The anxiety of putting your firstborn to sleep as a new born was something I didn’t expect when Ambree was born. Is it too hot? Too cold? Is she swaddled right? Is she still breathing? Is that stuffed animal on the shelf going to somehow leap off in the middle of the night and get too close to the crib?
Those fears have given way to reality for the most part – but one habit that lives on is one last peak into both kids room before Katy and I go to sleep. 9 times out of 10, I can crack open a door, and if the breathing isn’t loud enough to hear from the hall, I can walk to the bed, put a hand on their chests, feel the slow steady breathing of deep sleep, and then sneak out unnoticed. Every once in a while Ambree will wake up, and she enjoys the last few minutes in the rocking chair before she goes back to sleep almost as much as I do.
Few things are as sweet as a sleepy little girl asking for one more hug and kiss before saying “Good night daddy, I love you too.”
So the other night, I crack open Ambree’s door, just like any other night, to make sure my little angel is sleeping peacefully. I get the door open a few inches, and pause to see if I can hear her loud breathing from the dark hallway. This time, she hears me come in, and gently wakes to say: “DADDY!!! GO TO SLEEP!!!”
Hmmm. Well goodnight then :)
