Nighttime Parenting

I have realized that I have two night-time settings.

They are as follows:

Zeke wakes me up and I wander into his room to nurse him. He stops crying and smiles up at me as I arrive in the room and I think "oh how sweet he looks in the moonlight, how precious are these months". I nurse him and we look lovingly at each other. I softly stroke his hair and his chubby little cheek. I am so gentle with him, he seems so fragile.
He drifts off to sleep and I lay him in his crib gently. I know I should go back to bed but he is so quiet and warm and I love listening to his gentle snoring. I sneak another little stroke of his hair. He doesnt move. Then I grow bolder and kiss his forehead, and his little cheek, he still isn't moving. I consider just taking him into bed with me so we can cuddle all night. He is only little once, I reason to myself.
Then he snorts and moves. I freeze, Im not even breathing. Panic begins. Why am I still in here?!? He's going to see me! I run out of the room as fast as I can.
Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, ruins the mood faster then the little bugger waking up.

Or setting number 2.

I hear Zeke waking up. Not again, I think. Not yet. I stumble across the hall into his room and he smiles up at me as soon as I see him. Wide awake, I groan to myself and I growl to him "its not time to get up, go back to sleep." I snatch him out of his crib and stuff some boob in his mouth in hopes that he will fall back asleep.
It works and as soon as I hear his obnoxious snoring I almost drop him in his crib. Oh when will it end, I think, when will he sleep thru the night? I am so tired.
I consider crying it out. He is already 7 months I reason with myself. I've already stumbled back to bed, without even a glance behind to check to see if his blanket is wrapped around his head.
Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, can fix the mood faster than waking up in the morning.

2 comments:

Kim said...

Funny I have the same two night time parenting settings. Currently we are only on setting number two since Preston is up all freaking night!!! Hopefully he recovers overnight and we can come over tomorrow!!

Marty, Rhenda and Anna said...

lol...I had to chuckle at the two nighttime descriptions as I suffered through both. Anna didn't start sleeping through the night until 12 months! I know...not what you wanted to hear. Sorry! Then she stopped going back to sleep after her 4:30/5:00am feeding. Then we had a year of 5 am wake up times. And sometimes we still do! argh! aren't kids grand???