Dancing with Willow

I am finding mothering is a constant dance between two souls. Sometimes we trip on each other's toes, and sometimes it is a smooth flow. This week we have experienced a bit of both. Willow learned the sign for "nurse". It is amazing to have communication other than reading her body language. She is so proud too. She will sign "nurse", we will start nursing, she will stop and give me the sign again and a BIG smile. This is the flow; the easy step of seasoned dancers. Nighttime, however, has been one of those sloppy, toe stepping dances that two preteens perform at their first middle school dance. Willow has such staying power when it comes to falling asleep. She can stay organized in the face of some serious tiredness. For the past week she has not been able to fall asleep at night. Not that she struggles- she just nurses and nurses with her eyes open for a couple hours. As you know, we don't cry it out for all of the many well researched reasons (check some out here http://phdinparenting.wordpress.com/2008/08/11/cry-it-out-cio-is-it-harmful-or-helpful/) and I gratefully rock and nurse every night (and will until she grows into her next phase on her own). So I am left with the tools that I have in my mommy bag- my dance steps that Willow knows well. Nighttime sleep now comes by way of walking around the block while wearing Willow in the Mei Tai. She is no match for the Mei Tai- she is sleeping within minutes. It took me a couple weeks to realize that wearing her would be the way to achieve sleep, but this is the dance. Some dances are easily learned and others take much time to master. Therein lies the power of the partnership. Mothering is a partnership in which we both learn, we both grow, we both dance.