Big Z

I've got a major crush on my sleeping beauty at the moment (aside from the regular major crush on the child awake). To the point where I'ver started collecting picture of her sleep.
*Sigh* too cute.

Sleep starts of with story time (obligatory).

Bed too small for rotating child.

Baby Isobel for cuddly company. Company helps.

Parental company is better and she falls out of bed for it. "Daddy, help me a little bit!" (This is a direct order.)

Mind you, she falls out of bed with or without company.

Fell asleep with mummy on little mattress. "Mummy, help me a little bit, ok? Lie down on my baby mattress!" (This is a direct order.)

Transfer to mummy's bed after some 3 hours. Obligatory.

A fake! Giggling child, not sleeping child.

Bedtime starts at 7pm, right after dinner. We follow the order of face & hands, teeth (fight), pyjama, and varying numbers of stories by varying readers while sitting in bed. If mumy is last, two songs follow. Then comes the inevitable. "Help me a little bit, ok?" Read: Stay with me until I'm asleep and don't you dare take off before, ok? Ok. If you're lucky you get away with holding her hand. If you're less lucky she grabs hold of your nipple (damn uncomfortable and only affects mummy), or asks you (i.e. demands) that you lie down with her in her bed (no way) or alternatively on the floor (way).
(This, of course, must change back to the no-fuss process we used to follow until a number of months ago, and we've started at working towards independent sleep again. "I need to go and do some work downstairs but I'll come back in five minutes to check on you, ok?")
Sleep arrives, parent steals out of the room (if we haven't fallen asleep on teh floor), and Tara sleeps for 2-4 hours until she wakes up and can't go back to to sleep unless she gets promoted to a place in mummy's bed.
Truth is, I can't fall asleep if she's not there. Truth is also, I love looking at her at night, and even having a small heavy leg flung across my throat has its charms. Ah, my cuddly wuddly girl.