Sleep
My biggest goal for the next couple of months is to revisit the sleep situation and make some major improvements.
The current situation:
Ben usually gets home from work a little before 7 pm, and we have dinner right away. Neil and Zinnia (especially Neil) are very tired by the end of dinner, so pretty much as soon as I've bolted my food, we start getting them cleaned up and into pajamas and nighttime diapers. (We were using disposable overnight diapers for a while, and I just recently tried switching to double-stuffed cloth pockets.) I nurse whoever is sleepiest (generally Neil) in the dark in our bedroom, usually while reading a bit of Internets. Iris gets into pajamas, brushes her teeth (usually with help), and picks out a story. Ben brings me the slightly less-sleepy baby and usually goes into Iris's room to read her a story. Once I get the second baby down, I check to make sure Iris is in bed with the lights out; if she isn't, I read to her and tuck her in.
Usually both babies sleep in our room, often one in our bed and one in the toddler bed next to it. Generally somebody wakes up before I go to bed, and usually they both wake up when I come to bed at around 10 pm and then several more times during the night. Sometimes, it sounds like they wake up a little and go back to sleep on their own. Usually, however, they nurse to go back to sleep. I can generally detach them before they've stopped sucking and fallen completely asleep, and they'll fall completely asleep.
Since we've gone to cloth diapers at night, I'm having to change them once or twice a night when they wake up and I can smell the wet diaper. I can do this in the dark, and it isn't a huge problem, but I'm inclined to go back to disposable overnight diapers. (Also, 4 double-stuffed diapers per night seems to make the difference between having to wash diapers daily versus every other day.)
All 3 kids wake up between 6 and 7 am. I know they're awake for the day because they talk, laugh, kiss me, and blow raspberries and booberries. Middle-of-the-night wakings are brief and grumpy. If only one baby wakes up, I generally fall back asleep nursing them, and it's not a big deal. If they both wake up at the same time, I can't fall back asleep simul-nursing, and it's hard to get them detached and back in bed without waking them up. Neil and Zinnia seem to wake each other up once or twice a night. It's not all of the time, but if one cries or crawls over the other when they're in a light stage of sleep, then that one wakes up too. (For naps Mondays - Thursdays, they sleep in separate rooms while Iris is in preschool, and that works pretty well.)
What I like about it:
Usually getting Neil and Zinnia to sleep is pretty quick - half an hour to an hour total, and that time goes by quickly as I use the computer.
Iris goes to bed easily and pretty much only wakes up to go to the bathroom. She's generally bright and cheerful in the mornings. Really, there isn't a single thing I'd change about Iris's nighttime sleep. (Naps for her are pretty hit-or-miss right now.)
I generally get to have a bit of time with Ben in the evenings, if neither of us has to work.
On Bab5 nights, all 3 kids eat an early dinner and nap well in the car, so we can have some social time from 7:30 - 9:30 or so. That's nice for being able to hang out with other adults. :-)
Coming soon:
I read the No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers, and am writing down a plan for what changes we're going to make.
The current situation:
Ben usually gets home from work a little before 7 pm, and we have dinner right away. Neil and Zinnia (especially Neil) are very tired by the end of dinner, so pretty much as soon as I've bolted my food, we start getting them cleaned up and into pajamas and nighttime diapers. (We were using disposable overnight diapers for a while, and I just recently tried switching to double-stuffed cloth pockets.) I nurse whoever is sleepiest (generally Neil) in the dark in our bedroom, usually while reading a bit of Internets. Iris gets into pajamas, brushes her teeth (usually with help), and picks out a story. Ben brings me the slightly less-sleepy baby and usually goes into Iris's room to read her a story. Once I get the second baby down, I check to make sure Iris is in bed with the lights out; if she isn't, I read to her and tuck her in.
Usually both babies sleep in our room, often one in our bed and one in the toddler bed next to it. Generally somebody wakes up before I go to bed, and usually they both wake up when I come to bed at around 10 pm and then several more times during the night. Sometimes, it sounds like they wake up a little and go back to sleep on their own. Usually, however, they nurse to go back to sleep. I can generally detach them before they've stopped sucking and fallen completely asleep, and they'll fall completely asleep.
Since we've gone to cloth diapers at night, I'm having to change them once or twice a night when they wake up and I can smell the wet diaper. I can do this in the dark, and it isn't a huge problem, but I'm inclined to go back to disposable overnight diapers. (Also, 4 double-stuffed diapers per night seems to make the difference between having to wash diapers daily versus every other day.)
All 3 kids wake up between 6 and 7 am. I know they're awake for the day because they talk, laugh, kiss me, and blow raspberries and booberries. Middle-of-the-night wakings are brief and grumpy. If only one baby wakes up, I generally fall back asleep nursing them, and it's not a big deal. If they both wake up at the same time, I can't fall back asleep simul-nursing, and it's hard to get them detached and back in bed without waking them up. Neil and Zinnia seem to wake each other up once or twice a night. It's not all of the time, but if one cries or crawls over the other when they're in a light stage of sleep, then that one wakes up too. (For naps Mondays - Thursdays, they sleep in separate rooms while Iris is in preschool, and that works pretty well.)
What I like about it:
Usually getting Neil and Zinnia to sleep is pretty quick - half an hour to an hour total, and that time goes by quickly as I use the computer.
Iris goes to bed easily and pretty much only wakes up to go to the bathroom. She's generally bright and cheerful in the mornings. Really, there isn't a single thing I'd change about Iris's nighttime sleep. (Naps for her are pretty hit-or-miss right now.)
I generally get to have a bit of time with Ben in the evenings, if neither of us has to work.
On Bab5 nights, all 3 kids eat an early dinner and nap well in the car, so we can have some social time from 7:30 - 9:30 or so. That's nice for being able to hang out with other adults. :-)
Coming soon:
I read the No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers, and am writing down a plan for what changes we're going to make.