It's the Little Things

Bedtime at my house is a battle.  The Wonderkid HATES to sleep.  He would rather do anything than lie still and fall asleep and so, every night we learn how long he can hold out before he falls asleep from sheer exhaustion.  Adding to the frustration, I've set-up a routine that I HATE (or at least I hate most of the time).

The Wonderkid only falls asleep with me cuddled right next to him.  I know, I know, every book in the world will tell you not to do this.  Let them cry it out, they say.  Give them something to replace you and let them sleep with that item (I have friends that got their children to sleep by themselves by giving the child their bra).  OK, so I know that is what they say but for the longest time I loved the quiet time I shared with the Wonderkid as he fell off to sleep.  And in honest moments, I still enjoy parts of it.

I love listening to him make up songs about his day.  I love the crazy questions he asks which tell me what about his day was most interesting to him.

And, I LOVE that he'll turn to me and say, "Mommy, know what?" and I'll say, "No, what?" and he'll say (with the most wonderful giggle in his voice because he knows that I know what is coming next) "I LOVE YOU".  Now, how can I tell him he must go to sleep in his own room all by himself and I won't come in to cuddle with him and help him fall asleep?

So, we continue this routine and most of the time I get frustrated and count down the time until he falls asleep.  Last night, though, he fell asleep quickly and I could still see him in the twilight.  I turned and looked at him so peacefully sleeping and my heart turned over.  I stopped breathing for just a moment and I remembered just how much this little person means to me.

So, I bring you this layout using two pictures of the Wonderkid sleeping.  In the top one he is 9 months old and in the bottom he is 3 1/2 years old.

For anyone wanting the details about the layout, the paper is from Core'dinations (Black Magic Petrificus under Sleeping; the letters are White Wash Windowpane; the background is Canvas Texture).  The font on the journaling is Carbon and the titles are all Bernard MT Condensed.  I sanded the word baby and I ripped a strip of the Black Magic.