Turning a Corner?

On Saturday morning, Severin woke earlier than usual--5.17 am to be exact. I'm used to 6, resigned to the occasional 5.30 wakening and generally hope for 6.30, so this wasn't great but within the realm of normal. As I had a rare late night planned (a trip to the NYC Ballet to see their fashion programme), I decided to give him his bottle, leave him in his cot and see what happened. I'm usually in bed around 10-10:30 now so staying up till midnight was going to be a stretch even with a 6:30 am wake up call.

To my surprise, he went back to sleep until 7.40 am! I got home even later than planned on Saturday, fully expecting a brutal early morning. When I woke at 6.30, I only heard his faint snores--he woke at 8! I snoozed on and off--months of rising before daybreak are difficult to shake off. Today he woke at 7.30 (I stirred at 6.41).

I'm not expecting this to last but even if it lessens the chance of 4.45 am wakings after the clocks go forward, I'll be happy. And while I would really miss our early morning snuggles, I wouldn't mind having just a little more time in bed. It's way too early to adjust my routine (and I'd still happily go to bed with him at 8.30 on the nights I'm not in class), but these three mornings signify the changes that may be on the horizon.

That said, parenthood is about gains and losses. I love this increasingly independent, funny, joyous soul who is now able to communicate more, despite his boyish lateness with words. I'm having more fun with him than ever before. But I miss my little baby and regret that memories of his infancy are beginning to recede, despite those videos of his early days and weeks. I so want to experience all of this again, replete with knowledge that will help me savour it all with a better sense of how quickly it will all pass.