Too good to be true

Last night, Lincoln slept through the night for the first time in weeks. What started as "legitimate" waking when he had his ear infection last month has morphed into "hey, they come when I call so I might as well get some middle-of-the-night cuddles and a clean diaper" over the last few weeks. After consulting the sleep guru, Dr. Marc Weissbluth's, book (Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child) for a brief refresher, I went to bed last night resolved to let him self-settle should he wake up in the middle of the night.


Imagine my surprise when I rolled over at 6:45 a.m. and heard a sweet "Mommy? Mama? Mommy?" from down the hall! My resolve was not even necessary...how about that?!

I walked into his room and started to coo: "I am so proud of you, Lincoln! What a good sleeper you are! Thank you for letting mommy get so much rest!" He smiled back at me. "Mama?" He stretched up his arms. I reached down to pick him up... and immediately felt heat. My good-sleeper-of-a-baby was actually a sick little boy, awakening with a low-grade fever.

We spent a quiet morning at home, but he perked up after his nap and enjoyed some time outside. His energy, enthusiasm, and enjoyment of a little chocolate Easter bunny made me think he had kicked whatever it was he had a touch of. But around dinner time, he was clingy and hot again. I gave him a dose of ibuprofen and he went right to sleep at 7. Here's hoping for another good night of sleep, but a healthier toddler in the morning!