Only what we can handle

I am a firm believer that God will not give you what you cannot handle. I told myself that last night as LC struggled to peacefully fall asleep between 7:30 and 8pm, and again from 10:36 to midnight, as he awoke a crying snotty-nosed, congested, sleepy mess, who somehow finally put himself to sleep by putting his own paci in his mouth and realizing how soothing it was, again at 12:50 when he woke up, after another round of saline spray, and a diaper change, and from 1-1:15 as he cried tears of a very tired baby, wanting sleep to overcome his little kicking body more than anything. And again at 4:15 as I rocked and fed him, and he peacefully ate, and drifted back to sleep in my arms and with a small glance, and a suck of his paci, turned his head and closed his eyes as I placed him in his crib. And at 6:45 when he awoke for the day, his breakfast, trying to nurse as best as he could with a snot filled yet runny nose, and stopping to gaze up at me and talk, me telling him what a great job he was doing drinking his milk.

That was our night last night. J and I tag team parenting, giving the infant tylenol, the saline nasal spray, cuddling, holding, and talking to our sweet boy, telling him it was going to be okay, we promised it would be okay. Listening to him cry knowing we had done all that we could and that he is a trooper and could and would work through it for himself. Sort of like when he gets tired in the car and we're driving down the highway with nowhere to pull over, and he cries for a few minutes willing the sleep to come - or like yesterday afternoon on our way home from church when he cried for a minute, realized he had his paci, put it in his own mouth, and was out within a matter of seconds (smart baby!)

Every minute of missed or split sleep is a blessing - our sweet baby is alive and is thriving, and is needing his parents. This need won't be there the way it is now, forever, so we grasp it, we hold on tight, we look at eachother with bleary eyes, we talk over the lound, sad cries, giving comfort to LC and to eachother that we're doing the best we can and that he knows that and loves us for it.

And we remember, God will not give you something you cannot handle. Life is full of challenges and we meet them each eye to eye, we work through them, and we grow stronger in life and in love.

And we are thankful.