Unintentional Co-sleeping {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

Honestly, this is a post never in a million years thought I'd write.  However, it's become our nightly routine and I thought it deserved some "chatter."

Let me first start off by saying that I am a routine girl.  Not nearly as rigid during the day (my husband holds the title for that), but when it comes to our bedtime routine, mama does NOT mess around. 

We eat dinner promptly at 5pm. every. single. night. 

Our 2, 4 and 5 year old go to bed at 6:30.  every. single. night.

Our 8 year old goes to bed at 8.  every. single. night.

And they sleep through the night.

Now, how did this routine begin?  When I was pregnant with Minh (8 years old), a family friend of ours gave me a book called Babywise.  I was a young mom, still in college, still working, and really had absolutely no clue about parenting, much less sleep training.  That book changed my life and I truly believe it's techniques taught me how set a nightly routine, continue nursing, and allowed me to graduate college on time.  It's not for everyone, and I'm not here to debate feedig on demand vs. parent directed feeding.  Bottom line, it worked beautifully for us and I had all 4 of my children sleeping 9 hours straight by 8 weeks, all while nursing full time.  Then came #5.

An is a sweet, happy, smiley little boy who got thrust into our life of organized chaos.  We are a family always on the go and I joke that An is our "take along baby."  He is usually in the Ergo as I attempt to chase the kids around parks, cook meals, and diffuse toddler combat.  I began to implement his eat, play, sleep schedule when he was 5 weeks old.  He was right on course until day #5 when we had major house issues (I won't get into them, but they were and continue to be baaaad).  We spent a night at my folks, the next 2 days at the campground (a planned trip!), and then came home and rearranged all the childrens rooms.  Everyone was displaced, and we're still in the process of establishing permanent sleeping arrangements for our nomadic sleepers.  In the midst of this confusion, An somehow *cough cough* made his way to our bed.  And there he has slept for the past 2 and a half months.  It wasn't until his appointment this morning when our Pediatrician asked, "and he is sleeping in his crib?" to which I answered with, "oh, well, no.  He's still in our bed," that I realized we are truly co-sleeping.  Me?  Muwah?  A co-sleeper???  gasp.

I giggled on the drive home that I now fall under a more "crunchy" label of attachment parenting.  I hold and wear An all the time, something I never did with the others.  True, it's part necessity in order to keep up with his 4 older siblings, but part (I believe) is I'm trying to breathe in every moment of An's baby sweetness.  He very well could be our last child and I know just how fleeting this precious time is.  Am I sleeping as well with him in bed with us?  No-and lets not forget how sneaking out of bed at 4am to get to my CrossFit workouts on time is an obstacle course in itself.  But am I seeing little quirks, and sighs, and coos, late night nursing and midnight giggles that I never have before?  Yes.  And it's sweet, peaceful and natural and I'm loving every minute of this unexpected sleeping arrangement.


I now truly "get this."  hahaha