Sleeping In

So, in this rarest of phenomena, Colden has been sleeping through the night for the last five nights or so - as long as I sleep in bed with him all night.

Now, before anyone gets all huffy and puffy and tells me that I'm a horrible parent for sharing a bed with my child (as some did when we were co-sleeping while he was an infant), let me tell you that I have not had five nights of uninterrupted sleep in a row since Colden was born in 2008. And if this is how Colden and I (and Tom, for that matter) can get some restful, healing sleep, then so be it.

Truthfully, it feels good some nights to cuddle down with my little boy. He's growing up so fast, and it won't be long before he won't want to cuddle with me at night. It reminds me of the days when he was an infant and would fall asleep snuggled up on my shoulder after I nursed him.

And after YEARS of waking up 2 or 3 times in the night to help him get back to sleep, quite frankly, it's a relief to be able to close my eyes at 9:00 p.m.and not open them again until 5:30 or 6 the next morning!

This morning, Colden slept in until almost 7 a.m. So you better believe that there was no way in hell I was going to wake him up, even if it meant missing morning prayers with the monks. I wanted my kid to get some rest, for a change, and he woke up just as I was getting out of the shower. He was happy and woke up gently, stretching and yawning and smiling. It was such a welcome change to how he usually wakes up - crying, upset, calling for me.

I couldn't get it together in time to get to Plattsburgh for morning prayers, but I may be able to coordinate with Tom to get there this afternoon. And then on Saturday, we're going to the ceremony where they will destroy the sand mandala.

This is the idea for the bead embroidered cuff bracelet that I had the other evening after afternoon prayers with Tom. I can't show you the whole thing, but this is the start of it. The other designs are still coming, and I hope to actually have the entire thing finished before the ceremony on Saturday.

We are STILL waiting for spring to arrive. Cold again this morning, with temperatures in the 30s when I dropped Colden off at preschool. Snow predicted again for tomorrow and Saturday. The forecast doesn't call for anything warmer than 45 until the middle/end of next week!

Meanwhile, things are greening up all around us, but it's still freaking cold. Tom brought in another load of firewood last night so that I could keep the house warm while I sat on my butt and worked all day today.

In other rare news, I may actually have some time today and tomorrow to do some beading! And I need to write about some of the new glass art beads I've added to my collection lately, as well as the humongous order that I just received from The Hole Bead Shop, courtesy of their annual Tax Relief Sale and a little extra cash that I had earlier this month...