Thankful: Rocking chairs

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Every year in November, I try to post on Facebook a daily expression of my thankfulness. This year, I’ve decided to go one step further and blog daily with these thankful posts. Considering how overwhelmed I’ve been lately, I thought this series would do one of two things. First, it would force me to write every day which is a source of therapy for me. Secondly, it would help me focus on all the wonderful things and people I have in my life.

Four babies. Four sweet babies I have held in my arms and rocked to sleep.

Except for the Animal who really just wanted to be put in his bed to fall asleep on his own, I have spent countless hours singing lullabies to my sweet babies.

If I had to make a list of my favorite things about parenting, rocking my babies to sleep – snuggling into their soft hair – would have to be on the top of that list.

Miss Sassy Pants was an amazing sleeper. So much so that I could allow anyone to put her to bed if I needed help. But she also loved it when I sang to her and made up songs with her name. She was the first to have me sing, “You are my sunshine,” and with her, it meant more than just a fun song. “You make me happy when skies are grey” was a line that often made me choke while rocking her. Her tiny hand on my face reminded me daily of how lucky I was even in the worst of times.

The Animal let me rock him for a little while, and then he went through a period where he refused to snuggle. At about 18 months, I was allowed to hold him and sing a quick song; then, I had to put him down to sleep. Now, at 4, he’d let me rock with him if I wanted, but I wouldn’t be able to hold him. He’s more of a snuggler now than he ever was.

Flash, at 2.5 years old, still lets me rock him. He fits himself on me in the recliner, and I sing. Sometimes, he sings along. Sometimes, he pats my shoulder. Sometimes, he turns his face to mine so he can watch me in the dim light on my shoulder. I love being the one to put him to bed because of this sweet gift he gives me.

Baby Diva is still so small that she literally relaxes as soon as I put her on my shoulder. She’s learning the bedtime routine, and I find myself struggling to pull away and put her down for the night regardless of how much work I could get done in the fifteen extra minutes I spend breathing in her scent.

It will be one of the biggest pieces of babyhood that I will miss. Suppose I’ll just have to wait for grandbabies. 🙂

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