The Bedroom Merge

We've now survived four nights in a row with Hazel and Jack sleeping in the same bedroom. Hooray! The freedom is scrumptious. 15 lb, 24 1/2 inch Jack just could not fit in his bassinet any longer, so we bit the bullet and did it Thursday night without really knowing if we were ready. No real game plan. He went in around 10:30, ate around 3:30, then woke up again to eat at 6:30, at which point I put him back in the bassinet anyway because Hazel was close to waking up and I was afraid of how that would go down.

When I was nursing Jack in the middle of the night, Hazel woke up and saw her door was ajar. I could see the wheels turning in her blond little head for a bit, then she peered over at the crib and noticed a jumble of blankets. "Hi, Baby Jack," she whispered as she daintily wiggled her fingers in a wave. My heart melted. She proceeded to whisper an entire minute's worth of welcoming information in the crib's general direction before Jack burped and she looked behind her to where Jack and I were sitting in the gilder. "Hi, Mommy!" she whispered in a delighted voice. I said hi back, then quietly explained that little Jack gets hungry in the middle of the night and I was just feeding him, please lay your head back down and go back to sleep. She laid quietly until I left, but wanted a goodbye kiss.
Friday night Hazel woke up screaming at 4:30 with pins and needles in her legs (she likes to sleep on her knees, unfortunately). Todd rushed in there and settled her down, then came back with the report that Jack was sniffing and wiggling a bit, but still sort of asleep. I laid there hoping Hazel would fall back to sleep before I had to go in to feed Jack, afraid of the mess I'd be in with two crying kids in the middle of the night. But to my amazement, all four of us fell back to sleep instead. Jack woke up to nurse around 6:30, and this time I dared to put him back in the crib. When Hazel woke up around 7:15, she turned on her light but left Jack alone, and came out quietly. Hooray!

Tonight I tried to put Jack in bed just thirty minutes after we put Hazel down, and she was still awake. When I came in, she started talking loudly, and when I urged her to whisper and not wake Jack up, she started to cry, then scream. Jack woke up. Bummer. Well, I learned my lesson there. Wait until Hazel's soundly out before bringing in the young one.
So, it's definitely an experimental process, but I'm thrilled that Hazel still seems well rested in the morning and everyone is adjusting alright. I was so afraid of this milestone, especially because Hazel is a light sleeper, but I think we'll be alright living in a two-bedroom apartment for a while yet. ;)