What’s a mom to do when their little one just wont go to sleep?
This morning my little love would not go to sleep for her nap, she was beyond sleepy. She has been really good recently about her nap,s so this was different for her. Something just seemed off.
So I picked up my little love, sat in the rocking chair, and cuddled her in my arms. She instantly snuggled into my chest, while holding me with her bear hug style, and she fell right to sleep.
Sure this may not be the recommended way to get your little one to sleep, normally she goes to sleep in her crib. Something just seemed off. I went with my mommy gut. I don’t know why, but for whatever reason she needed my cuddles and warmth, and to hear my heartbeat in her little ears. She needed her mommy. Once asleep my daughter is easy to transfer to her crib, she often just rolls to her side and stays asleep, or settles right back to sleep. She’ll have a good nap I know.
Did I put her down right away, no. I cherished every last one of those little cuddles. As I felt her body just relax, as she settled in to sleep, I thought about the past and the future. How much my little love has changed, and so quickly. My tiny little 7lb 7oz little girl is so much bigger and stronger now. I thought to the future and what she might look like, I thought of her wedding day and her daddy walking her down the aisle. Needless to say I started to have tears rolling down my face. Still my daughter slept. Too quickly have these 8 months passed. I wish I could halt time so I could keep a hold of these moments just a little more. I held on to her just a little longer than usual today.
Some day the cuddles, and calling out to mom might stop. She’ll be old enough to tuck herself into bed. I hope she will always know how much I love her, that I will always be there for her. My mom always sang “Good Night Ladies” from The Music Man to my sister’s and I, when we went to bed. Its a little song I’ve already started singing to Everly. My mom would also say “Night night sleep tight don’t let the bed bugs bite” to us as well, we’d always respond “Uh huh, uh huh!”. Its little things like that, that I first missed when Jason and I got married. Little memories from home. I hope these little things will become special to Everly, to any future children we may have as well.
What’s a mom to do, but to love on her daughter and tuck away all those special moments into her heart and memory forever? That is just what I am doing.