#12 Hit the spot! :)

I glanced at the clock in the lower right hand corner of my laptop - it's 2:22am - and i'm wide awake.

It's not necessarily a bad thing.

I've turned off the television (it's usually on at night as more background noise than anything else) - but I realized about an hour ago that i had no idea what was on - nor did I care. I've been reading for a couple hours. Enjoying some "down" time as Elijah finally drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

I don't know what was going on tonight - but, when I first laid him down for bed - he was ok for a few moments - but then would burst into tears.

I did the typical (I'm learning) mom-check-list-without-paper...wet? no, hungry? not anymore, gas pains? well! There was a little burp hiding in that cute baby tummy...ok - back to sleep he goes.

So - I leave the room - and another minute or two passes - and here come the cries again.
Now - please don't take this the wrong way - I'm not posting this to fish for a bunch of great mom-advice about how to get your 5 month old to stay sleeping...just kinda typing out my evening in thought here. I'm no super-mom - but I've gotten pretty good about telling the difference between the "I'm fighting sleep and being a little stinker cause I want you to come get me" cry - and "Something isn't right here, and I need you, mommy" cry. It's funny - a lot of people told me I'd learn the difference over time...but I worried nonetheless in the beginning...jumping at every cry...and I don't think it was a bad thing to cuddle and comfort my precious blessing when he needed it...and still needs it...so - back to my wandering thoughts...

Another moment or two passes - and there is another cry - but wait...this one seems a bit more "reah reah" ((that's the noise I make when I'm mocking someone throwing a fit.)) :)

Anywho - so I let him cry for a short time...though, I don't want him to wake daddy who has to get up in just a few hours from now...so I walk in to check on him - and he just seems a bit off. I stroke his head for a moment - he calms down...when I pull away - he starts to cry. I check his forehead - no temperature...rub his belly - doesn't feel hard...and I lean over and kiss his little hand...and it instantly calms him.
So - it's one of those nights. He just needs some extra lovin. I don't know if he's not feeling great cause he's in teething mode - or if he's just having a sad night...but I don't mind giving extra kisses & cuddles. After all - he's my little blessing from above. :) We've prayed a long time for this little guy...and we're so thankful for every moment we get with him!

Anywho - I realized - my back couldn't handle a night-long leaning for smooches & cuddles...as much as I adore our son - attempting that would leave me practically immobile tomorrow - and that wouldn't make for a good mommy-Eli interactive day. ;) So - I went to his hutch & pulled down one of his MANY stuffed animals. This one is a little horse...given to him by our friends Kim & Mike. :)
I had put it near him a few times when he was younger - but as with any newborn, he didn't really interact much with his toys at first. Since he's been holding things and grabbing toys & stuff now - I figured it was a good time to reintroduce them. :)

WOW! You'd have thought i just found his long lost buddy! When I brought the horse to him - he reached out & grabbed him & pulled it close to his chest. He CLUNG to that little animal! And then - SO cutely - started stroking it. Honestly, it looked like he was petting a real horse. ((no, Mike, he wasn't doing that patting the horse on his back & talking to him as he walked behind him thing that i used to do to people --sorry - a little inside "joke" between me & my hubby))
And then he'd scratch it behind it's ear. I know, I know - Elijah is only a week from being 5 months old. I KNOW he doesn't recognize a horse...I KNOW he doesn't really understand what he's doing - and he's probably reacting to the softness of the fabric...but it's my right as a mommy to play the imagination game with him...and be continually blown away by how precious he is & how he seems to do & know more than I would have expected. :) Give me some room here. ;)

Anywho - he started to act frustrated again after a few minutes...but he continued to cling to the horsie...while, with his other hand - he was grabbing at the blanket & pulling. It took me a few minutes to figure out what the problem was, but eventually I pulled the blanket up a little further (it was caught on the heel of his orthopedic shoe) - and once it was free, he pulled it up to cover his new friend snuggled even closer with him.

Yes - I know - I'm the worst mommy in the world cause I let our son sleep with a stuffed animal and a blanket. I never intended to do it - but he never went for the swaddling thing - and he sleeps so much better with a blanket than without one. :) Besides, I'm so neurotic, I still check him every so often to see if he's breathing!! ((And my friend Cassie made me feel so much better about that when she said she still checks her daughters every night...and they are all school age!!)) :) :)

Anywho - this was so NOT the reason I was blogging right now...but you know me, I can't help but get carried away talking about Elijah. :) At least I didn't post any pics or the video I took of him petting the horsie ((yes, it's true - I DID pull out the camera...oh COME ON! It was SOOOO cute!!))

So - what prompted this late night rambling was in one of the things I was reading. I was actually going to head to bed - but decided to pick up one of the baby magazines in the basket by the couch. People have been giving me these for a few months now - but to be honest, I so rarely have time to sit down - let alone get quiet and read - when I do - I try to keep it to reading my Bible or one of a couple other Christian books ((and I confess - I'm totally lacking in that area too!))

Anywho - so - one of the magazines has an article titled "12 Things No One Tells You About Motherhood" - and they are all cute little things...but number 12 LITERALLY made me laugh out loud. ((For all of you young folk...that is aka LOL)) :) Anywho - So I HAD to post #12 here...and dedicate it to all of my girlfriends who have young children and/or are currently pregnant... hehehehhehe:

"#12 Girls clothes get more space in the store, and it's universally acknowledged that baby and toddler girls are more fun to dress. This is deeply unfair to mothers of boys. But they'll get their revenge in three years, when moms of girls have to deal with hootchie-mama clothing for preschoolers."


hahhhaha - now - it may seem like I'm laughing AT my girlfriends with young girls...but really I'm not - I'm actually laughing 1st - at the reality of that statement...I mean TRULY - you have to acknowledge that some of the girls' clothing out there is totally inappropriate for anyone to wear let alone a small child (unless of course, you're promoting street walking or becoming a backup dancer in some racey MTV video) ...and 2nd - I just can't help but laugh at any legitimate magazine article that would actually use the description "hootchie-mama". It was a pretty funny ending to the article, I thought! :) :)

Anywho - after all my jibber-jabber here - I feel like this blog was rather anti-climactic. :( Oh well - I still got a giggle out of it! :) :)

It's approaching 3am now - guess I should take a nap before the boys get up. :) :)