Back when I knew it all

Back around the end of the second trimester, beginning of the third, I was reading tons of things about baby development, and I made decisions about the way we'd raise our son. You know, things like no co-sleeping (it's a bad habit to get into and an even harder one to break), no nuks or binkies until after at least a week (they can impede breastfeeding success and become a crutch if they're not taken away soon enough) and no sleep positioners (why waste money on something completely unneccessary?).

Then Cayden was born, and it became abundantly clear that caring for a baby living on the outside is much different than planning for a baby on the outside.

Shortly after he was born we went into survival mode, or as many new moms call it -- do whatever you can to get through the days and nights.

Cayden got a blessed nuk his second night in the hospital (thanks Jeanne, for the Wubbanub suggestion -- we have yet to lose the frog, but the Soothie has been lost multiple times), we started co-sleeping on the couch when the crib proved to be a royal FAIL after two nights at home and thanks to two angels I know as Merritt and Kristen, we are now proud owners of a sleep positioner.

Dr. Baker strongly encouraged me to give up the couch routine because of the small but real risk of injury or death to Chicken Wing, should Cayden get rolled on by me or should he roll off the couch onto the floor.

Months ago Kristen recommended the Snuggle Nest to me. But that was back when I knew it all and was confident we wouldn't need the gimmick that was the perfect example of the kind of useless crap the baby industry pushes on unsuspecting new parents.

And then just a few days ago I got an unbelievably kind and heartfelt message of encouragement from Merritt, a good friend and sorority sister from college I hadn't heard from (or run into at the Phyrst) in years. We struck up a Facebook conversation, and Merritt was generous enough to share one of her tips for transitioning her now six-month old, Charlotte, into the crib: a sleep positioner.

Fast forward to us scooping one up at BRU yesterday afternoon.

That was the best damn $50 I've spent in a long time. Cayden slept in three and four hour stretches last night, swaddled and positioned snug as a bug in his pack'n'play!! I'll stay on the couch for a while until this thing proves to be successful beyond the first night, but I now have hope of someday returning to bed with my husband!
And yes, that's my Blackberry in the corner of the pack'n'play. Not only is it a useful tool for staying up-to-date on news at work, but it also turns out to be the perfect nightlight for writing down times of middle-of-the-night feedings and diaper changes.

Cayden moved off the couch at 10 days old.