Sleep update

I don't want to jinx it but Olive has been doing really good with naps. Most are hitting in the hour to hour and a half mark. Of course there are still days that she takes 3 30 min naps like clockwork but for the most part they are getting longer. I still haven't cut one out and I don't think I'm going to yet as 3 a day seems to be working for us. The only trouble I'm having is with mornings. She gets up anywhere between 5:30-7:30. Sometimes at the 5:30 time I can nurse her back to sleep but most of the time she is wide awake. So once she is awake she can't really stay up any longer than 2 hours (at least for the first nap) So as soon as she gets up I nurse her. This was a problem a few weeks ago as she wanted nothing to do with my boob but I think there was teeth to blame for the lack of interest as she is eating a little more now. So after I nurse her I usually get my coffee and breakfast together and make her food. She usually eats about an hour after she wakes up but lately she is the biggest grump in the world when it comes to eating. She will take a few bites then put her head down and just whine till I let her out. It's like she is too tired to eat. This doesn't surprise me as I HATE breakfast. The only reason I eat in the morning is cause I am nursing her and I need the nutrition. So I don't really know what to do. Do I switch up the routine and maybe feed her breakfast after her nap which would fall around 9 or 10 depending on when she wakes up? Or is that just way too late? I obviously want her to eat in the mornings and start getting into the habit of having food but not sure what to do. The whole adding food thing is tricky. I didn't think it would be but I still don't know how to balance out food with nursing. Do I drop feedings now? Allow more time in between? I know people will just tell me to go with what she wants but she doesn't know. If I shove my boob in her mouth she will eat, doesn't mean she is hungry. So I'm confused. I've tried to look on the internets for answers but it ends up mostly stressing me out. I know there is no right answer but I just feel a little lost. What to do what to do......

As for her nighttime sleep schedule we're getting there. She was/is consistently waking up twice a night which was fine but now I'm thinking it isn't because of hunger and it's just that she wants me. I know its sweet but at the same time she is almost 9 months old and I am completely sure she isn't hungry in the middle of the night. We've decided to try and drop one of her feedings at night and then slowly go from there. When I write it I know it sounds kinda cruel but I do think she needs to find a away to sleep a little bit longer at night for her own good. Getting up and feeding her isn't a huge hassle at all but I know she would be much happier with a solid sleep through the night. Already she is getting really good at putting herself to sleep when she is awake. We have completely stopped bouncing her or rocking her to sleep. For the last week or two I have put her down wide awake in her crib. She will fuss for a few min but never cry and then go right to sleep. Sometimes she just tosses a bit and then in less than 2 min is asleep. It makes me quite proud! Some days are hard and she stands up and really fights it but I feel like I now know when she is tired so I know she needs to sleep. I'm hoping this gradual transition into putting herself to sleep has helped the naps become longer. As far as the nighttime goes and trying to ween off that feeding its been really hard cause we've had to let her fuss and cry a bit. I never let her scream but she will squirm around but its mostly like a thrashing trying to find her spot to sleep kinda deal. It still kills me but I truly think we're doing the right thing now. People kept telling me to let her cry for months and months but it just never felt right. I don't think at 4, 6, or ever 7 months old she would have gotten it. Maybe some babies at that age do but I just wasn't ready for it. Now I think she gets it in a way. Maybe I'm nuts but it's just the process that I feel is working. Obviously there are going to be many more nights that are going to suck cause I sit and stare at the monitor until she goes to sleep like a crazy person but I think in time she will get it.

*She put the blanket like that. Amazing little thing.......

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