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There have been a lot of new-mom tears shed in the months since Adele was born. But tonight, I cried tears of pure joy and accomplishment. Tonight, Adele fell asleep on her own without being rocked or swaddled!! Tonight I felt sheer pride as my baby fell asleep all by herself.

It may not sound like a big deal, but in my world, this is huge! I’ve literally walked around my house and rocked her to sleep almost every.single.night since she’s came home from the hospital. I usually had to make sure she was in a deep sleep before I could even think about putting her down. Otherwise she would startle herself awake the second her sweet head hit the mattress and I’d have to start all over again. Although I cherish those moments when she’s cozy in my arms, it’s exhausting. My back, legs and arms would be aching at the end of the night. I feel every ounce of her twelve pounds after an hour of swaying her back and forth.

But tonight was life-changing. Tonight I fed her, rocked her for a quick minute and placed her (awake) in her crib. She squirmed and wiggled, but I tip-toed out of her room anyways. I heard her cry for about ten minutes, and eventually, she drifted off to sleep! I was stunned. So much so that I quietly went back to put a hand on her chest to make sure she was still breathing. ha!

I feel like a million bucks. I feel like I’m mother-of-the-year. I feel like this was my first accomplishment in my new role as a parent. I just feel proud. Proud of me and proud of Adele. We’re both learning together. (Now, let’s just hope we can do it again tomorrow night!)

So what did I do with my extra hour of time tonight? An hour that I didn’t have to spend walking around my house with a baby in my arms? I took a bubble bath. I read a magazine. And I ate ice cream with strawberries on top. I had to celebrate!

Oh, oh, oh!!! Guess what else happened today?! She rolled over! Stomach to back! All on her own! Irving and I were both there to see it happen and it was magical. Little girl is growing up so fast.