Seven

Cuddled in her Papa's blanket, the blanket he has had since he was a child himself, she sleeps soundly. A midday nap on the couch as I pot around the house doing housework. Rio is a co-sleeper. She spent almost every night from birth in our bed, between her parents and near her cats. Still now, as a two-year-old she will sometimes join us in our bed, but mostly she will sleep through. I am happy with the fact that she chose for herself that she would prefer to sleep in her own bed for small stretches, and then later became comfortable and contented enough to stay in her own bed for an entire nights sleep. I am happy too that it didn't take five years for her to get to that stage either, I'll be honest! My own sleeping habits have returned to mostly normal now and any parent will atest that sleeping an entire night undisturbed, is like finding the holy grail! Yet, even know I see signs of that her co-sleeping habits have moulded her into the child she is. She does like to be close to us at times. And when she asks to sleep near me, being the grown-up decision maker she is, of course, I allow it.