This Too Shall Pass

Z's been waking once a night to eat for the past several weeks, which was a sad step backwards for us after having enjoyed blissful full nights of sleep for several weeks prior to that (I know, lucky), but we figure it's a phase, he's a growing boy, ain't no thang. He goes to bed really well so I can handle getting up to give a bottle once a night. Not a problem. Then, for the last two nights he's gotten up twice, once to eat, once to... I'm not sure. Last night it was because he had peed through his diaper and was all wet and probably cold. You know what is fun? Being very tired and having your baby scream his head off while you strip off all the pee clothes and saturated diaper. DE-LIGHTFUL. It leads to illogical thoughts like, "He's the only baby who isn't sleeping through the night at his age!" or, even more illogical, "He's the only baby who would scream like this while getting his clothes changed!" or, heck, even better, the thought, "No other babies cry at night!" Sleep deprivation is fun and makes you think that a 5 month old can understand logical reasoning like, "I'm just changing you clothes, shhhhh, it's fine! Shhhhh! Z! Shhh! Why are you crying?! I'm just cleaning you up!"

Of course now, in the light of day with my second cup of coffee steaming gently before me, I realize that Z is not the only baby who isn't sleeping through the night, one wake up is perfectly reasonable for a growing boy, probably everyone would cry if they suddenly were stripped naked in the cold night (I would) and all babies cry because that's all they can do to communicate. So I will continue to sip my coffee, fortify my sleepy brain and think of the big smile my little man gave me when I said, "Good morning" and the warm  baby cuddles in the dark that will soon be gone when he stops needing me in the night. Life is sweet.