Adventures of the Hakkawegians: sleep breakthroughs

It seems these recent breakthroughs have been coming out of exhaustion. I'm not saying that I think if I tried significantly earlier they could have come then, because I don't (not as peacefully at least). So I really do think the natural progression that we've gone through has been pretty darned perfect for what's been right for us.

Since the last breakthrough two and a half weeks ago, where we went from the need to bounce and 'shhhhhhhhhh' to a 'human swaddle' hold and 'shhhhhhhhhh' while laying down, we have had immense progress, again.

The first two weeks or so consisted of her crying and struggling almost every time - where if I'd let go she'd flail her arms, swiping at her ears and eyes, totally fighting sleep, making the human swaddle very necessary. It would take between 5 min (if we were super lucky) to over an hour.

Then these past few days, I've slowly been able ease up on the vice grip once she was past a certain point, as in almost asleep but not quite yet, letting her go the last leg into dreamland 'alone'.

I think her fighting it had to do with not knowing how to let sleep overtake her. So before, with the bounce, she was kind of hypnotized to sleep, then by holding her tightly, she'd eventually give in to the embrace and then drift off to sleep...slowly learning that this is safe and fine (I like to believe the fact that I was laying there, holding her closely/tightly made her feel safe at least).

Now, this in and of itself has of course been immensely wonderful, especially considering where we started from back in her newborn days. However, I have been exhausted these past few weeks because I've been going to bed around 1am due to having to work on editing cases or because I haven't wanted to go to sleep as with our newfound routine I know I have to wake up around 12am or so to feed her, and potty her a last time for the night before putting her in a disposable. Then she wakes for a feeding or two, and then up at around 6am with her, pottying her (number 'twos' need to go in the potty, not the disposable, as there's a history of it coming up and out the back-top), taking her into the living room so Judge can continue to get his much needed rest before he has to get up and go to his 12+ hour work-days.

So yesterday morning after Judge had left, as she was squirming and squirming - cry free - and I was too exhausted, I just scooted myself away, letting her roll around as she saw fit. After a while of dosing, I realized it was calm on the Leona front, looked over, and there she was, peacefully asleep!

For her other naps that day I did the old 'hold', but then again in the evening, I really had to finish and editing case and her going to sleep wasn't just taking five minutes, so I decided to get up, leaving her on the bed. She kind of fought the sleep - she'd wriggle around, do an almost half-roll stuffing her face into the mattress, or the blankets into her face, relax and dose off, wake up, wriggle around, etc...she did about three 'compass-needle' circles like this over maybe 45 min, and then fell asleep for reals.

It's amazing!