Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Kinship

For a while now, I have done this thing when I wake up in the night and have trouble getting back to sleep: I lie in the dark and imagine what my friends are doing in various time zones around the world. Somehow I find it reassuring and relaxing. When Adriana was a newborn, things changed, though. As I groggily nursed the baby and then rocked her back to sleep after she ate, I imagined all the other mothers who were awake with their little ones. It made the middle of the night feedings less lonely.

For the past few nights, Adriana has had a fever and last night she couldn't keep down any medicine that would help. In the wee hours of the morning, I lay in bed with they hot little baby on my chest--it was the only way she would sleep. I worried about when she would start to feel better and about how I would function today with so little sleep. And then I thought of all the other mothers who were up with their feverish children, kissing the hot foreheads, stroking the damp hair back from the little face, worrying about when it would all be okay, and I started to relax.

2 comments:

kenandbelly said...

Funny enough, my girl was up three times last night, too. It does help to know we're all in it together.

Jay said...

Ruthie told me that she was up the other night, thinking she might vomit. She didn't wake me up, nor did I hear her in the bathroom. So, see, eventually, they take care of it on their own!

Also, some of us who have been there, done that, are always praying for you who are going through it anew.