sometimes it's ok

My son, my sweet little man, had been putting himself to sleep for the past few months, but upon our arrival back from our trip to Alaska, we find ourselves back at square one and rocking the little fellow to sleep at bedtime. Naps, he is great, but bedtime is another story. I took it upon myself to while Daddy is at youth camp this week, to try and retrain this sanity saving behaviour.

Last night was Day 1. Due to circumstances out of my control, we were in the car on our way home around 7 and he fell asleep. I would normally have woken him up and kept him awake until his bedtime, but I am a sucker for those little arms that wrap around my neck and the fuzzy little head that rests so perfectly in that crook betwixt my next and shoulder when he is super sleepy and I just held him for a bit before putting him in his bed for a short nap.


He woke up shortly thereafter (to my relief) and we ate and played and took a bath in the big rubber ducky bathtub and then it was time for bed. Dutch has perfected the 'tummy to back" roll but has yet to master the "back to front roll". Ordinarily this would be okay, but he is a tummy sleeper, and laying on his back only makes him more mad once he gets all riled up. So I usually sit in the rocking chair next to his bed and through an opening where the bumper doesn't quite meet the slats watch his little diaper move around until it disappears, and I know he has rolled over. Then I get up and roll him back onto his tummy. It's a nightly ritual.


It's 10pm.


Fast forward 15 minutes and yes, little man is riled! I've had to roll him over a couple times and steeled my will not to pick him up. I knew he was tired and if he would just settle down, he'd go right to sleep. Well 30 more minutes of this and his puffy sad little eyes looking at me melted my 'steel will' and I picked him up and we went to lay in my bed for a bit to watch tv.

2 Points- Dutch

As my happy little monkey cooed and talked and chewed on his little toes, I soaked in every single second of it. These little people are such miracles! One episode of a Will and Grace rerun later, I decide we will try it again. Lots of kisses and then back into his crib. Minutes later, my sweet boy is fast asleep, signature 'butt in the air' position.

It's 11pm.

Sigh.

I guess sometimes they just need a bit of extra lovin.



our late night bonding