Leaps and Bounds

I know I keep saying this, but I can't believe how fast Ella is growing.  Every day is something new and I love experiencing it all with her.  She's been playing more with her toys and really taking an interest in interacting with them.  Here she is cuddling, grabbing and eating her alligator.

During the last few weeks, Ella's been going through another developmental leap, which has made her clingy, cranky and restless.  She's generally a really good baby, so when she makes a leap, we really notice her change in behavior.  The most obvious challenge has been her waking in the middle of night and being difficult to console back to sleep.  Having a baby who normally sleeps 10-12 hours straight through the night but then starts waking up crying at 3 am has been challenging.  I know we're pretty spoiled with a good sleeper, but it's still difficult nonetheless.  We started putting her back into her co-sleeper by our bed when she wakes in the middle of the night so we both could get some sleep, and sometimes we had to pull her into bed with us.  I've noticed how differently she sleeps now, signifying how much she's grown.  I used to have to cradle her in my arms while we slept, but now she just lays on the mattress and snuggles up on us.  She'll reach her hand out to feel us there and fall asleep next to us.  While I was pregnant, I swore I'd never sleep with her in bed with us, but parenthood makes you do a lot of "take-backs" and this has been one of them.  She's been a cuddlier since she was a newborn and it's been a bit of a challenge not to indulge her all the time.

Sleeping in one morning in our bed.

THANKFULLY, her leap is coming to an end, and she's been back in her crib, sleeping through the night, for the past three days.  It's been so wonderful waking up to find her still sound asleep in her crib and getting our room back!  I really recommend "The Wonder Weeks" for new parents because it helps to know the reason for the changes in behavior in your infant.  Knowing what to expect and understanding why Ella is acting a certain way has helped us be more confident parents.  So far, she's been pretty on schedule with her leaps, and it's just nice to have some insight in how she's growing.  The leaps are rough (and getting rougher) but it's amazing to watch her develop new skills.  That being said, I'm more than happy to enjoy this upswing until she hits her next leap.