Worse Than Harry's Cupboard

We moved to my sister's house in Arizona last July, and, although we left most of our stuff at Matt's parents' house in California, we brought Elise's crib with us. I knew the three of us would be sharing one room, but I don't think I was prepared for the upset the move and sleeping within Elise's view would have on Elise's sleep. And, thus, on my sleep too. (Matt sleeps through most anything.)

Elise was waking up all through the night every night, and she was getting up so early every morning. When it had been a couple of weeks and I didn't think I could take it anymore, we tried to see if Elise would sleep better in a different place. At first we tried putting her in her pack 'n play in the living room, and she slept a little better during the night but still woke up super early when my brother-in-law got up to get ready for work.

Then, almost as a joke, someone suggested the laundry room as an alternative. Maybe I made the suggestion; I don't remember. I was really tired all the time at that point. So we tried it. And she slept. And that has been her room at night ever since.

We still put Elise in her crib for naps, but during the night she sleeps in the dark, quiet laundry room, with a box fan running, and a baby monitor set up just in case. In the mornings, instead of crying, she sometimes hammers on the washing machine to let me know she is awake. This makes for a very effective alarm clock.

I feel a little bad about putting her to sleep in a pack 'n play every night, and I have been looking for a pad to make it more comfortable (if you know of a good one, please let me know). Putting her in the laundry room reminds me of Harry Potter's aunt and uncle, who made Harry sleep in the cupboard under the stairs instead of in a real bedroom. Then I think back on how tired I was (how tired we both were) when she was waking up all night. Then I don't feel so bad.