Lately we've been working on Michael's sleeping habits (specific post to come soon). Within that "work" is letting Michael explore his space while sleeping. Before he used to just cuddle up in the nook of my arm while sleeping.

Now?

Now Michael is all about his "Jazz Hands".

The first night he slept out of the safety of my arms, I panicked. I couldn't sleep. It was like our first night in the hospital all over again. I just laid there and watched him roll and explore his space, putting one hand on daddy's back and the other on my chest. I waited for him to need me, even though I knew he'd find me when he did. It was so strange.

Now it's becoming normal, which is a good thing.

However, there's always a price with new development.

For the past three days in a row, Michael has woken up at 4:30am. I don't know what it is that's causing this; it may be him exploring his new sleep options, it may be him not liking Daylight Savings Time, it may be him growing. I have no earthly idea. But he's been up at 4:30am every morning this week. And then he typically goes back to sleep (once I'm up, he's in his sling, and I've had a cup of coffee) in an hour or hour and a half.

But he's awake. Trying to sleep in bed longer is pointless. I tried it Sunday. We stayed in bed until 5:30, but all he did was squeak and squeal and roll around and grab at my face or Clark's back... it was awful. For some reason, he wants to get up, be put in his sling, and hang out a while before drifting back to sleep for another hour or so.

Yesterday at the doctor's office, our pediatrician asked us if Michael was sleeping on his own. She started it with, "So, you said he's mostly sleeping on his own, now, right?"

No. In fact I never said he was sleeping on his own. I said we were "working on it". What I meant by working on it is we're getting him to nap on his own at this moment. And even that means nap on his own on our bed. We're moving to the crib once we have solo-naps down. And from there we'll work on bed time.

I responded, probably a bit too firmly, "No, he still sleeps with us."

What was her response?

"Oh."

That was it. I have to say I was very close to getting defensive about it, but I didn't. I simply said. "Yep. We're finally getting his nap schedule down. Bed time is a whole other story."

What was I thinking?

You're his doctor. I'm pretty sure his sleeping arrangements are his parents' decision. Not yours.

I'm pretty sure co-sleeping is pretty normal these days, at least for some people. I know others got separate sleeping down from the very beginning, but I have to say that I thoroughly enjoy having our family bed at the moment.