So anyone who knows us knows, from the tired and haggard looks in our eyes, that Alex doesn’t sleep well.
We recently found a (temporary) solution: Alex would wake around 2am and we would bring him in to our bed. He would circle around a few times, find the right place then go back to sleep for the night. We were all getting sleep and it was sweet to feel his little hands or feet pressed in to us. This solution, however, began to lose its appeal when he stopped sleeping and began playing for an hour at 2am. Time for a new solution.
We talked (albeit SO briefly) that Alex has to spend the night in his crib. That sounded great until 3am when the screaming started. At 4am – it was definitely not sounding fun. After minimal discussion again, I went in his room.
With my pillow in hand, I went to Alex’s room and lay on the floor, putting my hand between the crib slats to touch him. As he realized I was there, he immediately stopped crying and dropped down to find my hand. Then… then he lay down, wiggling around so his face was on my hand. His breathing slowed, he began to relax. He turned his head so the other side of his face was on my hand. Deeper breaths. Slowing. And then, he was back asleep. He stayed asleep in his crib until 7:30 this morning.
Sometimes, a boy just needs his Mama’s hands.
Alex has been crawling for a little over a month. Now he’s pulling himself up on Steph and I, furniture and is comfortable taking steps as long as someone is holding him. In fact, it’s the only way he can calm down when he’s angry – just grab his hands and pull him up to his feet, then everything is alright.
