Cherishing Every Moment

Sweet Henry is 19 days old today.  Where have the past 19 days gone??  It seems like just a few days ago I was sitting around the house hugely gigantic pregnant, obsessing about what he would look like, what his cry would sound like, what he would look like in all his cute new outfits.

I'm not emotional much, except when I see those animal shelter commercials or African orphans. I have been really sentimental lately.  A couple of days after Henry was born I learned that a couple I went to college with got the worst news imaginable.  Their 9 month old son has been diagnosed with an extremely rare degenerative disease, and will not live to see his 3rd birthday.  I read their blog every day, mostly in the middle of the night while feeding little Henry.  I can't even imagine having 9 months with him, then finding out that I will have to say goodbye. As Sam and I talk about taking Henry to his first baseball game, going to the zoo, going to the stock show next year, and how crazy he is going to be in school, I can't help but think about how blessed we are to see that in his future.  That couple does not see that in their son's future.  They cherish every second they get to hold him.

 I read all the books and websites about getting your child to sleep and eat on a schedule.  Research says that you are not supposed to rock them to sleep because they will become dependent on that to get to sleep.  You are not supposed to pick them up when they cry because they will not learn to soothe themselves.  You are not supposed to hold them while they sleep because they will not sleep on their own.  But I don't ever want to think,"I wish I would have held and rocked him more" or "I wish I would have held him more."  There is only one day in my life that I am going to get to rock a 19-day old Henry to sleep.  That's it.  He will never be 19 days old again.  There is only one day that I am going to get to hold a 19-day old Henry and watch every expression he makes while he is dreaming.

Now this is not to say that this kid never has to sleep on his own.  I do put him in his swing to sleep when I need to experience the new "luxuries" in life...like putting lotion on my legs or clipping my fingernails.  And to be completely honest, I put him in his crib and let him cry for 10 minutes yesterday because I could not take it anymore.  But I no longer feel guilty about holding him, despite what the "experts" say.

I don't want to end all sappy and crying, so here is a little Henry news for you:
*His hair is getting really blonde and CURLY!  I wonder where he got that from? He has 2 curls on top of his head that stick straight up after a bath.
*He outgrew his first pair of footie pajamas yesterday.  He is so long and skinny, that he couldn't stretch out his legs. That made this sentimental momma sad.
*He stays wide awake for hours, just looking around and taking in the world.  He will listen to you talk forever.  Unless he is tired or hungry.  Then he makes the cutest cry face I have ever seen.