Thursday, October 9, 2008

In the Still of the Night

We hit a rough patch in my new sleeping strategy. I'd been holding Evie until she fell asleep and then sneaking her into her bed. The problem was, she would wake up before 10:00 and want to go in our bed. Argh!

But, for some unknown reason, she's cooperating again. (Hallelujah!) For the past few nights, she'll sleep in her bed until 2:00 or 3:00 AM. Even though she's in a big girl bed, she doesn't climb out on her own. She still cries for me to come and get her.

Monday night, she cried for me, and I went to her. As I began to lift her from her bed, Evie started screaming "Selws!" I had no idea what she was saying, and my foggy brain wasn't about to try to figure it out. So I just picked her up and carried her into my room. Oh, she threw a fit! She just kept yelling "Selws!" over and over. She was pointing in the direction of her room, so I took her back in. She really confused me by climbing back into her bed. Then she got out again, this time by herself. Bells went off - she had been saying "Self!" Miss Independent wanted to get out of bed on her own.

When she cried for me Tuesday night, I understood when she demanded "Self." I grabbed her stuffed animals and pillow and we groggily made our way into the kitchen for a sippy cup of water. Then we settled into bed and fell asleep. Easy peasy.

Last night, I heard her cry out, and I got up to get her. As I was in the hall, I watched Evie talking to herself in her room. She said "Self," and tugged her little blanket off the bed. She walked into the hall and seemed surprised to see me. Then she asked for water, and I followed her into the kitchen.

Something about this moment made my heart hurt. Here she was, independent enough to get out of bed on her own. But dragging that dingy pink blanket made her seem so little. All at once, I saw my baby and my big girl. My past and my future - together in an instant. It took my breath away.

The moment was quickly broken though, and soon enough we were in bed. Chris and I and Evie, together. I watched her drift off, and with each breath, I thanked God for her. And we all slept soundly until morning.

11 comments:

Alexandra said...

what a sweet story. It is funny how you can still see them as babies and as big kids all at the same time. I feel like I do that with Sweet Pea constantly. I am glad she is doing good!

jennifer said...

I totally get this post. It's almost more than I can take to watch my baby growing into a big girl right in front of my eyes...

Unknown said...

They grow up way too fast, don't they!

Momisodes said...

Oh, those moments are so bittersweet. It's moments like that where you just want to freeze time, just for a while :)

Hope everyone is getting some sleep tonight.

Fiona said...

This is the kind of post that really hooked me on your blog. I feel like it's a window into my future (except with tutus).

In one week, Iain will be old enough to have a blankie in the bed, and from there, it's only a matter of time until he's insisting, "self!" right?

Rae said...

I think that it's amazing that Evie is getting so old! Wasn't it yesterday that she was just crawling?

Now I know why Jim MacRobert always said, "I'm going to tie a brick on your head to keep you from growing up."

hubbameister said...

I'm still waiting for my kids to grow up. LOL.

Michelle said...

such a sweet post!

Heather said...

Great story. And such a precious moment.

Shari Baby said...

what's that supposed to mean hubba?!?!?

ps. not to be mean, but i was just wondering if the blogger "Momma"...if her baby is really name sweet pea. ??? if it is, that's interesting. if not, that's cool too. haha sorry if i offended anyone, i just didn't know if it was a blog thing or not. it's been bugging me every time i read her comments. just wondering!

SarahHub said...

Shari Baby -

Sweet Pea is not his real name. Some people use fictitious names for privacy and security reasons. I, on the other hand, can't seem to keep anything private!