... A Mystery

For the last couple weeks BabyK has been on a nap-strike. I know I may be running the risk of speaking (or writing) too soon, but we have finally made it through. For those that may not know what I'm talking about I will explain.

For the first month of BabyK's life anyone who saw her would comment on how "alert" or "social" she was. The first time I heard this was moments after she was born when the Midwife and nurses made it seem as if I had won the lottery with such an interact-able little girl. Don't get me wrong, she is definitely an amazing gift and I feel beyond blessed to have her in my life. Having said that, the contentment of hearing her praised for her bright eyes was soon over shadowed by my desperate need for sleep. I was seriously questioning the phrase "Sleeping like a baby" as I spent hours staring back at an adorable yet very awake little baby.

And then it happened. After applying all that I was learning from my sleep book (again, I highly recommend Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child) and praying constantly, she started to sleep! And she slept like a dream. I was getting long naps and unheard of night-time stretches. "How hard could this be?" I foolishly thought.

As usual, I had set BabyK down for her nap and left the room; not expecting to hear much out of her after 20mins max. But there she was, for the entire hour, blabbing away to herself. She was happy and for that I was thankful. I figured she would crash at the next nap and that would be the end of it. Alas, no such luck.

For almost 2 weeks she decided that day-time sleep just wasn't for her. Every time I would put her down she insisted on practicing her valedictorian speech. There seemed to be no reason I could find for this new behavior. There were no new teeth, no signs of illness and nothing out of the ordinary. I studied my book, googled, and troubleshooted. Slowly, I noticed an effect on her night-time schedule as well and the panic set it. I could not go back to that place of sleep deprivation, not yet.

So I did what any good mother would do; I let it go into God's hands. We spent our Saturday ignoring BabyK's schedule, going the places we wanted to go and let her enjoy the ride. She had a few short naps in and out of her crib. Thankfully, it was all that she needed. She went to bed with a crash and woke of the next morning ready for our old normal.

I still don't know why this happened, or why totally letting go seemed to work. Other moms have mentioned these "mysterious" phases that babies sometimes go through and they don't always seem to have an explanation. Thankfully these phases seem to have an end, it's just a matter of letting it pass and being ready to be flexible.

I guess the next time a puzzling phase hits I might be ready to let God do the driving sooner.

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Isaiah 40:11

"He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those that have young"