As I rocked Emmett to sleep this morning for the second attempt at a morning nap, I realized just how thankful I am for my rocking chair. Although Logan claims the rocking chair is his, I definitely consider it my saving grace in this crazy household - the one piece of furniture I could not live without (along with my king-size bed, of course).
Our rocking chair made its entrance into our lives about a month before we had Logan, who is now 2 1/2 years old. It was the one "big" baby item we purchased for ourselves because I was convinced I needed the glider from Pottery Barn Kids. It's funny when you're designing your ideal nursery, a place that will be turned completely upside-down once baby arrives, how you just need certain items, i.e. the sleigh glider with light green slipcovers. Though this very expensive glider creaks more than I'd like, I could not imagine caring for babies without it.
Our rocking chair made its entrance into our lives about a month before we had Logan, who is now 2 1/2 years old. It was the one "big" baby item we purchased for ourselves because I was convinced I needed the glider from Pottery Barn Kids. It's funny when you're designing your ideal nursery, a place that will be turned completely upside-down once baby arrives, how you just need certain items, i.e. the sleigh glider with light green slipcovers. Though this very expensive glider creaks more than I'd like, I could not imagine caring for babies without it.
I began using the rocker at Logan's feeding time. How peaceful it was to sit and rock...and try to keep an infant awake long enough to feed. Even more, it was a cozy place for mother-son bonding and I couldn't have been happier gliding back and forth with my baby boy -- so happy, in fact, that soon after Logan's arrival, my rocking chair migrated from the nursery to my living room, where it would live until we moved. I have spent countless hours feeding Logan and rocking him in that chair and it was my saving grace a million times over.
When we moved last summer, we put the rocking chair in Logan's bedroom to use at night for story-time right before bed. I loved cuddling up with Logan in that chair and rocking him while reading our favorite stories - Goodnight Moon, Hush Little Polar Bear and I Love You, Goodnight. During sleep training, the first time (!?), I even found Logan asleep in the chair...he'd obviously chosen it for its comfort and reminder of Mommy. The rocking chair was clearly "his" and he knew it. So when I got pregnant with Emmett, though I picture a baby's room with a rocking chair, I didn't even think about moving our rocking chair into Emmettpecial s nursery -- I had simply and automatically made up my mind to leave it in Logan's room. We had a baby swing which Emmett loved so why bother with the rocking chair?
Enter the baby who fights sleep with everything he has...Emmett Stuart. I can honestly say I've never seen a baby fight sleep the way this child does. Though I am normally able to get him to take two solid naps a day, there are days when the excitement seems to be too great for him to want to miss any of it. So about a week ago I decided that the solution to my problem and something I was definitely missing with Emmett was the rocking chair. I didn't realize how much I missed that special bond Logan and I created when I held him in my arms and rocked him to comfort -- especially when the result is critical sleep. So I convinced my husband to move some furniture around so that my rocking chair could be better utilized in our living room.
What a difference it has made. Life can be pretty frustrating when you're a part-time single parent like this coast guard wife is. The rocking chair isn't just soothing for Emmett; it calms me down too. Nap time isn't always easy, but my boys' rocking chair is worth its weight in gold for the comfort it has so lovingly provided us all.
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