When you just don't know what to do...

I just got back from a few days in Birmingham with my sister and her three adorable daughters. Bennett LOVES her cousins. More on that later. I got to sleep in the bedroom of my oldest niece and Bennett was in the pack and play at the foot of the bed. Bennett was a champ and put up with the umpteenth change in her environment really well. Until last night.

At 1:30 am I feel someone banging on my foot. I am pretty sure that it's not time for the Easter Bunny yet and since I haven't lost a tooth in over 20 years, I don't think there's a fairy in there looking for a pillow either. I sleepily deduce that my sleeping baby isn't, well, sleeping. I tell her to lay down and she does which surprises me because I didn't think she knew that word. 20 seconds later my ankle is now being used as a drum kit. Since all members of my sister's family are asleep within a 100 foot radius of me, I keep hissing at her to lay down and go "night night." She will say night night back at me, drop, wait the appropriate 20 seconds and then bang on me again happily calling out, "Gum!!"

Here is the rest of my night

1:45 Pray she will sleep
1:50 Wrap my ankle in socks to avoid the bruises 18 lbs of baby can cause
2:00 Decide she's hungry
2:02 Creep past sleeping nieces, grandmom, aunt, and uncle to make a bottle
2:20 That worked. She's asleep
2:45 She's now crawling the length of her pack and play muttering something about "Dada." I am muttering something about him too. Especially b/c he's not there to help me.
3:00 She's now crying. Full on. They don't have a chapter in "What to Expect" about this. I am writing the editor as soon as I finish this blog.
3:15 She's asleep, but still crying. Do they do that? Obviously they do.
3:45 My ankle is now throbbing and she is banging on it again. I tried moving it, but she finds it. In the dark.
4:15 She's asleep again and having nightmares. What did the baby sitter feed her for dinner?
4:45 I am holding her and she is pushing my face away and yelling, "Night Night." Ummm... does she not realize that is what I am trying to do?
5:00 She's asleep. Thank goodness.
5:02 She's up. I'm delirious.
5:10 She's crying again. Surely someone in this house will tell me tomorrow that this has all been a horrible nightmare and I will wake up refreshed.
5:30 She finally falls asleep (for good) in my arms. I lay her beside me in the bed while she is still holding my finger. We sleep curled up next to each other for a few hours. When I wake up, I look at her peaceful body and think I would do it again every night if that's what it meant to be her Mom.