Stunt baby

For weeks now, we've been dancing around the issue: When will we alter our daughter's sleeping arrangements? For most parents, that means deciding when and how to move the baby out of their room. For us, it means moving Fiona out of her beloved car seat and into her crib. She sleeps six to eight hours in a row only if she's in her car seat placed in her crib. (Picky little princess!) When I dare put Fiona in her crib at night, she howls and I cave out of exhaustion. And, no, I didn't imagine every frightful, dangerous scenario that could transpire with this arrangement. I do cosleep with her, usually after the first night feeding, which is between 4 and 6 in the morning. Obviously, no one is willing to give up this arrangement and I'm not the kind of parent to institute anticipatory changes in routine. I usually wait for a clear sign from the universe.

Well, the universe called this morning.

I went into her room around 6 a.m. when I heard a little "eh" from her. She wasn't in her car seat. It didn't occur to me to panic and think someone had snatched my baby in the middle of the night. Just last night, my mother was relating how strong my sister was as a baby while we watched Fiona do crunches on the floor. Jax stood up in a grocery cart at 4 months and was climbing out of her crib by 8 months. I peered into her crib. She was on her stomach parallel to the car seat. I can't even imagine how she got there. She's obviously pretty strong. She's been holding her head up from about six weeks and likes to stand on my lap. Diapering has already become a battle as she rolls and does crunches. She's growing up faster than I'd like.

So tonight, we ditch the car seat. The next few nights will be tough, but it's obviously for her own safety.