Parenting is like trying to figure out a puzzle with only half the pieces... or maybe more like trying to get the pieces to fit together when they are all flower shaped. Last night as we put our daughter to bed, my husband and I just had to shrug. The pieces weren't going to fit.
We tried lighter sleep sack, heavier sleep sack, no sleep sack, arms in or arms out, rocking, swaying, walking, new diaper, new pajamas, and feeding. The bitty did not want to stay asleep. The parenting "guide" says this is a four month sleep regression phase. So this is just a thing?! We finally got some decent sleep by going back to what we did with her as a newborn.
Really all of this transpired between forty minutes putting her down for a nap and then ninety minutes trying to get her down at bedtime. Who knows if it will work a second time. But there is no bonding quite like two parents standing over a fussing, refusing to sleep baby, and shrugging together.
Everyone talks abourt bonding with the baby but there is a new bonding that happens between husband and wife as we work as a team to solve these little puzzles. There is bonding in sharing ideas. There is bonding in taking turns. And there is a special bond in the shrug.
I'm grateful to have a good partner in this parenting game. I'm grateful he thinks in a different way than me so that we can come up with extra ideas. I'm grateful for the shrug. I'm grateful to see the puzzle pieces and know it's ok when they don't fit perfectly, because this is life. And I'm grateful when solutions are found, even if they are temporary. I'm grateful for this parenting challenge and for each one we overcome.
What puzzles are you working on right now? Is there someone who could help you find the missing piece?
May today grant us humor in place of frustration and playfulness to replace stress. May we make life's puzzles pieces work to the best of our ability and know that is good enough. Have a beautiful day!
We tried lighter sleep sack, heavier sleep sack, no sleep sack, arms in or arms out, rocking, swaying, walking, new diaper, new pajamas, and feeding. The bitty did not want to stay asleep. The parenting "guide" says this is a four month sleep regression phase. So this is just a thing?! We finally got some decent sleep by going back to what we did with her as a newborn.
Really all of this transpired between forty minutes putting her down for a nap and then ninety minutes trying to get her down at bedtime. Who knows if it will work a second time. But there is no bonding quite like two parents standing over a fussing, refusing to sleep baby, and shrugging together.
Everyone talks abourt bonding with the baby but there is a new bonding that happens between husband and wife as we work as a team to solve these little puzzles. There is bonding in sharing ideas. There is bonding in taking turns. And there is a special bond in the shrug.
I'm grateful to have a good partner in this parenting game. I'm grateful he thinks in a different way than me so that we can come up with extra ideas. I'm grateful for the shrug. I'm grateful to see the puzzle pieces and know it's ok when they don't fit perfectly, because this is life. And I'm grateful when solutions are found, even if they are temporary. I'm grateful for this parenting challenge and for each one we overcome.
What puzzles are you working on right now? Is there someone who could help you find the missing piece?
May today grant us humor in place of frustration and playfulness to replace stress. May we make life's puzzles pieces work to the best of our ability and know that is good enough. Have a beautiful day!
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