Why I Keep You

Avi, You've tested my patience this last week. You'd cry for no reason all day long. You'd scream when I'd set you down. You wouldn't sleep at night, and you wouldn't sleep during the day. I had to carry you around all day long. My back was so sore! The worst was you didn't even smile. You had a sad, sorrowful look on your face all week. What was wrong with you? Were you teething? We didn't see any new teeth coming. Were you sick? There was no runny nose. Whatever it was, I finally succumbed to giving you tylenol - something I was utterly against - but what was I to do when you woke up screaming after only being asleep for 30 minutes, and it took us 90 minutes to get you calm enough to sleep?!? One night, you woke up every 30 minutes, and mommy's breast was the only thing that would put you back to sleep. That meant mommy only got 10 minutes of sleep at a time. Your wonderful father took you for 4 hours that night so I could get some sleep, which meant he got no sleep and instead several hours of walking you around while you cried in his arms. But, I decided to keep you. Why? Because one smile from you is enough to endure 10 weeks of bad sleep. Because one coo from your happy morning mouth suffices for 10 hours of screaming. Because one look at your peacefully sleeping face reminds me that angels do exist - right here, on earth, in my bed, next to my exhausted body and satisfied soul.

Because I've been so exhausted the last couple of weeks, I haven't had time to do daily post or even weekly ones. Here's a random assortment of what's been going on in your life in between the brief sleeping episodes.

Great Auntie Carmella, You, Mommy holding your cousin Karrimen

Look who ended up in the laundry!

Your new bath tub!

At your dedication.

Playing the piano.

Snuggling in the sling.