Having children is a humbling experience. Something you can't really completely figure out because each child is different and they are always changing.
My first baby didn't like sleeping and it was really hard getting her to sleep. I read several sleep books and tried lots of tricks with very little luck.
Children 2,3,4 were a cinch for sleeping. I was able to figure out early on what worked and it worked most of the time. They slept well during the day and at night. With this sweet girl #5 everyday is new and different. Sometimes she is easy to get to sleep, sometimes not. Sometimes she sleeps well at night, even a 7 hour stretch and lots of times it is 3-4 hours. By now 3 of my 4 other children were sleeping through the night. Somehow I'm being blessed with extra patience, an ability to function on little sleep, an especially I haven't come undone over her not sleeping. Having 5 kids I don't want to be trapped at home during the day with a sleeping baby, there's fun to be had. And Molly has a happy temperament and she likes our attention and we love to give it. After all these ramblings... This is what I'm learning
-life must go on even when you function most days on little sleep
-having older kids in the home is a huge blessing and they need to be part of my game plan. Most of the time they are happy to help
-it's ok to live life not on a schedule(even though I love structure and order)
-the relationships with my family are the most important part of my life and each day should be spent strengthening them.
-babies grow into kids and kids into teenagers faster than I realized. I'm ok with it but you can't turn back time
-slowing down and simplifying life is a really good idea. Focusing on the basics is really all that matters
-although I can't imagine ever having all my kids in school, it WILL happen one day and I'll have time to do other things I can't do now.
