Blessed to be Sleepy.

Between the never-ending teething, stuffy noses, sharp little fingernails, gassy tummies, RSV, learning to roll over, and just plain being hungry, Levi hasn't slept well in, oh, about 3 months. And, that means, in turn, that I haven't slept well in at least that long. (Come to think of it, my last solid 8 hours of sleep probably occurred in the spring of 2012?) I'll admit, some nights are better than others--occasionally, Levi only wakes up once during the night to eat. Those blessed nights are when he has no new teeth bothering his sore little gums. And, since we have been graced by the addition of two new teeth within the last four days, the past week and a half has been sorely lacking in the sleep department for me.
If you know me well, you are very familiar with the fact that I don't function well without at least a little decent sleep. Getting up every one or two or three hours all night long doesn't make for a very cheery momma in the morning. (And, we won't even talk about my mood at 3am when I'm awake again after only 45 minutes of sleep since the last wake up call!)
But, last night, I realized something as I was sliding beneath the sheets at 4:30am, crossing my fingers that the snuffling and tossing in the pack 'n play across the room only meant that he was settling down to sleep for a nice long stretch. I was reminded that I am so very blessed to have this opportunity to be a momma. And, the honor of being his momma is not something that I'd trade for anything in the world--not even a full night's sleep! Waking up every few hours to tend to my grumpy little one is part of being his mother, and I do love it. I love the sleepy snuggles and the midnight smiles and the quiet nursing sessions. I love the peace and comfort that I can bring to him, and I love that he wants only me. I love the weight of his body in my arms, his sweet milky breath, and his soft little head on my shoulder. Yeah, sure, I do love my sleep, but oh, I love this special time with my littlest one even more! I know that these sleepless nights are truly short--no matter how they feel now, and I know that maybe, just maybe someday I'll miss waking up four times a night to tend to my baby.
Besides, who can stay crabby when you wake up to this face?!