Sleep...

We all need more of it in this house. Tonight, for maybe the 5th time in his life, Drew fell asleep on his own. Because of his heart, we were never able to transition him to falling asleep in his crib because he had to be pretty much asleep when we put him down, none of this "put them down drowsy" stuff. Plus, to be honest, we like rocking with him at night and at naps, it's our quiet time with him. BUT, it is becoming harder to do this now...and he is "fighting" sleep a lot more, especially since it's still light out. So, lately, we've just been putting him down in his crib and letting him play, fuss, talk, etc... When he gets really upset, we go in a comfort him. Usually it involves us picking him back up and rocking him to sleep, and by this point, he's usually had enough and falls asleep quickly. Tonight, it took about 10 minutes and he was out.

Now, the other issue is Drew staying asleep, which teething has not been helping. Bill and I have been up and down with him ever since returning from the hospital, when before he had been sleeping through the night pretty decently. We know it's the teeth, he seems to be filling his mouth with them since mid-March. Poor baby! Last night, Bill was so out of it that, when it was his turn to get up with Drew for the paci and bum pat, he just sleepily asked me "what do I do?" I had to laugh. Then, this morning, he woke up for work at 8:10. Yeah, he's supposed to be there at 8:00am. Clearly, we need more sleep. Even Drew does...he's ready for naps in less and less time these days. Please pray we get some relief from the teething soon so we can all rest appropriately.

Well, Sunday is Mother's Day! Last year was my first Mother's Day and the first year I felt like celebrating it. Growing up, I loathed this day. I hated being the only one in my class without a Mom, making flowery projects for no one, while my teachers told me my Dad would love it. I wanted to ask them, "have you met my Dad? oh wait, yes you have because he's extremely involved in my academic life. So, does he look like someone who would want a doily?" But, I knew better...I went to Catholic school during a time when public schools didn't take anything from kids, so you can imagine how little our teachers took from us. And no, I didn't have many Nuns ;) Anyway, I hated Mother's Day. I always felt like it was just a big slap in the face to me. Another big reminder of what I didn't have...and what I desperately needed...my mother. There have been other moments in life where I've missed her terribly...like choosing a wedding dress. My bridesmaids, sisters and stepmom were wonderful, and went with me to fittings, etc, but I always noticed how differently we were treated. There were no mimosas when it was just my friends or my sisters and me, there was no special moment when I walked out of the room, no tears in anyone's eyes. I would look around and feel like I got punched in the stomach watching all the moms and daughters sharing those special moments. Now that I have Drew, I have a different perspective on it, of course. I still miss not having my own mother to share the day with, but I can make new, good memories of the day with my own children. I appreciate the other people in my life who acted as a mother in her absence, I always have. And to those people, both here and in Heaven, I want to say HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY and I LOVE YOU! Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there. Enjoy your special day!