More on Sleeping (or should I say less?)

We are just a week away from a magical mark. Yes, Alex will be 4 months next week and according to the "Sleep Bible" (aka "Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child) this is when we can finally sleep train with success. Up until now, Alex has been pretty good--not perfect by any means, but pretty good. I have noticed lately that it is getting harder and harder to get him to sleep as the day wears on and he is waking up a LOT more at night to eat. We've been letting him cry a bit more to see if he can calm himself and go to sleep but we usually cave after some time and soothe him. He calms down and falls asleep within 30 seconds of being picked up, so it has become a matter of wanting our presence rather than an inability to sleep. So if you go past my house and hear incessant screaming, you'll know why.

Speaking of sleep, here are Eva and Elsie cuddling during an afternoon nap. Elsie would do anything for a good afternoon cuddle and she was happy to cozy up to Eva while she snoozed. Eva made sure Elsie was nice and toasty by throwing a leg over her.

Funny story: A parent at Eva's school told me I'm "Super Mom" as I unloaded my three munchkins from our van. I laughed and said I was far from it. But maybe not...I'm SUPER tired most days and my house is SUPER messy. Maybe I am "Super Mom" after all. Here are my kids looking SUPER crazy in jammies and some winter accessories. The pacifier in Cora's mouth is just for fun--she seems to think it's pretty funny these days.
Random: Alex contemplates hair choices. A buzz cut or a nice brown weave. Which do you prefer?

Sleeping Situation

I have had a hard time putting Alex in his crib to sleep. Since this is our third and final baby (that's the plan), I have not been in a rush to put him in his own room. Also, I have two other kids to take care of when I wake up so it is key to my survival to get as much sleep as possible and that has meant co-sleeping with Alex. We have an actual co-sleeper next to our bed but Alex inevitably wakes up to eat and the next thing I know it's two hours later and he's still snuggling with me--it's sweet and I don't mind it one bit.

Alex now takes all his naps in his crib and starts his night out in there until I go to bed and he asks to eat. Other times, nursing him to sleep while we both lie in the big bed is the only way to get him to settle down and go to sleep. The other night we were laying in bed gazing lovingly into each other's eyes and I started to sing him a little ditty that I always sing at bedtime and his eyelids got heavier and heavier and then he was asleep (I felt like the baby whisperer). It was a sweet moment.

Back to napping... He still takes a lot of 45-minute naps and that's starting to get old but I know eventually he'll stretch out and it will all be ok. In fact, I noticed yesterday and today that a few of his naps were closer to an hour long (of course, one of those naps ran into the time that I had to get Eva from school so I had to pull a sleeping Alex and put him in his car seat).