Putting children to sleep

I was just putting Josiah down for a nap and felt so grateful! He started entertaining himself too much in his crib recently (we keep our kids locked up in a crib until they are 3:) for his naps and kept waking himself up out of his sleepiness. So when one thing stops working with kids, you just try something else and break that "bad" cycle. I decided to just hold him and rock him until he fell asleep and then transfer him into his crib. This worked, so I have continued to do it. It takes about 5 minutes and is the most wonderful time of my day I think. I get to sit with my finally-still toddler in the cool darkness, hold him, look at him and just enjoy him in his sleepy stupor. If he starts talking to me I tell him to close his eyes and go to sleep or I'll put him straight in his crib, so he closes his eyes and goes to sleep. Josiah is at this age where he is so utterly predictable and lovely. It's so obvious when he's hungry, sleepy, excited, joyful, bored... I can read him like a book and I enjoy that.

Caleb doesn't take naps anymore, he hasn't for about a year now. He isn't as predictable as Josiah is, you will think he's fine all evening until something sets him off and then he just straight cries until he climbs into bed and gets his nighttime song and prayers. I'm sick a lot at night right now and Caleb is so gentle and sweet with me. He can tell when it's hitting me and just kisses me and tells me how he hopes I get better soon. He used to comfort me when I would throw up, but now he just kind of runs for the hills:)

Babies are sometimes hard to put to sleep, but I must remember that it isn't always hard. It turns into a precious routine that is paramount to their existence. I wish all my memories of putting babies down were easy, but it all turns out ok. It has taken all the ingenuity and wisdom we could muster over the years to successfully get our children to sleep as positively as possible. I appreciate my teammate who has been there to figure it out with me and will continue to be there with our new bundle, thanks Matt. Some women have to do this stuff all alone, but thankfully, not me:)