Today, for three hours, I shared a bed with my Tiger.
It wasn't co-sleeping. Not exactly. I'm far too scared of rolling over and squishing my tiny girl to ever try that (I'm a restless sleeper).
It was more like co-cuddling.
We're working on transitioning Tiger out of her sleeping-in-the-sling habit, mainly because very soon Tiger will be too big to fit the sling (this would have been impossible to imagine when she was a 1.7 kilogram newborn, but it's true!).
She still wakes up whenever I try to pop her in the cot to sleep, but I've found that if I cuddle her while sitting in bed, until she's in deep sleep, then gently roll her on to the bed beside me, she stays asleep.
Then, I sit or lie curled up beside her until she wakes.
It is utter, delicious, wondrous bliss.
And it might not be found in any parenting manual as an example of a good "sleep routine". It might not come recommended by "parenting experts" but it's giving my girl some fish fingers-ing good sleeps. She wakes up cooing and smiling and ready to take on the world again. I get three hours of very relaxed downtime, and I get to spend three precious hours a day gazing at my beauty, breathing in her scent, stroking her little cheek and revelling in her sublime baby-ness.
So what if I don't get to "spend her nap time catching up on housework"?
This week has been one of the happiest of my motherhood. For those hours, sitting in the dim light with my darling girl, I am at my most serene. All worries and cares float away as I stare at those long eyelashes; that beautiful little slightly-opened mouth.
And I think to myself, "This is how I choose to parent my little girl. It may not be found in any baby book but it's damn lovely".
~ Love, Miss Cackle x
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