More on Co-sleeping

Co-sleeping is working out great for us.  I actually don't know how I could do it any other way.  Here is how a typical night goes:

When mom and dad are ready for bed they get into bed with Cedric.  I feed him while laying down next to him and eventually he's had enough, sometimes he needs a diaper change, then he usually just wants to suck on his pacifier.  We turn out the lights and baby seems to understand that this is night time and it's time to sleep.  Eventually he falls asleep next to me, when he's reached the deep, limp stage of sleep, I move him over the the Arm's Reach Co-sleeper and then I'm able to fall asleep without him next to me.  Lately he's been sleeping for four or five hours and then will wake wanting to eat again.  I hear him wiggle and fuss a little, then I bring him back into bed with me and we both fall asleep in bed again, usually he stays dry through a good portion of the night. 

He may wake again 1-3 hours later for more food, then possibly one more time, then he usually gives some signals that he thinks bed time should be over.  Bored baby!  :)  Then I resign to getting out of bed, sometimes as early as 6 am, sometimes as late at 9:30 am.  Then he pees a bunch over the next couple hours, sometimes we go through 4 or 5 diaper changes in the early morning hours.  It might be a good time to practice some ECing.

If baby was in another room, or even across the room, I don't know how I would do it.  I often don't even get out of bed all night long, which means falling back to sleep doesn't take long.  I'm enjoying some pretty awesome sleep considering I have a two-month-old.  Some nights are better than others, about a week ago he woke up every two hours, but for the most part we get a good four to five hour stretch before he wakes so frequently.  Naps seem a bit more sporadic, sometimes lasting 20 mins and sometimes lasting three hours.  Sometimes he'll have 2 or 3 naps and sometime more like 5 or 6.  He has a new cry which I'm starting to associate with, "I'm tired, but need help falling asleep."  Usually just a little bit of rocking will send him to dream land, then I can set him down and he'll be out for a while, but yesterday, I actually got into bed with him and had to lay there for a while before he was out.  I figure using different methods is a good idea anyway.  If it weren't so darn hot, I'd just let him sleep in one of our carriers.  But I'm too worried he'd overheat during a long nap.  If it were up to me, the temp would constantly be between 50 and 70 degrees.  I'd gladly give up perfect 70s weather if it also got rid of 80s 90s and 100s. 

A five-hour stretch of sleep is technically "sleeping through the night."  I think we need a new definition of sleeping through the night.  I think it would paint a more accurate vision for parents.  I definitely will not be telling people my son sleeps through the night until we get an 8 hour stretch in there.  And that could take years.