Sleeping Alone Now?

Sharing a bed with Lucy has been the one of the easiest decisions I've ever had to make about parenting, so much so that it wasn't even really a decision at all...it just sort of came naturally. From day one (day one being the day we brought her home from the NICU at 23 days old) she has slept in the same room with me. I had a co-sleeper/bassinet attached to the side of my mattress, but she never really slept in it!

It has always been easier to have her in the bed right next to me, not only for easy breastfeeding (because I was able to lazily whip out one of the 'girls,' and fall back to sleep while Lucy nursed), but it was so incredibly nice to have her near me. After not being able to have her near me for the first three weeks of her life while she was in recovery in the hospital, being able to listen to her breathe while she slept, and being able to tend to her needs immediately was what was important to me. I felt like the bonding time we were supposed to have directly after her birth was taken away from us, and we had a lot of catching up to do.

For the last two and a half years, Lucy has been sleeping in my bed. We are comfortable with it, and we sleep soundly. I have become accustom to having my child's foot in my face while I sleep. It has become incredibly normal for her snoring and breathing to lull me to sleep at night. I can probably count on my hands how many times she has slept in her own bed, and most of them were naps or if I were working late.

Having Lucy in my bed at night has become the norm for us.

Until last night...

We were lying in bed in the dark telling stories, and she suddenly popped up and said, "I'm gonna go sleep in my bed."

She crawled out of bed, and I followed her down the dark hallway to her very own room. She climbed into her bed with two stuffed animals in tow, and asked me to cover her with a blanket. She requested that I leave her fish tank light on so she could watch them while she slept.

Really? So grown up!

I felt so proud of her for wanting to go on her own with no forcing and no fear. She came down that hallway into my room five times before she finally fell asleep in her bed. Each time she came in, she would either say that she needed a kiss, or needed me to cover her up again. Each time, I would follow her back into her room to tuck her in, give her a bunch of kisses, and then return to my own room. Eventually, she fell asleep. It was so quiet and uneventful, really.

I admit that I slept like a log last night...in the middle of my bed, with no accidental headbutts, no toes in my nose. She woke up early, at the crack of dawn, and came running down the hall. She jumped in my bed, nursed, and we cuddled for about 45 minutes before getting up to start our day.

It worked out well for both of us last night! I just wonder if this will be a recurring theme, or if she was just testing the independent waters.
I guess I'll find out tonight!