Counting your blessings

AJ woke up at 4am. I think it was a combination of being overtired--he didn't go to bed until after 10 (long story as to why)-- and the fact that he didn't get a proper goodnight bedtime ritual since he was so tired. When we goes to bed late he wakes up earlier and is cranky the entire morning until his nap. It's just how it is and we know it's going to happen! He has NEVER woken up at 4am and since I went to bed late, I was cranky myself!

I tried everything to get him to fall back asleep--and then we went downstairs for a snack, milk, and Imagination Movers. He still was crying. He was just tired and wanted to sleep.

Going into the crib wasn't an option for a very upset AJ. We went back upstairs to his room and I rocked him on the glider until he fell asleep on my chest. Our glider doesn't recline, but I was in pure Heaven. I was uncomfortable, but in Heaven. Nothing like a sweet baby sleeping on you, even if that baby is almost two years old! I love the way AJ smells and how he snuggles.

My eyelids were hurting, my arms and legs were falling asleep, and I remember the doctor telling me how he sleeps better by himself, so I tried to put him in his crib. I was so gentle but he awoke (I guess it was Heaven for him to sleep on me!) and started SCREAMING. I couldn't just let him scream, so I did what I never thought I would do...I climbed into his crib with him and decided to sleep there. He immediately fell asleep.

AJ's crib will eventually be his bed, it's a convertible crib so I knew it could hold both of us..but it's still the size of a crib! I loved snuggling with him, but I needed to sleep. After a while of snuggling, I quietly left a sleeping AJ and went back to my warm bed with my snoring husband.

I went to see Lauren and McKenna last night and Lauren mentioned how even though having children is hard and you are so sleep deprived, we are so lucky to have healthy children. It's true. It's all about getting your mind right. Losing sleep isn't good and it really takes over your life, but as parents we have to remember that they are only this small once. You will get sleep one day, but you will never get this time back with your little ones. It goes by too fast. So today, a very tired mommy is counting her blessings that I have a beautiful and healthy little boy to kiss, hug, and snuggle with!