Back Order Babies

Troy and I often say that it took us a really long time to get Garrett because the good ones are on back order. This, of course, does not mean that I am calling any "first try" (or second or third or fourth try) kids duds. We've accidentally made this comment in a public place before and oh my sparkling stars if people didn't get all up in a tizzy at the thought that I was suggesting that my child is superior and theirs inferior. Dude, it's ALL I get! And if all I get is a humorous line about getting a masterpiece kid, I'm going to take it. Because the bottom line is that it really stinks to sit around watching the world around you popping out babies like bunnies. It does seem that all the world is pregnant again--except, you know, me. But I'm choosing (mostly) to embrace those bouncing bellies--um, not literally. Yay world! Good for you!* What I am choosing to do is tell all of you, pregnant or otherwise, about how I really did get a good one, presumably because he was on back order for so long.

Garrett is an amazing sleeper. He has always been a stellar night time sleeper and he's been a great napper since he was six months old. The first six months were terrible, awful, no good, very bad months for napping. I'll admit it, the napping angel fell asleep on the job or something. Garrett started sleeping through the night at two months old. I realize that this is no big deal to moms who either used to or still do put their babies to sleep on their tummies. Tummy sleepers sleep through the night much quicker, I think. But I believe that two months is pretty young for a back sleeper to go all night. And by all night I mean ten to six. Then I would nurse him in bed with me and he would sleep, cuddled up to me, for another ninety minutes or so. Around Christmas we had a minor set back. Garrett was four and a half months old. He was having a growth spurt and, once he was finished spurting, he was back to his 8-10 hours.

Until six months the napping, as I mentioned, was horrid. I tried absolutely everything. Each day I attempted to make him cry it out. It NEVER worked. And it wasn't operator error. One day I made that kid cry for over an hour while I sat in the backyard where I couldn't hear it. Oh he'd nap alright but only in my arms. Much as I loved my tiny angel sleeping in my lap, I kind of felt like that defeated the purpose. Once, when I was discussing this, someone asked me how old he was and then replied, "Just wait until six months. He'll nap." It was like clockwork. One day he actually cried it out and from that moment on, I had a napper.

Garrett will be two next month and, some days, he is starting to outgrow napping. He's at least starting to not need one if one cannot be had. This is quite liberating, in a sense. It's also nice that when he does need one, or when I need him to need one, it's almost always three hours long. And that's on top of sleeping from around 8:30 pm to at least 7:30 am. Of course we play very very hard every day. I'm quite good at getting him really tired out.

But see, I told you I got a good one. Especially when it comes to sleeping. I'm not saying that to brag. Well, maybe a teensy tiny bit. I'm saying it because on the days when he is busy being very very TWO, I need to remind myself that this tantrum shall pass and then he'll go to bed and sleep for at least eleven hours.

Believe me, I know the next one will refuse to nap, not sleep through the night until she or he is thirty and wake me at five am--oh no, wait, the next one's on back order too. Just waiting to have the sleep button installed.

*It really, truly, is much easier for me to be legitimately happy for all the babies in bellies this time around. This time the anguish catches me off guard like a storm that blows in quickly from the west every couple of weeks or so. The first time it was like living in the northwest where if I woke up to sun I celebrated, knowing full well that it would be raining by evening.
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Concerning words:
Yesterday he said plane (Ane--but he was pointing at a plane). He also says shoe clearly now. He's said it for awhile but it wasn't entirely clear. Since his discovery of saying the word very clearly, he also repeats me anytime I say, "Shoot." This makes me very glad that I do not say another word which sounds very similar to shoot. After all, rule number two in The Pastor's Wife Handbook is that thou shalt not swear.