Sleep "Indulged" Mommy

I think it's pretty typical for new moms to get the question, "how are you coping with the lack of sleep?" or "how has he/she been sleeping so far?"  Sometimes you even get sarcasm with comments like "I bet you haven't been sleeping well (with a laugh)."

I have been on the receiving end of these questions for over a year now, and, to be honest, I still get them quite frequently.  My response, however, usually astonishes people.  Not because I say something extremely witty, but because my daughter sleeps well. 

Now, I don't mean she sleeps well NOW...I mean she has ALWAYS slept well.  When she was first born, I called my mom religiously because I thought I was doing something wrong.  This little girl loved her sleep, and wasn't interested in much else. 

By 5 weeks, she was sleeping through the night entirely...approximately 7-9 hours straight per night.  At 3 months she was sleeping 12 hours per night with a 3 hour nap during the day.  When she was 6 months old she was still sleeping 12 hours straight per night and 4 hours during the day.  When she turned 1 year old just recently, she was sleeping a total of 13-14 hours per night with one 3 hour nap during the day.  Yes, that is right...I put her to bed at 6pm (if she is up much later than that, she is not a happy girl) and she wakes up on her own around 8am. 

I have done absolutely nothing extra to help her sleep better.  I don't have any special skills or magic tricks.  I simply lay her in her crib and Ta-da!  She sleeps well, which means that I sleep well.  Anyone who knows me, knows that I need at least 8 hours of sleep...so my daughter's passion for sleep is a huge blessing for me.

So, when I answer people's questions about "how are you coping with the lack of sleep?" or "how has he/she been sleeping so far?" I just have to laugh.