Last Year... and A Little Farther Back

This morning- after quite a night, I must say- I find myself needing a little reminder of how things were last year... and a little farther back. This need is coming from the hiccups of early sleep training that we'd all but forgotten once Audrey finally, finally started having regular, long, peaceful nights.

Henry has been her opposite in almost every way, and in his wee infancy, one of those opposites was how easily he fell asleep, anywhere, and under almost any circumstance. I invested a little hope in that trait... hope that it would stick with him... hope that he'd get the hang of long and peaceful nights quicker and easier than his sister. *sigh*

Though I'm not quick to commit to throwing all that hope away quite yet, it has become apparent that he is- in fact- a normal 9-month-old, and from that normalcy is coming these 'hiccups' that we were all too quick to forget once Sissy got past them.

Truly, now that I make an effort, I can remember so, so many interrupted, long, crying nights, on in to Audrey's second year, even. I can also remember many a brief, unsatisfying nap sprinkled in between. However, I guess I should feel reassured, seeing how it was oh-so-easy to forget it all when the effort finally paid off. I need to remember that while I'm at it.

I find myself drawn to this blog time and time again, referencing it in times of need (or desperation, or bewilderment, or exhaustion...), then using it to help me figure out the issue du jour, then ultimately forgetting it... ahem... It is a great aid for those of us on the sleep-training battlefield (taken with a grain of salt, of course, and being careful not to read it like an end-all, be-all how-to!). It also helps me reframe what sleep deprivation can muddle and remember that this too shall pass... and of course, it does. It passes. I need to remember that this morning.

Oh, Henny, thank you for giving me a new appreciation for a few things I was taking for granted... and for greeting me with a smile every morning, no matter what the night looked like. You are worth it all.