Sleep and Play...

I never really understand why it seems like the first question anyone asks you about your baby is, "Is she sleeping through the night?". It's as if my role as a parent, and Avery's as a baby is judged upon how well she is sleeping. My take on sleeping is that 1) I did not expect to have glorious, blissful nights of sleep once I had a baby 2) Avery has a tummy the size of her tiny fist and I am breastfeeding her which means her nutrients are digested quickly and efficiently so she eats often, even during the night 3) Just because it is night time does not mean that I get to turn off my mommy switch, if she needs comforting I am going to be there for her. I've said this before but I think one of the greatest joys of parenting is that you get to do it your way. To me, it doesn't feel right to let her cry it out, so I won't. Not now anyways. Some babies are great sleepers and will naturally sleep 8-10 hours a night. Avery is not one of those wonderful sleepers. I am ok with waking 2-3 times a night to nurse or comfort her. Above all else, I want her to know that I am there for her when she needs me, even at night :) So that is the way I've tackled sleep, doing what feels right to me and it seems to be working so far. Some parents tackle sleep differently, and that is great for them. Yesterday, I bought a sling for Avery and I to use. I have a bjorn, but it is just too difficult to use now. It was a godsend at first, but now it takes two people to get her into it. I mostly wanted a sling to use when I go to the grocery store because I know how much she likes interacting with people and she is so restrained in her carrier (but not quite ready to sit in the grocery carts). We went to HEB today (our grocery store) and she loved the sling! She smiled at people, babbled, and was shrieking with delight when we were looking at birthday cards (who knows why she loved the card aisle but she did)! So, the sling was a good purchase and I think she's going to have a blast interacting at face level with lots of new people. I am posting a video of Kyle and I playing a trick on her! She's still working on that pincher grasp :)