Do you think that I’m crazy when I tell you that I rock my babies to sleep?
Well, does this sound familiar mamas?
“The days are long, but the years are short.”
“Time flies!”
“They grow up in the blink of an eye”
I cannot count the number of times a day I hear these colloquialisms when I’m out and about with my twins.
And as a mom who battled infertility, I am acutely aware of the reality that time is short and my only two children are growing up WAY too fast, which is why I will always rock my babies to sleep.
So with that, I have joyfully embraced mothering these precious gifts, all the while, finding a way to be present for every moment of their lives, which is exactly why….
I will always rock my babies to sleep!
Now, if you aren’t already aware, the two of us here at Two Came True are sticklers about sleep! So, I’m not surprised if you are shocked when I say that I rock my babies to sleep, but just wait…
Meghan and I have both employed very specific strategies that have taught our twins healthy sleep habits, which in turn gloriously helps them sleep all night. Don’t fret, we share all of them on the blog here, so you too can share in the joy of sleeping babies!
Trust us, we both love sleep and are happy that our twins now sleep like champs! But, like most things with children, sleep ebbs and flows, they go through phases or nap transitions, and well, sometimes, something has to give!
As my boys approached their 4th birthday, we began having some extremely frustrating nap struggles. I soon discovered that we were living in a very tricky space between needing a nap and transitioning away from naps all together. My boys were struggling to settle their bodies at nap time, but still needed the daytime rest to avoid epic crankiness by 5 p.m.
And…after a few days of missed naps, the meltdowns were monumental!
Therefore, I decided that this mama was going to do what it took to get them some afternoon shut eye.
That meant, I had to rock my babies to sleep or would sometimes lie with them until their eyes closed.
At first I found myself feeling stressed that they weren’t going to sleep easily like they once had and that I wasn’t getting all of that kid-free time to be productive. What I wasn’t accepting was that they were going through different stages in brain development and their sleep habits, ever so, were changing…once again!
What mama doesn’t hold nap time sacred? Once we had gotten our schedule in sync, and successfully mastered the earlier nap transitions, I could really count on those few hours to catch up on household needs, the blog, AND my DVR!
So naturally, when those afternoon hours began to slowly disappear and my twins were running circles around my ankles while I was folding laundry, I began to drown with frustration.
Then, I heard a line in a movie and my perspective changed. A widowed father sat awake waiting up for his teenage daughter. When she walked in the door, grumpily stating that she was home, he whispered to himself, “You used to say goodnight, in fact, it used to take you hours to say goodnight”.
In an instant, I snapped to it and knew that I should stop getting so frustrated and start adapting to their needs…just like I do with everything else that motherhood throws at me. I was reminded that the way they need me now, won’t stay this way forever. They will grow up and need me in different ways.
Childhood is short.
And they grow up in the blink of an eye.
As parents, we can easily get swept away with the mundane of everyday. We become distracted with our to do lists, forgetting to live in the moment. It’s ok, we all do it, no matter how perfectly we think we balance it all.
Instagram may fool you, but real life doesn’t lie.
With my new perspective, I found a way to help my little loves settle down for some afternoon zzzz’s.
I sat there, rocking my babies to sleep…in the calm, mid-afternoon silence. There they each lay, my little boys, fast asleep in my arms. I know I need to transfer them back to their beds, but I often just sit and soak it in.
My list can wait….there is nothing more important in my life than them and meeting their needs. I sit for one more moment for us, just us. It’s here in these moments that nothing else matters but the love between a mother and her sons.
After a few peaceful minutes I slowly transfer them each into their bed and gently shut the door.
So, if you ask me why I will always rock my babies to sleep…I’ll tell you, love is why. Life is too short and before I know it they’ll be all be grown up.
This phase will too become a memory of their childhood.
For right now, this is what they need at this time in their life. I need these moments everyday, where we have time as mother and son. After all, aren’t these truly the days where memories are made?
Tell us mamas, how do you make an effort to be present and in the moment with you babes?
Chat with us in the comments below.
