…Take me away

Dear Little One,

As you will hear about many times in your life, you do not sleep well at night. You are almost 11 months old and you have never, ever, once slept through the night. 4 hours was about the longest stretch, except one time, after your first vaccination, you slept from 8pm to 2am.  Of course we were so alarmed all we could do was watch you on the monitor and worry.  It’s not like we could actually sleep, nor did we know you would go an unprecedented six hours. Lately, you awake every hour or hour and a half. You are driving your parents batty with exhaustion.  We have tried everything, essentially feeding you steak and lobster every night, to no avail.  No we are trying relaxing baths.  We turn off the lights, light some squirrel candles, add lavender salts to the water, and dad takes you in there to calm you down.  He is also teaching you to relax and float on your back, the very beginnings of water survival and learning to swim.  You love the water, and stand by the side of the tub and throw things in.  Dad turns on the jacuzzi jets and you laugh your old man laugh as they shoot your rubber ball around the tub.  Dad is your water buddy.  He is anxiously waiting to see if you continue to love the water.  The gears are turning, and he has Big Plans for sharing water with you. Swimming lessons, surfing, paddle boarding, SCUBA diving, whatever you like to do.  He was a lifeguard, an instructor, and on the swim team in high school.  He surfs Lake Michigan and the Pacific Ocean.  He SCUBAs in the Caribbean with sharks, octopus, rays, dolphins, eels, and he’s not afraid of any of it. Maybe some day you will too.