A Time I Cherish with Elliana

Since Graham entered this world and our lives, things have obviously changed in our family. How we do things. How we plan our day. How we divide duties around the house. How we function as a whole. 

It's no surprise that Elliana is a major part of that "whole," our day, and our hearts. Therefore, it was very important to me that when we made changes in our schedule and lives that we did so with her in mind.

One of the things, rather a special time, that I cherish with Elliana is sleep time. This includes both naps and night time. I've mentioned before that this past August we had a major shift in Elliana's sleeping patterns. We went from crib, to our bed, to her big girl bed, to now a mix of both. But something that stayed consistent during the past 6 months and during all the changes in sleeping patterns, was that Andrew or myself always put her to bed. Always.

So when Graham came, I wondered how we would work around this important aspect of our daughter's life. What I did know for certainty was that I didn't want to eliminate it. It was a time that was important for her. It was a safety net for Elliana. It was also a time that I cherished most with her.

And with our world completely changing, I wanted and needed this time with my precious girl.

We have made it work.

From the day we brought Graham home, I have been able to put Elliana down for a nap and bedtime. Each and every day/night. And I have honestly cherished it more than ever before.

The first night, I'll admit it... I cried while I held her. Just taking everything in. Realizing how things had changed. Yet at the same time, holding on to the one thing, one person that has remained stable in our lives. It hit home.

After that, we just made it work. At the end of the day, it's my "me" time with my girl. Sometimes we lay in bed for 10 minutes and she passes out. Sometimes it's more like 45 minutes. Sometimes we just lay there and hold each other. Sometimes, we just sing songs and giggle and act like goofballs. Sometimes we recap our day.

But always we whisper ten too many I love you's, and always it feels so comforting to be there for my daughter as she closes her eyes to fall into a deep sleep.

Always, I will cherish this time with her. Always.
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Tomorrow, I will talk more in depth on our sleep situation. The later in the night sleep situation.