At the risk of jinxing it...

...I think Katie's sleep regression is just about over. For the past five nights and naps, she has gone to sleep with no crying at all! She doesn't fall asleep right away, of course, but then again, she never used to do that in her crib either. She likes to roam around, talk, sing and entertain herself before she finally falls asleep. That's perfectly OK with me! No tears!!! WOOHOOOO!

One thing she is still doing, though, is taking off her undies. I have no idea what this is about. I thought it was a protest against our leaving her alone in her room, but now she's totally comfortable with that and the undies are still coming off! I just looked at her on the video monitor - she's lying down, kind of rolling around, and her little tushie is in the air, completely bare. I would post a picture - it's hilarious - but she would seriously never forgive me! She won't use a blanket, or the mattress, for that matter, so we started putting her in leg warmers overnight. At least she's not totally naked from the waist down! Thank goodness it's summertime.

Anyway, she's sleeping through the night without crying. I cannot even express how wonderful this is! She does wake up occasionally and make little noises (once she started giggling) but no crying! I've spent the past week's worth of nights in my own bed without interruption! (Well, aside from having to get up to pee. Thanks, pregnancy!)

There were many, many nights during this sleep regression when I thought it would never end. I thought we would never get through the crying, the screaming, and the pooping on the floor. But we did, somehow! All it took was Katie finally seeing that we were serious about bedtime. It was not easy. I think I may have made the process even longer by "caving" a couple of times. It's so hard not to give in when your precious darling is screaming that she has to go potty! But I know now, with the benefit of hindsight, that she was full of it (or, more accurately, not full of it at all!) And when I stopped letting her use the potty after "Last Potty", she finally stopped testing me.

And she's going to bed without a struggle! The last couple of nights, she's even gone back to giving us good night kisses! Ohhhhh, I missed those so much! I am so thankful that we've solved this problem before the baby is born. I know we could be in for more sleep regression after the baby comes, but at least Round 1 is over.

Speaking of baby, we are getting really close! My due date is Saturday. WOW! I have two bags packed (labor & postpartum), my mom is (supposedly) leaving her phone on all night long, and I'm feeling as ready as I'll ever be. The baby's room isn't done, but there's a bassinet and a changing table. That'll probably be good enough for the first 4-6 months or so. We did paint it and put a really pretty tree decal on the wall. Really all that's missing is blackout curtains, and if all goes well, I might be able to get those tomorrow.

Whee! Can't wait to hold my new little one!