Go To Sleep You Little Baby

AnLast night Amelia woke up at 2 a.m. hungry and wet.  We nursed, and I changed her, but she was wide awake after, and fussy.  Nothing was working - not lying belly to belly, not the swing, not burping while walking.  Every few seconds her face would scrunch up and turn bright red, and she would YELL.   Mom's in Stratford for a visit with her best friend, and dad had left that afternoon for a run to Edmonton, so it was just the two of us in the house and I was stumped.  Then I remembered lullabies.

Now, I don't consider myself a good singer, and I don't sing in front of anyone except my dog.  However, I've read that babies aren't judgmental, so I took a shot at it, and dug up the only lullaby lyrics I could remember at 3 a.m.

And it worked!!!  She stopped crying, and focused on my face and just stared and stared.  I sang this song 14 or 15 times non stop (I lost count) as I rocked back and forth in the bedroom.  I watched her eyes get heavier and heavier, and eventually they stayed closed.  By the 12th or 13th time through, the wrinkles on her brow smoothed out, and she was breathing evenly and slowly.  Then I very slowly, very carefully, laid her down.  I had just rocked, soothed, and sang my crying baby to sleep for the first time, and it was the most amazing feeling of accomplishment. By 4:10, we were both sleeping soundly. At 5:12, she gave a good loud holler of hunger, and we began again. But that's ok.  Every day I learn new skills and slowly we will figure out this sleeping thing.  In the meantime, an hour at a time is going to have to do for me.  I've come to the conclusion that motherhood really is the hardest, most beautiful thing I will ever accomplish.