Midnight Happy Hour

We all know the biggest no-no as a mother is to wake your sleeping child. Well, my name is Stephanie and I like to hold my baby before I go to bed. Sometimes it's enough to know that she's still breathing and hasn't been kidnapped, but most of the time (especially since the door creaks) I get to pick her up and rock for a minute, tell her I love her one more time, put her back, watch her wriggle around and then fall back asleep. Now. Try being anyone else besides me and doing that and I will rant at you and threaten to come to your house and wake all of your sleeping children RIGHT after they stop crying and fall asleep (insert Audricon).

I think the people that tell you not to bother your kids after bed time just don't want you to have one serious special time each night or two with your little, tiny, helpless baby. Remember when you were trying to make dinner earlier today and your toddler did everything but entertain herself? Remember during dinner when every "want another bite?" was met with rigorous head shaking and every limb flailing to keep food away? Remember when NOTHING worked except holding her in one arm while stirring the pot, pouring milk, saying 'the fridge is going to bite your finger if you don't remove it' while putting the milk back, starting the microwave and setting the table with the other? Well, THAT child is nowhere to be found. When the door creaks and you hear her stand up and say "hey!" you only smile and feel your heart grow bigger than the Grinch's (really, hormones? Is threatening tears necessary?). Of course, your reverie is only slightly fractured by the sound of the wind being broken multiple times by this adorable creature. Mahvelous. After all, I have done myself a favor. I'm sure her tummy hurting would have woken her up much later at night when I was fast asleep and lets face it- who really wants to revisit the glory days of sleep deprivation? 

Bottom line- if you need a quick shot of happiness-similar-to-that-of-a-quiet-beach, take a break from fixing the rest of the world and go let your baby hold you with her unquestioning love. Oh, the hardships of having just one sprout on your family branch...