Cries in the night...

Ah, the joys of motherhood. Last night, Joshua did not sleep at all! This is something he has not done since he was a newborn! He almost always takes a 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon and then sleeps for 12 hours at night which I am so very grateful for!!

Not this night, I put him down around 9pm as usual and stayed up reading a book until around midnight. 30 minutes after I turned off the light to go to sleep, I hear blood curdling screams from Joshua's room. I thought it was odd so I went in to check on him. There he was, his arms stretched out for me wailing! I picked him up, rocked him for a minute until he calmed down and then put him back in the crib. 30 minutes later, again with the screaming! This time Josh goes into comfort him, which usually doesn't work because Joshua associates daddy with playtime. Things were quiet for a little while, but I can't sleep wondering what the heck is going on with my little boy. Josh puts him back in the crib quietly, 30 minutes later... the screaming returns! I have no idea what is going on. I had taken his bumper pad things out of his crib that day because he has started trying to use them to climb out of the crib. I thought this might be freaking him out - all of the sudden having to peer through the slats in the crib into the dark night instead of being surrounded by the bumper pads, so I put them back on in hopes that would do the trick. The whole time I am putting back the bumper pads, Joshua is holding his arms out for me pitifully crying. I pick him up and he gives me the sign for hungry! Ah -ha!! He must be hungry! We go into the kitchen, have a little milk and a piece of bread, which he scarfs down! Then I go sit in the rocker with him, he is holding onto my finger with his little hand for dear life hoping I won't leave him! He finally drifts off to sleep - it is now 6:00am in the morning and I have yet to sleep. Poor little guy, he just needed a snack.

It is as I am sitting with him in the rocker, his little fingers wrapped tightly around mine and his little head nestled up against my chest that I realize again, even though I am exhausted that I wouldn't trade that special cuddling moment for anything - it truly is the joy of motherhood.