I think it is only fair that all articles, books, and any other form of advice concerning the "family bed" or "co-sleeping" come with a warning label. They could conveniently borrow a quote from the textbook of my college Addictions class which, though initially made in reference to heroin, I think applies very nicely, "It's so good, don't even try it."

See the problem is that if I didn't already know that Fraser is capable of sleeping for six hours in a row, if I hadn't already felt the blessed relief of an almost-adequate nights sleep, if I still believed that Fraser's 45 minute to 2 hour stretches of sleep in his crib were the best he could do, then I could have accepted my life for the next few months (years?) would be comprised of short bursts of sleep, obscene quantities of coffee and bone-numbing exhaustion. As it is I have seen the promised land and, my friends, it is good.

Unfortunately, the road to the promised land runs directly through our bed.

Andy has consistently expressed his concern that if we allow Fraser to sleep in our bed now it establishes a bad precedent and will ultimately result in his having to attend community college close to home since he will have never learned to sleep on his own. When we initially got the "arm's reach co-sleeper" (the little bed that attaches to our bed) Andy voiced this concern and my response was an all too cheerful "Oh of course not! He'll just be in the co-sleeper while it is convenient for us, then we'll move him to the crib. He'll never sleep in our bed!" Obviously as a result of my hubris the Gods have chosen to smite me. I'll just chalk that up to an example of how each of us has all the answers concerning child rearing right up until the time we actually have children.

So, Andy and I tried one last time to keep Fraser in the crib, agreeing that Andy and I would get up with him every other shift all night. By morning Andy had come around to my way thinking and realized that once you've seen the light you cannot continue to live in darkness. In otherwords he realized that getting up with Fraser every two hours really sucks. Thus we have agreed that it is best for all parties involved if we give up now and just buy a king size bed. This begs the question of course, what we will do when Fraser gets a little larger and even the king is snug. Do they make mattresses bigger than a king? Maybe a Henry the VIIIth?

Fraser - 1
Parents - 0