We have two new front teeth as well as a baby that can soothe herself to sleep!  We love rocking her and giving her all of our attention, especially at bedtime, but we also wanted her to get to where she could soothe herself to sleep now that she's getting older.  After contacting a few of my mama friends and talking about what worked best for them, we combined a couple ideas and came up with what works best for us.  We slowly transitioned her bottle away from bedtime so that she doesn't depend on it to go to sleep and we only rock her until she gets sleepy then we let her drift off by herself.  We also use to bathe her every night to settle her down.  That is until a few dry spots started showing up on her skin, so now we do bath time every other night and on the nights of no bath I just wash her face, lotion her down and put fresh pajamas on her.  We read every night before bed depending on her level of tiredness... sometimes bedtime reading is the first 2 pages of Goodnight Moon and others- the entire story of Ferdinand- ya just never know.  

Here are a few other things that we have found that help Juliet sleep soundly.  
Thanks to all my pro-mama friends that suggested some of these items.



1  //  The plush toy was given to Juliet by my sis-in-law for her first Christmas.  It's infused with lavender and it's microwavable!  I began using it when we started laying her down drowsy, instead of asleep.  After laying her down I lay this on her back or next to her and the warmth and heaviness settles her down and she's able to go right off to sleep.

2  //  The honest brand soap is the only thing that I have found that doesn't
 irritate her skin and/or my nose.  I wish I could still use my baby magic but it leaves
tiny little bumps on her tummy so we had to toss it.

3  //  This sound machine is the best!  It not only plays music and nature sounds, it also projects rotating pictures on the ceiling.  You can also set a timer for the music and projection to turn off.  It creates such a sweet and comfy environment for baby to go to sleep.  

4  //  Huggies Snug and Dry are my favorite nighttime diapers because of the 12 hours protection against leaks.  The last thing you want happening is a diaper leak in the middle of the night...
Baby crying, stagger in, change diaper, change pajamas, change crib sheet, and get them back to sleep. No thanks.

5  //  I actually put the aloe oil in her bath water and I can defintiely tell a different in her skin afterwards!  I don't have to moisturize her twice a day if I do this.  

6  //  And lastly, her favorite bedtime book Happy Hippo, Angry Duck.  She literally laughs out loud when she sees the frown on the duck and it's got to be the sweetest sound in the world. 

That's it mamas.  I'm sure you already know how special these first little months are, but it's not without it's challenges.  That's what this post is all about.. documenting the sweet moments and the challenging moments.  Giving the situation thought and doing everything you can to overcome the challenging moments are key.  That way you are enjoying your precious little one all of the time cause one things for sure, these are fleeting moments... challenging or not.

Sincerely, 

The Lishias