the one where she praises the weighted blanket.

Since I've been sick, Ryan has been home doing the lion's share of parenting and house work. Aw, who am I kidding? I hadn't done a damn thing other than sit on the couch and blow my own nose since monday night. Today I woke up feeling better, but since Ru was up at 4:45, I didn't get nearly enough sleep for someone recovering from pneumonia and I convinced (really didn't give him a choice) him to work from home another day. Truthfully he's been sick too, head cold, so it's not like he was wanting to run of to the office at 7 am. I went back to bed and slept for 2 more glorious (cough free) hours and then slogged my exhausted body around the house for a while. Ruby and I ran a couple of errands together which wiped me out, and then we all snuggled in the basement for a movie. Ruby had fruit and a SB&H (sunflower butter and honey, it's PB&J round these here parts) for dinner and a long (rambunctious) bath with Daddy. 

I'd offered to take over bedtime so Ry could get back to work, he's woefully behind and stressed after several days of sick and sicker wife. As you may guess, I don't really love doing bedtime. I think I have bedtime PTSD from 2.5 years of LONG, HARD, RELENTLESS bedtimes. Nights where she'd clearly be tired, but still toss and turn, jump and shout, and nurse and nurse and nurse for 2-3 hours.  For the past (almost)2 years Ry has done most bedtimes, it's their time to snuggle, to be close and for him to breathe her in. i do it when he's traveling, too overwhelmed with work, when I miss her sweet heavy head on my lap, and when she requests me.  

So tonight after bath time ended, I shuffled her into pajamas and brushed her teeth and finagled her into bed and under covers. When I do bedtime, we occasionally sing a song, but since I'm still a little sick, that was a no-go. She was restless and tossing, and then snuggled between my legs with her head on my belly as I sat playing a game on my phone. Usually this is a ticket to sleep, but tonight she was a wild thing choosing to head butt me in unfortunate places.  I deposited her on her own pillow and let her know it was time to chill out. She snuggled in but was still really fidgety and stimmy and I thought it would be a long wait till she finally fell asleep. I brushed her hair and stroked her back, occasionally whispering sweet nothings to her, while I realized that I didn't eat much dinner and that I'd be starving by the time she finally fell asleep. 

And then, she amazed me. I felt her wiggling under the covers, assuming any second she'd pop up and say "Peek a BOOO!" and start getting riled up again, but that didn't happen. I peeked under the covers and saw that she had shimmied down to find her weighted blanket. She pulled it up around her shoulders, and then, rolling onto her belly she rocked back and forth until she was snug as a bug in a rug. She pushed her left hand out and asked to hold my hand, then she rubbed her sweet soft cheek against and breathed. 

And 30 seconds later, she was asleep. 

My girl, she's figuring out what she needs, and how to get it. Brilliant. 

Comments

[Lee]

Beautiful.

[GingerB]

Success! Hooray for Ruby!

[celeste]

love, love, love. shoghi has been asking for the 3 of you daily (if i say relentlessly, it won't sound right, will it, lol). looking fwd to seeing your well(er) self this weekend. <3

[Danielle]

Love this. <3

[k]

SO sweet...