Quirky Cuddles
Last night as I was nursing Zachary to sleep, I started thinking back on all the quirky ways my babies have cuddled and been soothed to sleep over the years. I'm not a big proponent of the "let them cry it out" method, though I understand it works quite well for many families. I would rather enjoy this short time they are babies with them in my arms as they peacefully drift off to sleep.
I know it's considered a "bad habit," but nursing my babies to sleep has been the practice in our family. There is just no better way I could imagine to settle them in for the night, safe and secure in Mommy's arms, with a tummy full of sweet warm milk. And when they finally nod off to dreamland, with a bit of milk trickling down their chin, Steve and I can't help but laugh at their groggy little faces and call them "milk drunk."
Of course, each child had his own spin on this nightly ritual, though all would prefer not to hunker down in their crib. Zachy's quirky cuddle involves poking his little fingers in my belly button... I can't imagine how this is soothing to him, but nevertheless it helps me remember to keep his fingernails trimmed!
Sammy was better at settling in on his own after he had a full tummy. He was and still is a big Daddy's Boy, so after he had his nightcap, he would snuggle up with Daddy and as many binkies as his hands and mouth could hold! As long as he had his "num-num," as he would call it, (and the more, the better,) Sammy was a happy camper!
Joseph was more content to let me rock him as long as I wanted. Before bedtime I would scoop him up, plant kisses all over his sweet little face, and finish off by blowing a raspberry on his chubby cheeks. He soon learned to "raspberry" me back, and would grab me around the neck and give the sloppiest, sweetest, noisiest open-mouthed raspberries that tickled and left me giggling at his show of affection.
David had the strangest ritual of all. He was a big nurser, and it showed when he tipped the scales at nearly 22 pounds by just six months. He refused to take a pacifier or a bottle, so for the first year, we were pretty much joined at the hip. As I rocked and nursed him to sleep, he would creep his fat little hands up and finger a certain mole on my neck. Every time he got sleepy, he would reach for my mole, and even after he was weaned, he would murmur, "Momma, I'na MOLE..." as we cuddled on the rocking chair.
Alex nursed to sleep as well, but since he was our oldest we tried to do things "by the book." So once he turned one, we would put him in his crib awake in an attempt to teach him to fall asleep on his own. Oh, those were heart-wrenching times! I remember so many nights lying on the floor beside his crib, reaching up to hold his chubby little hand and sing him a lullaby as he finally drifted off. I suppose we would have been more successful if I hadn't broken down several times to scoop him up and rock my "traumatized" child soundly to sleep.
Whatever the method, one thing's for sure: my babies are growing older and I will miss these special moments. Someday there will be no baby to rock, no fat little fingers poking around on me, no squeaky sucking sounds coming from their binkies, no milk trickling down their chins. So I will treasure each and every one of these evenings while they last.
I know it's considered a "bad habit," but nursing my babies to sleep has been the practice in our family. There is just no better way I could imagine to settle them in for the night, safe and secure in Mommy's arms, with a tummy full of sweet warm milk. And when they finally nod off to dreamland, with a bit of milk trickling down their chin, Steve and I can't help but laugh at their groggy little faces and call them "milk drunk."
Of course, each child had his own spin on this nightly ritual, though all would prefer not to hunker down in their crib. Zachy's quirky cuddle involves poking his little fingers in my belly button... I can't imagine how this is soothing to him, but nevertheless it helps me remember to keep his fingernails trimmed!
Sammy was better at settling in on his own after he had a full tummy. He was and still is a big Daddy's Boy, so after he had his nightcap, he would snuggle up with Daddy and as many binkies as his hands and mouth could hold! As long as he had his "num-num," as he would call it, (and the more, the better,) Sammy was a happy camper!
Joseph was more content to let me rock him as long as I wanted. Before bedtime I would scoop him up, plant kisses all over his sweet little face, and finish off by blowing a raspberry on his chubby cheeks. He soon learned to "raspberry" me back, and would grab me around the neck and give the sloppiest, sweetest, noisiest open-mouthed raspberries that tickled and left me giggling at his show of affection.
David had the strangest ritual of all. He was a big nurser, and it showed when he tipped the scales at nearly 22 pounds by just six months. He refused to take a pacifier or a bottle, so for the first year, we were pretty much joined at the hip. As I rocked and nursed him to sleep, he would creep his fat little hands up and finger a certain mole on my neck. Every time he got sleepy, he would reach for my mole, and even after he was weaned, he would murmur, "Momma, I'na MOLE..." as we cuddled on the rocking chair.
Alex nursed to sleep as well, but since he was our oldest we tried to do things "by the book." So once he turned one, we would put him in his crib awake in an attempt to teach him to fall asleep on his own. Oh, those were heart-wrenching times! I remember so many nights lying on the floor beside his crib, reaching up to hold his chubby little hand and sing him a lullaby as he finally drifted off. I suppose we would have been more successful if I hadn't broken down several times to scoop him up and rock my "traumatized" child soundly to sleep.
Whatever the method, one thing's for sure: my babies are growing older and I will miss these special moments. Someday there will be no baby to rock, no fat little fingers poking around on me, no squeaky sucking sounds coming from their binkies, no milk trickling down their chins. So I will treasure each and every one of these evenings while they last.
Awwww.....those are such sweet times!!! You are very blessed!!!
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