And then one by one, babies would start to get tired, and they would just effortlessly fall asleep. Some in their car seats, some in another room, some on the floor, some while nursing... just peacefully go to la-la land. My little bundle would NEVER do that. There is way too much noise and excitement for her to sleep. And she basically only sleeps in my arms. So then I start to worry. And second guess myself. What am I doing wrong? Will she ever sleep on her own? Am I holding her too much? And I leave coffee group just a little discouraged.
But then I get home, and I start to think. Sure, Riley is a bit more, um, challenging to get to sleep. Sure some days it takes me a while to get her to bed. And yes, some days she takes all her naps in my arms/with me in bed (mostly because she is still not sleeping through the night so I am in NEED of a nap or two or three). And yes, it would be so much easier to just plop her in her crib and say goodnight. But she's not going to want to sleep in my arms forever. And clearly, for some reason, even since day 1 in the hospital, she has needed a little extra love and attention to get to sleep. She needs me. And while it might not be the most convenient thing, motherhood and raising children is not about being convenient. So for now, while I still can, I'm cutting myself (and my baby) some slack. If she needs a little extra love to get to sleep, I can give that to her. And I will. No matter what people say, or think. I think that's the other thing that bothers me, is what people think. And it really shouldn't. I mean, I can raise MY baby the way I see fit, right? But there's part of me that doesn't want to tell people she still naps in my arms. Or I have to rock her to sleep every single time. But is that really so bad?? I figure, it used to take me 20-30 minutes to get her to sleep for naps, now if I time it right, it only takes me 5. I can do that. I LIKE doing that. I shouldn't care what other people think. Every baby is different!
And sleeping aside, sooner or later, she'll also learn to use those little arms to lift herself up. Either that or she will be a master at rolling over to avoid tummy time at all costs. Whatev. By the way, that tongue? That's a sign of real concentration. That and the huge grunts she does every time she's on her tummy.