He did it! Buddy slept from 6:30pm to 6:10am. Heaven. He’s really late on this milestone, and it could be weeks before he replicates this behavior. Still, I am so proud of him!! He’s growing up.
To summarize Buddy’s sleeping evolution, because this is so interesting to you guys:
Month 1-2: woke up every 3hrs to nurse
Month 3: slept from 9pm to 6am, woke up once around 4ish to nurse – I thought we were amazing parents with a wonder child during this short-lived phase…ahh, first-time mommy optimism
Month 4: started early bedtime between 6-7pm
Month 4-5.5: Woke up 2-3x a night due to combination of early bedtime, sickness and school napping (or lack thereof – sleeplessness begets sleeplessness, you know) – I was convinced we were terrible parents during this phase…ahh, mommy guilt
Month 5.5: woke up all night long during two weeks of sickness. Would only nurse. This was special.
Month 6: woke up 1-2x between 6:30pm and 6am
Month 7: slept through the night for first time!!! Hoorah!!
During this evolution, I always read other mothers’ praise of their child sleeping through the night with trepidation, skepticism, and maybe a twinge of shame. I just wonder: what’s the definition? Bud slept 6-7hrs a lot at month 3, but it didn’t stick. Even recently, he’s slept 8-10 hours regularly. But I don’t consider waking up at 4am as ideal or brag-worthy.
Still, to all the parents who got their babies to sleep: I applaud with eager hope that a potential second baby Dowdell will follow in these advanced footsteps. To all the parents with babies who don’t sleep: you’re my hero for enduring many months of interrupted sleep to love and care for your little one in the way only you know and understand.
It’s amazing because what this extended timeframe of interrupted sleep creates is an amazing appreciation for UNinterrupted sleep. I know that now I’m going to miss the late night and early morning holding, as I miss nursing. But it’s a great thing for his little self to learn to sleep and be rested!
Now, to get E to sleep!!
Our happily rested baby this morning:
blossom blooming 
Good job Buddy, keep it up!! For the record I think he might be early on this milestone….I think babies do a lot less sleeping through the night (which teeeeechnically is defined as 5 hours – as if!) than people let on and the parents with sleeping kids just like to brag. Ours didn’t sleep a full night till we night weaned at ~1yr. Which makes yours a prodigy 🙂