Oh That Elusive Slumber.

Hi there folks. I just wanted to write a little bit about last night. We started weaning Wednesday off of her umpteen middle of the night bottles of water. It went really well. Ron even stayed in the bed the entire night.

Back story:

Birth to ten months: Breastfed until my supply dried up

Ten months to 14 months: formula during the night started out as one bottle climbed up to three or four 8oz bottles

14 months to 17 months: milk during the night. But this was constipating her due to the ridiculous amount she was taking in over the course of the night.

So at 17 months, thanks in part to the flu she went from milk to water at night. I read (I believe in a parenting community here at Livejournal)that if babies are waking up a billion times at night for a bottle give them water, babies don't wake up for just water. It made a lot of sense. Well, they were wrong, at least where my baby was concerned. At two years she is waking up for water almost hourly. And when it is not for water it is because her diaper is soaked through from the water she is drinking or because her stupid bottle leaked, or her diaper wicked out and now she and the sheet underneath her is soaking wet. And of course she won't go back to sleep without...a bottle of freaking water.

Now before you say anything, or judge me for being a lazy parent this is not the lazy parent approach. This is the 'I have not had a full eight six hours sleep since I was six months pregnant approach' and yes, sometimes it is easier to give her that bottle. And sometimes I can't let her scream all night because other people in the house have to work or go to school in the morning. And did I mention I'm tired?

But, this week was the last straw. Wednesday has been waking more and more frequently due to teething, the heat, wet diapers etc and Ron and I are getting less and less sleep as time goes by.

So, I finally decided I don't care how tired I am at night, or how badly others need sleep for work in the morning, Wednesday is getting no more water during the night. Well, the first night went much better than expected. She only woke a few times and I only gave her one bottle. Not being soaking wet really helped keep her more comfortable and therefor sleeping longer.

It went so well though that we are keeping it going and by weeks end we should be at a resolution. I am really optimistic. (It doesn't hurt that I am so tired, her whines and cries fall on deaf sleeping ears.

I should mention, that her naps have been growing in length some as long as three and half hours so she is getting rest. Just not as much as she/we should be.

And just to remind myself of what a sleeping baby looks like here is Wednesday sleeping last May. :)