Bedsharing

There is a part of me that thinks, with the new baby coming, we should start putting you to sleep in another bed: a crib, a mattress on the floor, something that affords some more physical and auditory space. But it’s just so tender, so pleasant, and easy to go to bed with you, reading a book or two, watching you play with toys until you’re ready to cuddle in and nurse to sleep. Some nights you’re not sleepy right away and you crawl back and forth between the papa and I; he juggles you up and down and practices your karate kicks and you blow raspberries on my tummy, making me laugh out loud. But eventually you come over to me and nestle in to sleep, sweet and gentle, legs kicked out from under the covers and eyes closing slowly, one hand on my chest. I get up to tend the kitchen or myself, those last things of the day that need doing. Often, papa falls asleep too and there you are, the two of you, sprawled in the bed, breathing and dreaming alongside one another. I feel so lucky, so incredibly blessed with my little family; I don’t want you in another room alone. I know, too, there will come a time that is the last; the last time you will want to sleep with your little body next to mine, the last time you will reach for me in your sleep and be comforted by my skin. I’m so looking forward to hearing your thoughts, to watching you dance and run, and to someday seeing you off as your own woman in the world. But there’s no reason to rush you now. The time will come. For now, you can stay with us my little one, and share the bed and dreams.