TJ's First Valentines Day

Happy Valentine's Day! Oh boy. TJ MUST love his mommy and daddy, because for his very first Valentine's Day he gave us the gift of sleep. Yep! That is right. TJ slept through the entire night. A first! Bed at 8:00 PM and woke up at 6:15 AM. Yippee!

Of course mommy woke up at 3:00 AM a little panicked that she had not heard a peep from her son. I did go in and check on him to see if all was right. Recently, TJ has discovered the joy of sleeping on his tummy. This of course causes mommy to stress and think "SIDS! He is going to die of SIDS". Yes, the "back to sleep" campaign really brainwashed me to believe that any time on baby's tummy while asleep is bad. But I am starting to understand now that if he can roll over, he can roll back, AND he is quite capable of lifting his head, his whole body, and even moving to a sitting position. However, mommy parinoia still haunts me at the wee hours of the night.

Now I have to be honest and tell you that while TJ sleeping through the night is a great joy, it also can produce a great pain. You see, if TJ sleeps-- and sleeps long-- my breasts get full, heavy and uncomfortable. They are ready to provide him with a little midnight snack, as they have for eight months now. I really think it was my chest pain that woke me up.

So I was faced with a dilemma as I crawled back in bed. I was happy that TJ was asleep. But I also was uncomfortable enough to know that I was not going to be able to fall asleep until I reduced a bit of my swelling. I did not want to wake TJ to feed him (and ease my pain). I liked that he was sleeping. But if I went downstairs to pump, don't you think it would be my luck that TJ would wake up at 4:00 (as he is accustomed to doing) and be hungry and have no snack waiting for him? After trying to talk to my half-asleep husband about my situation, I made a compromise and went downstairs to pump half of what was available.

Ends up TJ did not wake up at 4:00 like I thought he would. At this point in time it is hard to predict TJ's sleeping patterns. He surprised me this Valentine's Day. I have no idea if this pattern of sleeping through the night will continue. But for now, I am appreciative of the gift he gave his dad and me: a good night sleep (minus the 3 am pump) and a hope that more nights of peaceful slumber are not that far off for the whole family.

What a sign of love. Thanks, TJ!