sweet teething night

I suppose this is considered a "teething night."  I went to bed, tired but restless.  Sleep just wasn't coming.  Perhaps that sleepless state was a subconscious preparation for what was to come.  My sweetie squawked on the monitor.  Any little monitor noise causes my eyes to open and my ears to become unusually keen.
Pause.
Grunt.
Waaahhhh!
Pause.
Whimper, wah-ah-ah...
I got up and replaced her pacifier between her lips and rubbed her arm the way I do when she needs a little soothing, but I don't want to pick her up.  Soothing attempt rendered unsuccessful.  Poor kiddo just needs a little extra mommy lovin tonight.  She has a top row of teeth all ready to bust through the skin (can you imagine what that must feel like? I'm so glad we don't remember these experiences).  We've Orajel-ed the gums, we've Tylenol-ed, we've rocked, we've cuddled and we've attempted the great return to the crib...to no avail.  So here we are, on the couch.  Molli Cakes is sleeping soundly, cuddled up in her special way, snoring a little bit. Her chubby hand is resting in the top of my chest, just perfectly positioned so when I put my chin all the way down, it's like my face is cuddling her fingertips.  It's a sweet moment and I am soaking it in.

Moments in the middle of the night, when I should be sleeping, are sometimes the best.  Sure it's great to get a full restful night of sleep, but it's nothing compared to the pleasure of etching sweet moments of time into memories that I will treasure forever.  For this reason, I don't mind teething.  I suppose it's for this reason that I never really minded the newborn-no sense of day/night-total absence of sleeping schedule.  What greater joy is there than to have one on one moments with an angel who simply needs something that no one else can provide.  I am honored to be a mommy, even, maybe even especially, in the middle of the night.



Verily, verily, I say unto you, surely there is no greater sound in the world than a happy baby!