hard head!). But that was preferable to throwing off the blanket, getting out of bed and walking down the hallway to shush you back to sleep every two hours, so we suffered through the physical abuse and woke up every morning groggy, tired and slightly black and blue.

Putting you to bed was a challenge, too. GuhGaw and JieJie get in bed by 7:30pm and they stay in bed until the next morning (for the most part). You refused to stay in bed and if we tried to say goodnight and leave you in your room, you'd cry so hard that Daddy or I would have to come get you for fear of you waking up your siblings. Many nights, Daddy and I would just make you lie in our bed between us until you eventually passed out at a very late 10 or 11pm.

But now that you are closer to 3 than you are to 2, you have finally started letting me put you to bed in your room while you are still awake. I put GuhGaw and JieJie to bed in their rooms and then I walk you to your room, tuck you in, read a few books to you, kiss you, say good night, turn off the light and boom! Sometimes you cry out for me but you will stop after a few minutes and eventually fall asleep on your own. And you stay asleep until morning time! Victory!

I'm not going to lie. Since you are my youngest and I know how fast the time goes, I didn't hate our co-sleeping days. No matter how tired I was, I could always appreciate the sweet feeling of you nestled next to me with your hands holding mine. I could always stay awake for just a little longer to watch you drift off into dreamland. I loved hearing your rhythmic breathing and your occasional mid-sleep giggles and mumblings. So even though I waited this long for you to go to bed on your own, sometimes when you are all tucked in with the lights off and you ask me if I can stay with you, I am more than happy to comply!

Love,
Mom