like a rock star?

Last night after tucking the babies in, crying like a baby about Tyson turning 6, making Rice Krispie Treats, blowing up balloons, wrapping presents, and then relaxing on the couch for a bit with my love, I finally tucked myself into bed around 11:00.  I fell fast asleep and was awoken suddenly about 2:30 by the sound of Violet's cries.  She was calling for me.  I did what I always do at first when one of the kids wakes up in the middle of the night...pretend it isn't happening, pray to God for mercy, and attempt to go back to sleep.  My method rarely works.  So after I had a few minutes to come to my senses, I realized that this was a very sad cry and my baby needed me.  She rarely wakes up in the night anymore (several months ago I would have thought those words would never come out of my mouth) so I walked the few steps to her and Tyson's room and checked on my baby.  She was sitting up and I could smell the problem.  She threw up her dinner.  Poor baby.  So I got her out of the mess and cleaned up.  She was so incredibly sweet despite the fact that her belly was obviously hurting.  I sat her down on the chair in the loft area and told her I would be right back. She politely replied with a perfect, "Otay".  She sat on the chair with a book and when I was done cleaning her bed, she asked me to read it.  We sat down together and read the book.  She started sucking her thumb right away and I knew she was ready to go back to bed.  I finished the book and told her it was time to go to sleep.  She did not complain a bit as she continued to suck her thumb and laid her head on my shoulder.

I went back to bed feeling sorry for my baby but happy for myself that she is so awesome.  It took me awhile to get back to sleep because I just knew that was not the end of it.  I was doing my best to not wake up an extremely excited birthday boy because I feared he would never go back to sleep.  I have a love/hate relationship with room sharing and strong feelings that one baby up in the night is more than enough.  I had also decided I would not wake Jason unless I was truly desperate.  That poor guy works so hard everyday for this family and I feel like he deserves all the sleep he can get.  I waited and my heart raced with every sound that came through that monitor.  Mia was in the middle of Jason and I as she ends up most nights.  On this particular night, she was attempting to share my pillow and it was not working out so well.  I decided I would never fall asleep until I got her pillow from her room.  Once I was able to move her heavy little head off my own pillow, I fell back to sleep for a few minutes at least.

I woke up 3 more times after this to Violet throwing up with 5:30 am being the last of it.  She got a bath, her sheets were changed, we read books in the dark, we sang songs, and she was put back to bed  four different times until she was finally able to stay asleep.  I went back to bed thinking that surely she got it all out that time.  The alarm was set to go off at 6:30 am so I could get up and shower before the kids woke up to be prepared for Tyson's special day.  I had one more hour available to sleep and I knew that was not enough but it sure felt good to lay down after taking such good care of my precious baby and not waking another soul.  Needless to say, I did not make it out of bed at 6:30 for my shower but Tyson did wake me up at 6:55 ready to party.  I finally got a shower a few hours later and Violet has not thrown up since this morning.  Whew.  And Jason never even knew it all happened until I told him the story. Score.

When the kids wake up for no apparent reason in the night, it makes me crazy.  But when they wake up for a good (or sad) reason, I turn into a rock star.  It's what Moms do.  We rise to the occasion.  I actually prefer to say I was "like a mountain climber or marathon runner" because as a general rule, I have more respect for them than I do rock stars.  Also, mountain climbers and marathon runners are more likely to be without make-up, tired, and dirty just like Moms so often are (or is that just me?).

So in an attempt to celebrate the times I "climb the mountain" or "run the marathon" with grace and a happy heart, I thought this occasion was worth noting.  I have had a countless number of nights like this through my 8+ years of parenting so far and I am sure there are many more to come.  It may seem silly to celebrate something that every mother has experienced but I can be so hard on myself and these small victories keep me moving.   It just feels good to make sacrifices for the ones you love, to care for them like no one else can, and to put their needs above your own.  I sure do love this whole Mommy gig.  It is not glamorous by any stretch of the imagination but it is my calling and I will continue to climb these mountains celebrating all along the way.