Rock-a-Bon-Jovi

Tonight I put Liam down to sleep a little past seven p.m. He rolled over and started talking to his blankets and rubbing the satin side against his face as usual (VERY CUTE - if you don't think it's cute then something inside of you must have died!)

Liam is a dream sleeper (*knock-on-wood* I always feel the need to do that when talking about Liam's sleep habits). I helped him along a bit but he has slept through the night since about 2 months - with only one month off because of a growth spurt. But Liam is also a big baby. Some say big babies sleep better because their bodies don't startle as easy. I think he took pity on his sleep deprived parents and figured he torture us some other way in the future. I always hesitate to tell other new moms of his great sleeping habits because I usually get a response of "That's wonderful" gritted through teeth in a tone that tells me if I wanted - they'd switch babies with me - right then and there.

Since he was about 5 months old we have put Liam down at 7 p.m. awake and he sleeps straight through until 6:30-7 a.m. Please stop throwing things! Because I have to tell you now that he also takes two close to 2-hour naps a day. Oh how I live for nap time! That's when I draw the curtains and do tequila shots until he wakes up. He has to change MY diaper after he takes a random 3-hour nap.

We have had a time or two when we had to use the c.i.o. (for non-new-parent-message-board-addicts that means 'cry it out.') But because he is such a good sleeper - if he wakes and is really crying I will take him from the crib and drug him - I mean - rock him until he is either asleep or calm/drowsy. We do the same if he has trouble falling asleep. Usually he has trouble falling asleep because his "roll to sleep" (a continual roll - over and over again until he passes out from exhaustion) didn't work and his binky has gotten lodged underneath him (or - in his opinion - LOST. FOREVER. OH. MY. GOD. QUE LASTIMA! - yes, in fits of rage Liam has moments of bilingual thought.)

Tonight Liam's "roll to sleep" failed and his binky was OBVIOUSLY GONE FOREVER. So I went up. I wiped his somewhat sweaty brow (continuous rolling is hard work for a 26lb baby!) and lifted him from the crib. I located his binky - IN THE BLACK HOLE, MAMA - tangled in his sheets. I returned his prize possession - YOU ARE A GODDESS AMONG MAMAS - and brought him over to the rocking chair.

He was looking at me with wonder since I was able to REACH INTO THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE and return the binky. It was also because I had my glasses on, having taken out my contacts after he went to bed. So we rocked a bit and I sang "Rock-a-Bye-Baby" softly to him. He seemed to like it so I tried to think of another song. I couldn't! Words failed me. I considered Tora Lora Lora but I don't have much of a brogue. So I softly sang the next song that came to my head.

Tommy's got his six-string in hock
Now he's holding in what he used to make it talk
So tough, it's tough
And Gina dreams of running away
When she cries in the night
Tommy whispers, Baby it's ok... Someday
We've got to hold on to what we've got
'Cause it doesn't make a difference if we make it or not
We've got each other and that's a lot
For love... we'll give it a shot

Whoa, We're halfway there
Oh-oh, livin' on a prayer
Take my hand and we'll make it I swear
Oh-oh, livin' on a prayer

Sometimes you do the best you can with what you've got, like Tommy and Gina. Rock-a-Bon-Jovi, baby!