Emil. Oh, baby of the family. Our little fuzzy kangaroo.
Place him on your lap and he will insist on standing. Once standing, he bends his little knees and suddenly KICKS back up for the grand jump. Over and over, jumping in place with either the token startled look, or a gigantic open-mouthed grin pasted on his face.
He is, more often than not, found like this these days. Fingers in his mouth, chewing, exploring. I keep checking, sure a tooth is about to bust through, but so far nothing. It will be any day, I’m sure, as his brothers were early teeth men. Bite-the-nipple-that-feeds-you kind of men. I am so nervous as I run my finger along his pink gums, checking for shark-biters. I’m sure my face gives me away. I try to act cool. They can sense fear, you know. I can act nonchalant, pretend I can’t be bothered by the inevitable nipple-bite. But I know it will happen.
He is a sweet, sweet boy. Maybe he won’t bite.
He was born as the sun was rising on a warm August morning. He slept in my hospital bed with me that day. Then that night. He did not leave my side. Like an extra appendage, really, he has felt like he belongs next to me. The nurses said nothing, surely fearful that I, that crazy home-birth woman, would lecture them or explode in anger. Really, I wouldn’t have.
We took him home and he slept in my bed that night. And the next. And the next. Before I knew it, he had never slept in a crib. Or a bassinet. Or a pack-n-play.
And just like that, 5 months went by.
I fought it so hard with Milo. And I was utterly exhausted. And a bit hostile. Same with Oliver. This time, I started out knowing. I knew I would welcome Emil into my bed for at least a few months, to make breastfeeding easy (it has) and sleeping better (it does). Frankly, it just feels right. We have read all the literature, and taken precautions (like no big blankets, pillows, etc. near the baby, no alcohol, and actually, no one else, including Pop, in the bed… sorry, Andrew) and I am literally amazed by how quickly I awaken to every move, every breath Emil makes. It is pretty incredible, the way a mother becomes in tune to her babies when they are near her.
Sure, there are and will be drawbacks. As I am in tune with Emil, he has insta-mom-is-gone-radar when I so much as get out of bed to brush my teeth or get a cup of tea. If he smells me, senses my presence, I don’t know. But when I am not there, he is suddenly awake. But for now, the benefits are really outweighing the drawbacks. And hey, it forces me to blog a lot more since I am confined to the bed from 7pm until I go to sleep at, like 9pm, being the big sleep-wuss that I am. And then I have more pictures to show you.
Like this one.
And this one. Which, now that I look at it, is pretty much exactly the same picture. But it’s EMIL! SMILING!
So. You see? It’s really in all of our best interests that I let my 5-month-old baby sleep in bed with me. A win-win. You’re welcome.
I did exactly this with Iris. She slept with me for the first six months at least. She literally never cried and I remember not once feeling like I had a newborn. I was never tired! She gradually grew out of it and wanted her own crib. It will happen naturally. Poor Shawn got way too used to sleeping the living room, though!
oh he is sweet!!! love his name too.
we have 2 still in bed with us. i’m totally cool with marianne being there (8 months old) but shane(3 1/2 yaers old)…well i’m ready for that fella to move on out to his own bed. i totally agree that it makes nursing easier. and really, it’s not like it’s forever.
the two fingers in the mouth is too cute! and shark teeth! yep. my little sharkie has been chomping on me lately. ouch!
He is absolutely precious!
I let our second daughter sleep in the bed with me for about eight weeks. It was so much easier; there’s just no comparison. And she moved to the crib with ease, too. Of course, she is a dream baby, but I’m certainly more understanding of bedsharing than I used to be!
My first daughter didn’t get teeth til she was over a year old and weaned. I was very, very thankful, and am hoping for a similar experience this go ’round.
Where’d my creepy baby go? He looks like he needs a little bite or two out of those arms and cheeks!
Oh my lord. Cuteness overload. Love that BIG smile! (Greta slept on my chest in our bed for months. She never had any problem when I finally put her in the crib.)
He is too cute! I kept mine in our bed for a couple months and was prepared to do more but he was such a light sleeper that he actually did better in his own room. All those warnings about smothering your baby seem funny once you have one in your bed and know there is no way on earth that coul happen. Good for you for sticking it out so long!
Thanks Lauren! I love coming to your blog to get the latest and greatest on you guys, and your insights always ring true to me. Although Owen doesn’t sleep in our bed, something about this post helped me to claim my own “knowing” a bit more about being his momma. Thank you!
In retrospect, I wish I would have been more relaxed about all the rules and noise that you hear and read. I think it would have given all of us a little more rest. And closeness.
I have to just say, I love your new updated blog! Emil is such a cutie, and I can’t believe he is already five months! I kept Jackson in our bed until he was 16 months. I was nervous about how he would adjust to his own crib, but as all things go with our kid, I just tried it one night and he slept through the night and he has ever since. I think with the first one you try to do what you think is right, and then you begin to trust yourself as a mom and just do (what of course you know is right).
It turns out baby Ben (currently) only likes sleeping on my chest. I was feeling pretty guilty about this – but your post made me feel better!
PS – Emil is so cute!