Co-sleeping

If you would have asked me ten, five, or two years ago, "What do you think about having your child sleep in your bed with you?" I would have quickly replied, "No way!"

Like most of the words I've eaten in my lifetime, I've eaten those as well.

On a hot, June night last summer, Caroline crawled between our sheets, and I said, "Oh, Mike, look at how cute she is! Can she stay for just one night?"

Since then, it's been every night, for nine months...and I think my husband and I need to start seeing a chiropractor for our back problems.

(sigh)

So, last night, I asked Mike to put the safety railings on her "big-girl" bed. No, no, no. Don't feel sorry for her! Have you seen her bedroom? Anyway, he did, and we tried to pump her up about sleeping in her own room. So when it came time to go to bed last night, she runs to my room shouting, "NOOOOOO, I want to sleep in YOUR room in THIS bed!"
I stood by the doorway, calmly telling her, "No sweetie, we are going to your room and I'm going to sleep with you."
Well, that didn't work at all. Long story short, I ended up carrying her up the stairs literally kicking and screaming.
And I know at this point in the story, both grandmothers are shaking their head "no" right now saying, "My Caroline would never act that way!" :)
When we got to her room, and after some correction, we picked out some books, sat on her bed, and I read four stories to her. I told her that after we read some books, then we would go downstairs and she could sleep in our room. She was relaxed and asked for some warm milk. I brought her milk to her, and then asked her if she wanted me to turn out the light. She said, "yes."
I totally wasn't expecting her to WANT to stay in her room. Especially after that fit she pitched!
But I laid with her in her bed, and she went to sleep.
I fell asleep as well.
Then Mike came upstairs at 10:00p.m. and woke me up.
I came downstairs, went into our bedroom, and talk about oddest feeling I've ever had! Where was my baby?
I CRIED.
Mike didn't understand.
I held the monitor up to my ear, trying to listen to her breathing.
I couldn't sleep. I really didn't expect her to stay upstairs. And what upset me the most was the fact that I realized that my baby had probably spent her last night in my bed the night before.
And at 12:44 a.m., my prayers were answered and I heard her crying. "YES!" I think I set a record running up the stairs to pluck her out of her bed. I brought her downstairs, put her in-between Mike and I, and I slept like a baby for the rest of the night.

WHEW! Don't think I'll be doing that again. I'd rather live with back-pain for the rest of my life. However, we will be needing to get a king-sized bed soon. :)