The hug we both needed

My toddler (S, 21 months) is going through an unsettled sleep phase as the moment. She is waking frequently and doing a little wimpering cry for no obvious reason. Sadly, she won't settle back to sleep in my bed otherwise I would happily bring her in for some extra sleep and reassurance.

At 5am this morning she woke again and I decided to get into her cot for a cuddle. She snuggled right in with a sleepy smile on her face. She didn't go back to sleep, but was content to lie there for 15 minutes having a hug.

What she didn't know is that, at that moment, I needed the hug as much as she did. 

She didn't know I had been lying awake listening to the raging storm outside, feeling the house actually move in the wind. She didn't know my heartbeat was rising rapidly as I heard things fly and crash around outside. She didn't know her arm around my neck and her intoxicating baby smell saved me from heading into a panic attack. 

When she started to get restless we headed downstairs and put on a movie (Shrek, of course) and continued the snuggles on the sofa. Eventually the wind calmed a little, the rain stopped beating on the window so hard and S got up to play with her toys. 

Of course everything was fine, my house didn't blow away and our car wasn't destroyed by flying objects. My anxiety had struck as I lay exhausted in the dark and made the situation seem way more frightening that it should have been.

Whether it was serendipity, intuition or the noise of the wind that woke S, I was happy to be disturbed. Thank you baby girl, for getting me through the storm. 💕

If you enjoyed reading my blog please like my Facebook page and follow me on Instagram.