They weren’t lying!!

I used to always see calm, docile children; hear their parents talk about how much they slept, and figure a. they were a different species then my progeny or b. they must take extreme measures to achieve these miracles.  Since having Nora I have been shocked to see her do some of the things that I really didn’t believe were possible:

• Schedule—Nora developed a solid schedule very quickly.  Without  much prodding on my part she just seemed to have clear sleepy times for nap and going to bed.  I couldn't even imagine this possibility with my fiery first child.   I also can’t take much credit.
• Going to sleep on their own—This is another area where I figured people either were lying or torturing their children.  But no!  Around six weeks or so I realized I could set Nora in her bassinet at bedtime and she would just flop and flail a bit, but in a content way, and then snooze.  This blew my mind.  She still is VERY good at this.  Every night I nurse her, and then if she does happen to fall asleep I wake her back up to brush her teeth, and then tuck her into bed, with a couple cosy blankets, a lovey, pacey, and a stuffed animal on either side of her.  In her own crib, I don’t her a peep.  Lately she will even say “Night, night” or “Bye, bye” to me.  Magic.  (Important note: this has not—as I believe was promised to me—translated into easily sleeping though the night.)
• Waking without screaming—when Joseph awoke from naps or in night or morning, it was always LOUD and UNHAPPY.  Nora sometimes cries, but also often plays happily!  It gets downright confusing sometimes with going to bed or naps awake and then waking and playing—sometimes I have little idea how much she really slept!
• Being able to put down—when Nora was a non-moving blob, she was often very content to lay or sit in one place, without being held.  This was not a possibility with Joseph.  Again, I figured it took child abuse to accomplish such a feat, but ends up it’s more of a personality thing.
• Playing on own—similar to above.  Didn’t really think I would ever have a child who could entertain themselves.  Sometimes Nora does!  Not all the time though…

….As she has gotten older she has definitely picked up or developed more of her brother’s feistiness.  Perhaps this is our fault—I know I do value a certain amount of fire and so probably encourage it in subtle ways.  She is not nearly as easy as she was when tiny!