The Transition

The transition. Every parent knows it, that moment when you have to transfer your sleeping baby from your arms to their sleeper/crib/bed without waking them up. I've gotten quite good at doing this since I rock Will to sleep every night, but it wasn't easy at first.

When Will was younger he was a lot easier to get to sleep at night. Now that he is super interested in everything it has gotten slightly more challenging. I have found that if I rock him to sleep in the glider he will pass out pretty quickly, usually no more than 30 minutes of rocking and he's done. I sit and stare at him and wait for my signal. There is a difference between barely asleep and completely out. I know Will is out when he begins to open mouth breathe or his eyes quit fluttering. At that point my parent ninja skills kick in. I position my arms in a way that is supporting his whole body so that when the boppy pillow slides out from under him he won't be startled. Sometimes his giant man head has cut off the blood flow to my arm and it's asleep as well. If that happens I have to pump my hand a few times so I don't feel like I am going to drop him. Then I slowly begin to sit up. I get myself to the edge of the chair, then stand straight up without Will moving. As long as he is still motionless I begin my awkward shuffle walk to his sleeper. At this point I hope that the dogs don't follow me. I always think it is cute that they want to sit by the glider while I rock him, that is until Maki starts dancing around toe nails first. I stop and give her a stern look and mouth "no!". Surprisingly she knows that I am mad and stops walking. I always feel bad because she has no idea why I am telling her no, but she knows I mean business. As I slide my feet across the floor I can here Maki taking a few steps at a time behind me. Click....clack....clickity clack.....click...I shoot her another look and she freezes. Sometimes I am mid shuffle when I look down and Will is just staring at me. Noooooooooooo! I always freeze, hoping that he will shut his little eyes again and drift back to sleep. Sometimes he will. Other times he just stares and I know my transition has failed and it's back to the rocker.

The transition can be difficult, but it is very rewarding when it goes smoothly. You feel awesome when your baby is asleep and you can walk away from their bed and have a moment to yourself before you crash too.