Eli gets his own place

Just before he turned 6 weeks old, we decided it was time for Eli to leave the nest and go out on his own.

We moved him to his crib.

He was originally sleeping in the bassinet of the pack-and-play in our room.  He slept great in it and it was wonderful having him so close to listen for him and get him for feedings all night long. 

For the most part, I wanted to get Eli on a sleep schedule.  I had read in quite a few places (including some articles and books from my old advisor's wife, Jodi Mindell, who studies children and sleep) that having a "bedtime routine" helps babies get on a schedule and sleep better at night.  Eli definitely slept a lot, but was up every few hours all the time.  No real night vs day.  I thought it would be good to start establishing night time. 

Also, Ryan had gone back to work full time and I was about to start back too, so we thought we should start the transition in case it went horribly wrong and would take a while for Eli to adjust.  It would be better if we both weren't working sleep deprived!

So, right after Grandma left, we put Eli in his room in his very own bed.  We started his bedtime routine: bath (or cleaning with a warm cloth), new pjs, a cozy swaddle, and a bottle while snuggling with mom or dad.  Then we put him in the crib.

And he slept.  Yay!