Quiet Playtime with Harper

Ok, so I think we've figured out the biggest cause for Harper's sleeping problems. She's a curious little stinker! She wants to look at everything, and not just look at it...taste it, twist it, look at every inch of it, throw it, drop it, then look for the next toy! She gets bored very easily. She loves moving around, and so it seemed that when I put her down to sleep she just couldn't settle down. She would fall asleep right away, but wake up only 45 minutes later, and then an hour later, and then another 45 minutes. Man, that's not fun.

So we've done a few things differently lately, and it really seems to be helping.

1. We're putting her to sleep an hour earlier (it really does help!). So it's to bed at 7:00 rather than 8.
2. We took her off her sleep wedge, which she's used since the day she came home! She just moves around too much now, so it frustrated her and made her uncomfortable.
3. Less naps. She has always really loved her naps, and always acted so tired! But at her age, I decided it was time to push her awake time gradually each day. Now she's down to only 2 naps a day. They're between 2 and 3 hours, so they're good naps. But just 2. Every now and then she needs a short extra one if she wakes up early.
4. Re-established her routine. We've done a bit of traveling this summer, and so she got way off her schedule. She is definitely a baby that needs structure!
5. Lastly, and my favorite, we started a new "quiet playtime" time before bed. After she's bathed and dressed in her pj's, we give her her pacifier, dim the lights, and play quietly. No toys, just me, my husband, and Harper.

This is now one of my favorite times of the day! We sing to her, talk to her, cuddle with her...it's wonderful! And it seems to really calm her down from the excitement of the day. We also don't let her have her pacifier while she's awake. It's for sleep only. (Well, sleep and airplanes!!) So giving her the pacifier during this time I think shows her that it's time to get ready for bed. One of my earlier videos of her laughing when I started singing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" was taken during our quiet playtime. Tonight we cuddled and laughed together. Unfortunately, Chris was working, but Harper and I laid on my bed and snuggled. I would tickle her little ribs and she would start giggling. Or I would make silly little noises or sing songs, and more giggling would erupt! So now, her quiet playtime has also become giggle time. And I am more than fine with that!

Below you will find a picture and video that have nothing really to do with this post. However, I just took Harper's "official" 7 Month picture. Yes, the sign is what makes it official, not the date. There will be a few more adorable 7 month pics on my flickr page, but this one is just a taste. Also, a video of Harper in her bouncer. My mother insisted that I put this one up. What you don't see is Chris dancing behind me causing her to bounce in pure glee! And my husband has told me that if I want people to watch my videos I have to make them shorter. I think he has a point, but this one does have some great footage of her laughing at the end, so push through the minute and a half if you will. I don't think you'll be disappointed!