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"A portrait of my child once a week, every week, in 2013."

Cecily: 43 weeks. Cecily outgrew her Bloom Alma Mini crib at six months. I was pretty irritated by this because we had intended to keep her in there for at least the first year, and we didn't want a full-size crib because we live in a small, one-bedroom apartment. But we have a very tall daughter (99th percentile). Because we couldn't afford another crib at six months, we put the mini crib away and Cecily started sleeping in bed with us. It was all very cozy and sweet, but it was also completely nerve-wracking for me. I wake up every SINGLE time she shifts or moves at all. I've read that breastfeeding hormones make mothers more sensitive to their baby's movements while they're sleeping (some even say that formula-fed babies shouldn't sleep with their parents due to a lack of heightened awareness). And I'm just a paranoid person. Levi and I don't really move in our sleep at all, and we were very very careful, but it was still worrisome for me. Plus, I really missed being able to cuddle with my husband! Or talk to him in bed. Even though I had all these reasons for wanting her in a crib, I got so attached to sleeping next to my sweet baby. I loved looking over and seeing her breathing softly with her little, sweet, full lips parted. I loved seeing her smile and hearing her laugh (she's a sleep laugher, this girl of mine). There's nothing sweeter than a sleeping baby, and sleeping next to mine definitely had its good qualities. But I reached a point where I had had enough. Levi and I decided to put off some other very important financial decisions in order to get Cecily into a new crib. So all that to say, here is my sweet girl asleep in her new crib! Her new, big, GIANT crib next to our GIANT, king size bed in our small bedroom! It's pretty much wall-to-wall furniture in there, and it looks slightly ridiculous, but that's okay. You gotta do what you gotta do. Cecily is doing a great job. She's had two nights and one full day of naps in her new crib. I'm putting her in the crib after she has fallen asleep while nursing just to get her used to it. After awhile, we'll start working on getting her to put herself to sleep again. She was SO good at that before she outgrew the mini crib and her first sleep regression hit. But she likes sleep so she'll get back to a good place. I trust her. I love my sweet girl so much. Seeing her sleep is a cure for any frustrations I experience. It's good for my soul... especially when it's in her own bed. I'm so proud of my Cecily.