Regression...or Not?

Last week I was convinced that things had regressed and gone downhill. It was a bad week. Suddenly Zoe needed to be held more often, wasn't sleeping much, and would routinely burst into a spazzy crying fit in the later evenings which we could do nothing about. It was miserable. We took her to the doctor - no ear infection, no sickness. We got through the week and hoped it would simply get better. And it has.

The past five days have been incredible. Zoe has done so well. A first this week has been putting her down while she is basically awake (but noticeably tired) and allowing her to fall asleep on her own. We've had success 90% of the time which is shocking but makes me so happy. I'm hoping and praying that we have (finally) turned a corner with her sleeping issues and that this pattern will continue.(is that wishful thinking?)

It's neat to be getting to know my daughter now. I love that I'm learning her patterns, her sleep signals, and what her various cries mean. I guess, like any relationship, time and experience are valuable tools. I feel like I am able to be a much better mother to her now that I actually understand what she needs and wants from me. And that is exciting! I'm happy to be able to respond appropriately, rather than be confused as to how to best meet her needs.

I've also been thinking about how uniquely a parent really KNOWS their child. You hear parents say all the time that so-and-so has "been like that since she was a baby." I'm starting to see that certain parts of our personality really do shine through at even such a young age, and that in many ways, our parents know us better than anyone else does. At the same time, however, I'm realizing how easy it can be to just assume, as her mother, that I ALWAYS know exhaustively what Zoe feels/needs/wants. This may be something I need to guard against as she matures, as I can foresee how my assumptions might end up isolating her from me. I need to remember that though I may know Zoe in a certain way and context, I won't always know her exhaustively, especially as she gets older. I'll really need to respect her individuality enough and give her freedom to grow, change and develop into the woman God forms her to be. That's a challenge, but an exciting one to me. To a certain extent I will always KNOW her, but to another extent, I will always need to GET to know her better, too, and allow her to show and tell me who she is. I look forward to that.