Since becoming a mother I've learned that I can function on much less sleep than my pre-mommy days. Before Aiden I would make sure that I slept a good 9 hours each night. Surprisingly, I've gone on 4 or 5 hours many times and made it through the day. Last night however, was a true test of my mommy endurance and patience. Aiden woke up at 11 PM and was awake until 4:30 AM. Yes, it was a marathon night. I have NO IDEA why he was up so much. For the first three hours I laid him in our bed, I rocked him, I paced with him and then I started the cycle over. Nothing would send that kid into slumber land. Finally, at around 2:30 I just let him play while I watched reruns of "Friends." I felt as if I was in a fog all night. The only smart thing I did was make a documentary of the night on video. I'll try to post the video later but I state on the video that I'm going to send the video to Aiden when he has his first all nighter with his children. I had to remind myself that I caused my own mother to have many sleepless nights and so it was my turn to be compassionate to Aiden. It's sort of a "pay it forward" situation. I don't believe in letting my babies cry it out but I have to admit that last night the idea did enter my mind after hours of rocking. But, I know there was a reason that he was awake that he just couldn't communicate. I have nights were I have trouble sleeping too. I don't know if his slightly congested sinuses were bothering him or if he just wasn't tired. My best guess is that he was developing mentally and was just wide awake. Last night and today he has been chattering and playing and trying to stand up NON STOP! So, I really think that his brain is just busy growing and learning....and that is no reason to make my baby cry in his bed. I remember that as I was pacing the floor last night feeling frustrated and impatient and almost falling over from sleepiness a line from one of my favorite songs popped into my head..."everyone needs compassion...a love thats never ending.." No doubt it was put there by the Holy Spirit. It gave me energy to outlast Aiden's insomnia.
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