For their final Strictly Parenting column for HELLO! - ahead of the return of their hugely popular Strictly Come Dancing column - James and Ola Jordan reveal that they have finally taken the step to put Ella in her very own bedroom - and it sounds like it was a somewhat stressful decision!
MORE: James and Ola Jordan talk anxiety about leaving Ella for the first time ever
The pair have loved having Ella sleep by their side in their bedroom, but James admits that his dad, Allan, was the one who told them they need to start putting her down to sleep in her own bedroom. "My dad said, 'You should start putting her in her own bed or you'll be making a rod for your back later on. I think you should do it,'" James explains.
WATCH: Baby Ella can feed herself now in adorable new video
"So we did it," Ola says. "We put her in her room yesterday! The day before we said, 'This is going to be the last night she sleeps with us.' When I was getting her ready for bed I was feeling anxious!
"I was thinking, 'Oh my God, she's not going to be next to me anymore.' I was getting all teary then I thought, 'Snap out of it, she has to do it, she's getting to be a big girl now,' and she was fine!"
Ella was very content in her brand new cot!
The pair are very impressed with their clever baby girl, who was quite happy to chill out in her very own cot while her parents woke up. "She went down at 8.30pm and she woke up at about 7," Ola explains. "I went in to get her at 8 o'clock but woke up before then because we could see her on the monitor, but she was just laying there chilling! I was expecting she'd wake up at 5.30am screaming because she couldn't see me but no, she didn't care!"
Laughing, the proud mum continues: "When I walked in at 8am to get her, she was so happy to see me and ready to get up. It was a good experience last night, so I hope it stays that way."
The pair reveal that they waited until she was almost asleep before putting her to bed, which made things a lot easier. James says: "She was sort of asleep when we put her down. We gave her a bottle and she fell asleep, so she didn't really know where she was being put down to sleep. Our next step is putting her to bed without needing a bottle first."
Ella has been sleeping next to her parents until now
They think that some of her fun toys also kept her occupied, as James explains: "She was just laying there! She's got this giraffe above her so she was watching the giraffe and just looking around so I was really glad that she didn't scream."
While James says that babies are typically put in their own cots at around six months, the pair are certain that they wouldn't have put their daughter, who will be eight months old at the end of October, to bed on her own before now.
MORE: Meet the future generation of Strictly Come Dancing! The pros and their adorable kids
"We wouldn't have done it earlier," Ola says. "I liked her being next to me for that time. This morning when I woke up, I thought, 'Oh, she's not next to me anymore.' So I wouldn't have done it earlier."
Ella will be eight months old at the end of October
James agrees, saying: "I wouldn't have done it earlier either. I know people say you should do it at six months or whatever, but we weren't ready ourselves and it hasn't done her any harm. We liked waking up and knowing she was next to us, and hearing her at night when she was agitated."
Although Ella was very content, Ola admits that she was very restless without her daughter by her side. "I didn't sleep very well, to be honest. I heard her at 1.15am and didn't sleep well after that. Every move I was waking up and looking at the monitor. But I think that will get easier. She's my little baby, you know? I had her in my belly for nine months, then she's born and she's next to you, sleeping, so to be away from her was a big thing for me."
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James adds: "We both have monitors on either side of the bed so we were both checking on her. The thing is, if she cries or coughs or anything, you can hear it on the monitor."
Ola jokily admits she would have been very tempted to delay the big move, but James made sure that they followed through on their decision by arranging Ella's room and moving the baby monitors.
"I didn't really give you a choice last night, did I?" he asks Ola. "I went upstairs and moved all the cameras to her room."
Little Ella is growing up fast!
Ola laughs, explaining: "I think if he had said, 'Let's leave her for another night,' I'd have said, 'Okay!' I think I would have done it as well. But he went upstairs and moved all the cameras to her room, and sorted her bed out, and he did a lot things to make sure she had to go in the big bed which was good."
James adds: "I'm one of these people that if I say, 'Right we'll do it tonight,' it was going to be tonight."
James' dad Allan suggested it was time to put Ella to bed in her own cot
Ella's big nighttime change is one of many, as the pair also reveal that she has also learned how to drink her own milk this week, which can be seen in the exclusive video for HELLO!. James says: "She's started to grab her bottle and holds it on her own! It's a little step. Some babies do it a lot earlier but she's not really been interested. She's been a queen, letting herself be fed, but now she will grab her own bottle."
Ola continues: "And she's started sticking everything in her mouth. She's a lot more aware of her hands and putting things in her mouth. We are really seeing her growing up."
James proudly adds: "It is amazing to see her develop. You're waiting for certain things to happen, like the crawling. She can really move about, she can move her feet about but she doesn't move her arms forward. We're waiting for that move!"
The next step is for little Ella to start crawling
The new parents will be returning on 18 October with their Strictly Speaking column where, like their hugely popular features from the 2019 show, they will be giving their candid opinions on the dance routines - but this time they will be getting some help from their baby girl!
"We will be watching Strictly Come Dancing with Ella," Ola says. "We watch the show every year but this year it is going to be different because there will be three of us."
She continues: "It'll be quite interesting to see if she likes it, which couples she likes and which she doesn't." James jokes: "We'll see when she's more excited and when she's a bit bored!"
Tutus at the ready for Strictly Come Dancing!
The former Strictly dancers never shy away from saying what they really think about a dance routine, and it sounds like this year won't be any different.
James says: "I don't know any of the celebs on the show this year, so I don't have any preconceived ideas or any favourites, or anyone that I dislike because I don't know any of them! For me, it's a blank canvas. When I'm going to talk about it in the column, I'm just going to be totally honest."
Ola adds: "We don't say someone is amazing when they're not."
The former Strictly pros will be back with their column Strictly Speaking for the 2020 series
And will we see little Ella dancing along to the show and following her mum and dad's footsteps? Ola says: "I think she'll like it, but it'll depend what kind of music it is... She'll probably dance to Strictly because when she watches baby TV she does move her head and body like a little chicken!"
Stay tuned for James and Ola's new Strictly Come Dancing column - which will launch on 18 October - to read their thoughts on the new series!
