A Long Line of Mommies

Yes, we're still co-sleeping. There is some "crib time" every night and at least an attempt for most naps but, we all seem to get the most sleep at the moment, with Noah joining me in bed. Every night that I nurse him and see him settle in next to me with a little sigh, I can't help but reflect on how we are connected to a long, long line of mommies. While a little space in our togetherness is a wonderful thing allowing me to take the occasional bubble bath and manage a shower when my husband is out of town, I can't argue with the baby logic of wanting to be close to the person who makes the food and keeps you safe and warm. Babies have cuddled through the night with their mommies for eons. It's the same sort of feeling I get when hanging up the laundry or kneading bread. Women have done this for generation after generation. I always wonder what they thought and hoped and dreamed for when they were doing the same things. Were the enjoying the sun on their face; the smell of the yeast? Were they worried about when they might get flour again; if the baby would fuss before they were done? Did they hope their daughters might not have to ever do such a chore? Would they be surprised at the pleasure I feel in the rise of the bread; the magical drying of the clothes? It's likely the closest to time travel I'll ever get and the most connected I can be to my great grandmothers as well as my great granddaughters- all of us part of a long line of mommies.