THE HOPE OF A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP

Everyone who knows us probably knows that we co-sleep and have been co-sleeping with Luke since he was born.  It was and is a conscious decision that we made and  we have really enjoyed it--well most days.    While it has definitely had its benefits and I am sure we would and will do it again; after two years of waking up frequently we are trying a different routine.    We are beginning to try to encourage Luke to fall asleep on his own.  By on his own I mean not nursing, not being walked, driven or rocked, but rather going from awake to asleep without much assistance.  We are still doing a lot of back patting and rubbing but we are slowly encouraging him to fall asleep with out the aid of mommy or daddy having to wake up and help him.  We are doing this in the HOPES that this will soon begin to bring sleep back into our home.   It is long overdue and I am hoping everyone will be happier because of it.  The transition is slow and we are not forcing it but we do seem to be making progress.  Luke has suddenly taken an interest in sleeping in a big boy bed!!  Since we are not sure if this is a phase or a real switch that he is making we have created our own for the time being.  We are keeping him in our room (for now) but are very encouraged that he is soooo excited about sleeping on his own.  Two nights in a row now Luke has slept in his own makeshift big boy bed.  So to all of those parents out there who say the transition can not happen and that once you co-sleep your child will never leave your bed..I say when it is time they will tell you.  Ours has.  For how long who knows.  But one thing has become certain.  Luke will not still be in our bed when he goes to college.  In fact I think he will be out sooner than that.  I am sure once this transition is complete we will both long for the days when he still wanted to sleep with us.