$#!* my mom says

Every once in a while, my mother will say something that is 110% profound.

We have had a rough couple of nights with Max. He fights going to sleep, he’s on some kind of crib strike, and once he is finally asleep- he is up every hour and half or so crying. I spent last Saturday night snoozing in the glider while he nursed on and off all night.. and Sunday night, I spent in and out of bed with him, nursing him, rocking him; needless to say, him and I both have had quite the zombie eyes lately. I’m not sure what’s to blame for his recent behavior; it seems I’m blaming everything on teething right now. But in the 11th hour (and near tears of exhaustion), I wonder the same questions over and over again: Is he cold? Is he too warm? Are his jammies uncomfortable? Does he have a belly ache? Is he hungry? Is he running a fever? Is he frustrated over a developmental milestone (yes, this is possible)? And so on, and so forth. The theories are endless.

And when people ask me how things are going, I’m cautious about mentioning the sleepless nights. I’m so sick of people offering unwanted parenting advice, i.e. have you tried letting him cry it out? Are you giving him some cereal to fill his belly before bedtime?; when really all I want is a “Sorry to hear that. It will get better soon”.

Enter my mother. I can almost always count on her to be the voice of reason. If I have a decision weighing heavily on my mind, she’ll say, “Listen to your heart”, and even though I’m familiar with that saying, when she says it, it’s like I have a newfound clarity and instantly know what to do. The other day I was feeling completely defeated, not knowing what to do to help Max sleep at night; not knowing what to do to keep my sanity the morning and day after another sleepless night? And my mother says to me,

“Cherish these sleepless nights cuddling with your baby. Your brother is 28 years old and doesn’t want to cuddle with me anymore.”

See what I mean? Profound, right? I mean it’s funny, but it makes me feel like I can do another all nighter in the glider.