"so tender and mild...sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace"

I have a bunch of blog posts waiting to be finished and "published" but I'm having a hard time finding the time because my evening computer time has been severely cut back due to Levi's new sleep "schedule".  For the past few weeks he's been giving us a hard time with bedtime.  I go through the same routine every night (brush teeth, read, pray, sing) and when I put him in his crib he just says "get out" repeatedly or screams if I leave the room.  Lately we've been sitting in the recliner in his room until he falls asleep (usually around 10 or 10:30) and then keep our fingers crossed as we sneak out of his room and down the stairs...or straight to bed depending on how long the stand off lasts!  As if the nighttime routine wasn't enough to drive me nuts last week he started pulling this craziness with naptime AND 4 am wake up calls.  Thankfully Seth was home to help out because I was (and am) frustrated and had completely lost my patience. (*hang my head in shame*)

As I walking Fonzie earlier this week, thinking about the whole sleep situation and Paul's words to the Corinthians popped into my head. "Love is patient (ugh...I struggle so much with that!), love is kind...does not act unbecomingly (ugh, once again...I'm so ugly when I'm not getting my sleep); it does not seek its own, is not provoked...bears all things (even sleepless nights and temper tantrums), believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things".  Thanks for the reminder, Lord!  My prayer as I begin this new year is that God would give me joy in motherhood despite the lack of sleep...to see how tender the Little Man really is and to lower my expectations...after all he's only two!

PS- I'm also praying that this phase passes quickly and we can all sleep peacefully!