night-time signing

Our night-time routines has been changing these past few weeks, as I found I felt like I was done nursing every couple hours (every time Leona would wake up), and so a few days before the new routine started, I explained to Leona how it would be, and then when it started I continued to explain it to her - short and sweet - so she knew what was coming.

The routine: No nursing after 'last nurse' (the one when I go to bed and she wakes up...because she does every time) until morning. I would also mention during her last nurse that when she woke up at night, she could just lay there and relax, close her eyes, and go back to sleep (ha!).

We kind of tried this last spring, and had a total fail - just utter heartbroken screaming, writhing, frantic milk-signing on Leona's part.

This time was totally different. She would sign milk, then cry, I would ask if she wanted me to hold her, she would sign 'hug', I would sit up and hold her in a hug, she would sign milk a few more times while still crying gently, I would acknowledge she wanted milk and that she was sad, remind her that there was no milk until the morning, and then - still crying small-kine - she would sign sleepy-time, and I would lay her down, and she would roll over away from me and go back to sleep. Crazy huh? Ok, perhaps not crazy, but pretty darn cool in my books :P

A few days ago I even slept 6 hours straight (!!) because each time she woke up she just went back to sleep on her own.  First time ever. We haven't had a repeat, but some teeth are coming in, so I'm just rolling with it.

However, we've come across a little hick-up. With the midnight sun gone, and our nights actually dark again, when she wakes up at night now I have no idea what she is asking for while she's crying - because when she knows there's no milk, she still cries small-kine, and wants something else to help make her feel better. Sometimes it's that hug, sometimes it's her sippy-cups, sometimes it's her tooth-brush. But with the room finally completely dark again (which does help with the sleep quality), I don't see what she is signing. And when I try the 'deaf-and-blind' method of feeling her hands while she signs she gets annoyed because she really doesn't like people touching her hands. Oy ve.

But no matter. This no night-time nursing is pretty major in our house, and I believe that it really is helping her (and me) sleep better overall...little by little...eventually...once this teething streak is done ;)

[And with the return of the dark nights, fall is suddenly upon us]

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