Bedtime Babies

For the last 3 mornings, my little ones have woken up together in Nate's bed...at about 5:30 a.m. This is good news in that they are sleeping together and staying together!! They have not been in my bed (nor I in theirs) for 3 whole days! But...they are both waking up very early, and also at various times throughout the night and they come to me and ask me to help tuck them back into bed. So I do, and I always will, because I want them to know that I will always comfort them when they need it. I assume that eventually, they will not need all of this middle-of-the-night comfort. Until then, I am still waking up very tired. :) However, progress is being made when it comes to the bedtime shuffle, and that makes me very, very happy.

I read this blog yesterday, and loved her post about rocking our babies to sleep. I have always done whatever it takes to make bedtime peaceful. We've rocked, we've bounced. I have vivid memories of holding Avery (and Nate, too), bouncing and swaying them in my arms while I sang to them, often Christmas carols, because it was all that I could think of. Sometimes in a moment of frustration, or in joking, I will say that I've spoiled my babies and I can't stand that they don't just sleep on their own and stay in their beds. I'll lament to myself, "Why, oh WHY did I ever co-sleep with these kiddos? What was I thinking?" And then I remember how much I loved nursing my little ones in the middle of the night. The quiet, precious time together. I loved when our babies were "new" and we'd all be in bed, and everything just felt right with us together. I do miss my sleep, and right now, I can't claim to have the best sleepers on the block, but I will never regret all the nights we've spent cuddled and asleep, dreaming together. Even when I wake up from my dreams with a foot in my face. Even that, I'll be thankful for.