Sleeping isn't Easy

Most parents expect that they won't get a lot of sleep after they first have a baby.  That's pretty typical for newborns.  Eventually sleep gets a little better as baby gets older, sleeping longer at night and less during the day.  When Christian and Charlie came home from the NICU we had the same expectations that any parent does....you're sleep deprived for awhile.  But I remember the first night Christian slept through the night and Charlie didn't.  I remember thinking "great, we're getting there.  Charlie should do the same any day now."  But days and days went on and he still didn't sleep through the night and his twin brother did.  Many months went by and he still was up several times a night. And as he got older we began getting a little concerned.  

4.  4 years and 4 months old to be exact.  That was when he finally began sleeping through the night.  You want to talk about sleep deprived parents....ha!  It was around that same time that Charlie began using our past family dog to help him sleep.  He would request the dog be with him at night.  And our dog willingly obliged.  They were actually inseparable for the most part.  

These days Sunny takes that spot at night.  Charlie calls for Sunny to join him at bed time and it's always a sweet sight. Sunny usually lays on top of Charlie to help him calm down and fall asleep at night.  Once he's asleep she will move to a different spot of the bed and settle in.  Sometimes she will leave the bed and find a cozy spot on the floor (with all the blankets on the bed she tends to get hot).  There have been a handful of times that Charlie has woken up in the middle of the night and asked for Charlie to be with him again.  It's very evident that she helps him when he has been asking for her.

They are both out cold

But not matter how helpful his dog is, sometimes Charlie still just wants mom.  We try to re-direct him to Sunny, but there are nights that I can't resist and I fall victim to his sweetness.  We snuggle, hold tightly to each other and I can hold on to him just a little bit longer.  Because he won't always want mom.  Sleep still doesn't come easy.  It's still a struggle, but we have hope that maybe it will begin to get a bit easier with age and with Sunny by his side.

"Mom, will you hold my hand?"