My Angel

When Ezra was about three months old I thought I was going to crack.  For at least 90 days I hadn't slept longer than a two hour stretch and it seemed like every other baby his age was sleeping "through the night" (6 hours).  I can remember one Friday afternoon going to University Book Store searching for advice (and an excuse to get out of our condo that we had been trapped in all day).  My trip was cut short because Ezzy was so fussy, but I left with what I hoped would give me the wisdom I needed to help him sleep longer.  Of course, it didn't.  I only became more frustrated because with the depth of research I was doing, I found that every sleep strategy can be proven both healthy and abusive, and most importantly, every baby is different- there isn't one way to do it.  My Panda simply doesn't need as much sleep as the rest.

I don't know how it is possible, but three months later, my guy is still waking up like a starving newborn three to four times a night.  A couple weeks ago he had a few days where he was waking up every hour and then refusing to let us put him back in his crib.  As a result, Tieba or I spent almost the entire night holding him or doing the dance between our bed, the rocking chair, and his crib.  He would be dead asleep, snoring and the minute we lowered him into his crib his eyes would pop wide open and he would let us know that putting him down was not an option. 
This made me even more tired than usual.  I would try to nap when he did, but by the time I fell asleep, he would wake up within minutes, making me even more frustrated.  My angel, Kelly, could sense a mental break down in the future and insisted that she watch Ezzy while I take a nap.  Knowing that she had her hands full herself, I refused her initial offer.  She then came over to my house to kidnap Ezra, but he was napping so I sent her away.  Finally that afternoon I went over to visit her and she commanded that I lie down and take a nap.  With some reluctance I let her.  To date it goes down as the most necessary nap in my motherhood history. 

I am so lucky to have Kelly as a sister, friend, doctor, co-mother, and neighbor.  It is rare that 24 hours goes by that we don't see each other, and if more than 6 hours goes by with out talking to her I begin to panic and start sending her rapid fire texts to be sure everything is okay. She is an incredible mom and example to me.  I love her more than anything and hope that we can be neighbors forever! 

M