By the book...

With our first born we wanted to do everything by the book. Surely the book must know better than we did because honestly, we knew nothing. (or so we thought) We were just thankful to have something to tell us what to do! I measured my successes at different baby stages by the book. And, by the book, I mean library full of child rearing, baby raising, non fiction.

Now, I have to laugh because if I were to measure myself by the many baby books out there it would say that my baby should have been sleeping through the night months ago. With our first born, Noah, was sleeping through the night in his own room by 2 months old. I was desperate for sleep because I was teaching full time and trying to navigate this new role as a working mom. I did everything the book said to do to get him to sleep plus the many other tactics (and prayers) we were encouraged to do.

Fast forward three years later, our second born, Zach, is almost 7 months old. He is not sleeping through the night and is still sleeping in a pack in play in our bedroom much to my husband's dismay. I have stopped reading the baby books. Perhaps I should wipe off the dust and review some of what I have forgotten. Maybe it is not actually what I have forgotten but what I have learned that makes me more prone to allowing him a little extra time in our room. 

 I am learning that different phases of life welcome new approaches.  I have realized that in what will feel like in an instant this precious baby of mine won't be a baby anymore.  So maybe ...for now...it's ok to wake up and see his beautiful, chubby little face at 3:00 in the morning when all of the books say I should let him cry.

 I am going to pick him up and rock him for awhile. Because, all too soon, the tiny baby I once held in one arm will out grow my lap and the midnight moments will vanish only to become a memory.