The Mama

Today while I was over at my mother-in-law's doing some laundry, Pearl was quite cranky. I knew it was about time for her to fall asleep because her rhythms have been pretty predictable lately: wake up, get wet diaper changed, nurse a little, play, have another wet and/or slightly poopy diaper, get cranky, back to sleep in the mei tai - this happened every hour. I don't think it'll be quite so regular today as it got interrupted.

Anyways, she was tired and cranky and ready to go to sleep. Usually I get to her sleep either by nursing or using the mei tai, but she was visiting with her grandma so I let them be. However she just got crankier and crankier so I gave up hoping grandma could soothe her to sleep and took her back, thinking she might be hungry even though it hadn't been very long since she last nursed. She quieted down some right away and by the time I unhooked my nursing bra and got her latched on she was calm as could be. She didn't really eat much but just laid there for a while, then she unlatched and rested her cheek agaisnt my breast, closed her eyes, and she was asleep.

Of course everyone knows that mothers generally soothe their babies best, but I've gained a different understanding of that now that I'm the mama. It's a very sweet thing, realizing that she now recognizes the difference between when I hold her and others hold her. She knows who her parents are. Since birth she has recognized the sound of her daddy's voice and will look around for him. Her daddy laments sometimes that she doesn't like him as much as she likes me, but after all, I do have a nine months head start.

I love being a little family.