To say Naya was exhausted was an understatement. Baby Sierra was a good baby in general, but baby sleep patterns usually did not coincide with parent sleep patterns. Sierra, it seemed, liked to sleep during the day. Unfortunately, that meant that she was wide awake at night.

Naya had finally gotten Sierra to sleep, but now she was crying........a lot. The fifth year/mommy got up and went over to her baby. She picked her up and held her close. ”What’s the matter Sisi? Are you hungry or wet?” Knowing the drill by now, Naya laid the baby down and checked her diaper. Wet. Well at least that was better than the alternative. She retrieved a fresh diaper and proceed to change Sierra. After disposing of the diaper, she picked her baby up and rocked her. “Does that feel better?” It had to feel better. Being wet and soggy could not feel good.

Sierra was quiet for a minute, but then started to cry again. Naya rocked her gently, hoping that they wouldn’t wake the entire dorm. Rocking did not seem to be working, so she fetched a bottle and sat down on her bed. “Hungry baby? Mama’s got something good for you.”Once she gave Sierra the bottle, the baby quieted and seemed content. Naya got as comfortable as she could while she continued to feed Sierra. She definitely had new respect for her mother, for all mothers really. Motherhood was no easy task. That was for sure.

Finally, Sierra finished her bottle and seemed satisfied. Naya grabbed a burp cloth and placed it on her shoulder. Then she placed the baby on her shoulder and began to burp her. After what seemed like an eternity, the little one let out an adult sized burp. Naya continued to hold her against her chest and began to sing very, very slowly and softly. ”You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You’ll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away.” Before she knew it, Sierra was asleep again. Naya put her to bed and then climbed into bed herself. Hopefully she could get a few hours sleep before class.