Retiring the Family Bed

By Monica Cravotta  |  Published: Thursday, August 12, 2010

Nap in the Family Bed, Spring 09

I never had a time line in mind for how long our babies would sleep with us. As long as they needed to has been our M.O., with the caveat that we could gently guide their choice to transition to their own beds when the timing felt right to us as well.

Since I night-weaned in March, I have been sleeping with Sadie to avoid Izzy’s middle-of-the-night cries for “mok” which would continue even two or three months after night-weaning if I returned to the bed. Sleeping with Daddy, she might wake once in the middle of the night and be perfectly satisfied with a drink of water.

Was I tempted to go back to night-nursing knowing how much she wanted the Mama connection? Oh my gosh yes. Every day. And I had learned from multiple health practitioners that I was dangerously depleted and determined it was time to put my own oxygen mask on (remember the airplane emergency instructions I wrote about several months ago?….)

So I slept with Sadie — in her twin bed with her, in a twin mattress next to her bed, or in our guest room, depending on our mood.  The twin bed set up perpendicular to Sadie’s held an invisible placeholder sign that read, “For Izzy.”

And once a week or so over the last few months, I would say to our Littlest nugget, “Izzy, this bed is special for you when you’re ready. Would you like to sleep in it tonight next to Sadie?”

“No,” was the standard answer in her little chronically congested, grovelly voice.

This weekend, we got a baby sitter and experienced the luxury of dinner and a movie at Alamo Draft House. Holy Fun. I mentioned to the baby-sitter on our way out that she could offer the twin mattress on the floor next to Sadie as an option to Izzy, but that she had yet to say, “Yes.”

We got home from our date and our sitter looked at us with a confident twinkle in her eye.

We said, “How were they?”

“They’re sleeping together in Izzy’s bed,” she replied as she threw her hand up in the air for a high five.  “Izzy’s choice!”

Amazing. Part of me is still in shock.

Between both of our little girls, we’ve gone almost four years now sleeping with a baby or small child next to us.  We’ve had a little “side car” to extend the bed, using the equivalent of a love seat with a crib mattress on top.

After five nights in a row of the girls either sleeping together or in their own beds — we made it official and put our room back together the way it was when we first bought our house.  It’s a bittersweet transition for all. To aid in supporting their joyful discovery of sleeping in their own beds and to mop up my own conflicting emotions about it all, I’ve been answering “sure” to almost every special sleep request the last few nights. Sleep in a swimsuit? Sure Izzy — sounds fun! You want to sleep nude, Sadie? If that feels good to you, sure!

A new chapter unfolds with my husband and I sharing a bed again. (Photo inclusion not appropriate for family audience.) How ’bout that.

Nudie Rudy

Posted in Co-Sleeping | 6 Comments

Living the Dream – We Love Our New Housemate!

By Monica Cravotta  |  Published: Thursday, February 11, 2010

Here’s the bizarre dichotomous nature of my life right now. On the one hand, I’m fully living the stress of this recession as my husband and I scramble to figure out how to live off of 10% of the income we had three years ago.

On the other hand, I’ve never been more rich than I am right now. I’ve never felt more alive or inspired to create; I have never been more fully expressed (I love writing my bloggity blog!), and I have never felt more gratitude for everything I have:  My family, my health, my connections with others. Pure sweetness and true wealth in my book.

And — HOLY POWER OF INTENTION — we have a live-in cook!!

Amazing!  Sometimes I still can’t believe it. I can play with my girls and/or exercise while someone else prepares a home-cooked healthy meal and after dinner I can either work or participate in our bed-time routine and someone else cleans the kitchen. What??  Is this for real?? (more…)

Posted in AP & Self Care, Breastfeeding, Co-Sleeping, Nutrition | 3 Comments

When does AP go too far? Watch the movie Away We Go

By Monica Cravotta  |  Published: Monday, October 26, 2009

Away We Go Trailer

So I actually really enjoyed this movie despite its AP bashing. I particularly liked the main characters played by John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph and the 100% Alexi Murdoch soundtrack.

It was one of those movies that technically should be in the chic flick category and therefore begrudgingly watched by my husband.  But  Away We Go offered just the right combination of quirkiness and adult humor to have my husband totally on board. In fact, he picked it out.

In the movie, a 30-something couple, pregnant with their first child, decides to travel around the U.S. to find the best place to settle down as parents. This multi-city setting choice for the script worked well aesthetically, providing a lot of great contrast for the scenes. It also served as a convenient way to couch the real journey taking place for the couple which was not so much an exploration of different cities, but of different types of parenting styles and parenting experiences.

(more…)

Posted in Breastfeeding, Co-Sleeping, Empathetic Parenting | 7 Comments

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