#520 When a baby falls asleep on you

You’re a human pillow.

Feel that tiny heart beating on your chest, that strawberry-sized hand gripping your finger, and those baby powder breaths softly whispering in and out…

When you were a little baby you fell asleep on people all the time, too. Now that you’re all grown up you’re helping another life on its way.

And just think: One day way off in the distance this softly sleeping snuggler will be doing the exact same thing.

AWESOME!

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–Email message–

“I got back from vacation yesterday to my shipment of Books of Awesome and I am making my copy mandatory bed-time reading right now. You’ve inspired my boyfriend Lawren and I to share one awesome thing we experienced each day, as a reminder to start looking at all the wonderful things in life. Here are two pics of us enjoying your book in various ‘exotic locations.'” – Arlene

Photo from: here

72 thoughts to “#520 When a baby falls asleep on you”

  1. The mothers are gonna go nuts for this one!

    I don’t have my own babies yet, but I am obsessed with babies. I have several friends who have babies, which means I’m cashing in big on the playing with babies without changing their diapers (though I’ll often volunteer just to give ’em a break!) and getting baby hugs/high fives when I leave.

    Babies are amazing in so many ways. Perfect.

    1. Ha! Well, mothers do love their sleeping babies, but here’s the thing: Mothers don’t have time to lie around with their babies asleep on them. If a baby falls asleep on a mother, she v-e-r-y c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y eases the baby off of her and then runs to take a shower, or eat in peace, or attend to her other children, or talk on the phone without screaming in the background!

      But yeah, when a baby falls asleep on you it’s pretty awesome!

      1. That’s true. One of my friends just had her fifth child (all planned and by choice!) and that sounds EXACTLY like her stories … scurrying around in the very few free minutes she has in her day.

        I guess I’m more fortunate than I thought, not yet being a mother: I can totally kick back and enjoy the sleeping-on-me baby guilt-free!

        1. Here’s an “if-a-tree-falls-in-a-forest” scenario for you: If a baby falls asleep on you, and gets bed head as a result, does the world explode with all the awesomeness?
          (bonus points if you catch the baby laughing at its dreams, or you use his/her foot as a microphone for some lullabye singing while they’re sleeping).

          Can I go off topic here for a second, and send some mad props to Arlene and Lawren? Those pictures really made me laugh. And any couple willing to pose for pictures like those (in front of their Mac-projected backgrounds no less) is most certainly AWESOME in my books. Well done, you two!

  2. Holy crap this is the best feeling ever. I’m away from home at school now, busy with classes, a boring non-kid-related job, etc., and I *so* miss the opportunities to hang out with my older cousins’ new babies and babysit for family friends. So many adorable things about babies, and they’re so AWESOME!

  3. I have pictures of me asleep on my dad’s stomach when I was a baby. He always looks really happy in those pictures. :)

  4. On a day last summer as my son drifted off to sleep with his head pressed against my chest, listening to the beat of my heart. It was then I realized that that was probably the last time he would be able to drift off that way. From that day on, he was too big to fall asleep in “infant” position. I’m glad I was able to “see” the moment when it came. It was one of those moments that will stay with me forever.

    Now I enjoy watching him try to fight sleep, fighting his eyelids closing, by raising his eyebrows as high up as he possibly can. It gives me the giggles.

  5. today I was feeling a little sad, but reading this I remembered that my sister will have a baby in november and the smile came back to my face!!!! thanks!!

  6. OMG!! I was just thinking this the other day…how I miss when my daughter use to fall asleep on me and now she’s too big to do it. She can fall asleep beside or near me or something but she is just way too big to sleep ON me now. I do miss those days. Looking down and seeing that bald little head and listening to her whimper in her sleep. The weight of her little body sleeping on my chest was so comforting.
    *sigh*

    1. Oh and PS…. I have called a Mulligan today, so you wont see me on here again ’til Monday.
      WOOHOO!!!!!!!!

  7. I was actually babysitting my cousin’s kids yesterday, they’re two and one and a half. The three of us were sitting on the couch surounded by those dolls that sing, and they were both half asleep… it was awesome.

    PS- sleepy babies make me sleepy too

  8. I don’t have babies either, but I do know this feeling. It can kind of be replicated when muh puppy (about the size of a loaf of bread) takes a little nap on the lap (Hah! That totally rhymed) and snores her little bitty snores as she dreams of chasing squirrels and birds.

    Until I have littlin’s of my own, that’s the best I can do. Somedaaaaayyyy

    Geez, I’m super tired. Anyone wanna be my pillow?

    1. Laura? I think Cary’s looking in your direction! ;)

      *scurries off after stirring the pot*

        1. I just saw my opportunity, and I had to take it.

          Thankfully we’re all good sports here at 1000awesomethings.com, and there are no hard feelings. Right guys?… guys?… anyone?

          1. Of course we’re good sports! Never any hard feelings :D

            (Speaking only for myself, of course)

  9. I had this happen recently on a trip back from Sydney. My family were flying back home with family friends of ours and they have the most adorable baby girl. I had her on my lap for maybe the last 15 minutes of the plane trip, and after getting cuddled by her parents and two of the stewardesses for most of it, she fell asleep almost as soon as she put her head on my arm … truly such an awesome moment!

    On another subject, I can’t wait to purchase a copy of your truly awesome book! I am thinking of giving to my friend as a birthday present sometime later this year.

    Finally, thanks again for the 30 most awesomest minutes that I now get to spend every friday reading the week’s awesome entries! I can’t wait to find out the most awesome thing that makes it to NUMBER 1!

  10. You said it! When I read this post my 10 week old son was sleeping in my lap. As my husband and I regularly say to each other, it’s the best feeling in the world!

  11. Oh my goodness, way to make a pregnant lady choke up this morning!! I’m so excited to start experiencing this in appx. 14 weeks :-)

    1. Awwww congratulations on the impending arrival of your little one! Best wishes for a smooth and uneventful remainder of your pregnancy, as well as a peaceful labor and delivery.

  12. Beautiful. I have a picture of our oldest son (now a grumpy tween) as an infant falling asleep on dad’s shoulder. A moment of peace and cuddles. Awesome!

  13. I have pictures of both my boys falling asleep on me, I always smile and tear up a little when I see them, a very special event in my life and one I will always treasure. I’m a little biased on this but maybe this should be #1?

  14. It’s a crazy feeling cause once they fall asleep it automatically makes you want to fall asleep.

  15. I totally agree. Babies are God’s best creation And God bless The Lord For that. I love babies

  16. this one is awfully hard to beat in the awesome department. just… transformingly great. so beautiful.
    Thanks so much for your website. It’s really remarkable how many lives it touches, both just for a moment and over the course of months. you’re doing the lord’s work, my friend.

  17. Honestly i was waiting for this one and i am sure the comments will be numerous. I remember my first nephew just a week or so old laying on my chest sleeping. I was so scared and nervous. Did not want to move nor did i ever want that moment to end. Then i had two boys of my own and never enjoyed anything more than rocking them to sleep. Just as soon stay in the chair with them rather than put them in bed. There is little as angelic in this world as a sleeping child but to hold those angels while they sleep is one of the most awesome of God.

  18. A close second is having a puppy snuggled-up next to you while you take a nap on a Sunday afternoon.

  19. The feeling of a baby falling asleep on me is just heaven. I’m a very doting Auntie (3 times over!). I held my little munchkins a LOT when they were babies (still do, even though they’re 7, 6, and 4 now) and I still remember that sweet and peaceful feeling of their little heads asleep on my shoulder. Sigh… I miss the baby days!

  20. I wholeheartedly appreciate this Awesome thing. I volunteer in my local hospital’s NICU every Saturday. Nothing but holding, rocking, smiling, and loving. It is by far the best 3 hours of my weekend.

    1. Awww.. cute! Don’t you love it when you “volunteer” for something, but it feels like you’re getting the better end of the deal?

  21. Detoxing programs have long been used to sooth quite a few ailments and conditions. Colon detoxing and digestive tract hydrotherapy are two of the very favorite detoxification treatments, and many people are very enthusiastic about these kind of alternative therapies for better energy, wellbeing and fitness.

    1. Tamatha – I think you’re missing the point. If you attempt a colon detoxing while a baby is sleeping on you, not only do I think you’ll create a big ol’ mess, but I don’t imagine it will be very comfortable for either of you.

      Btw: You don’t see any of us spamming on your “Digestive Track Hydrotherapy” blogs with awesome things like Bakery Air or the Other Side of the Pillow, do you?

      1. I move that we accept colon-related spam, but only in iambic pentameter. Or at least limerick form.

        The once was a man with a low fibre diet…

  22. This post is really timely since my 18 month old just fell asleep on me tonight. My husband and I both commented that we were really going to miss that when he got older.

  23. This is awesome…and soo cute!!

    My baby niece lives with us and after spending time with her, she will just lay back and slowly fall asleep =)

  24. I get this feeling about 8 times a day! I have a two-week old snacker, and he likes to fall asleep while nursing. As soon as I try to move him very slowly and carefully, he wakes up. It is a wonderful feeling, but sometimes it makes for a very long day (or night) of waiting to use the bathroom…

  25. My oldest son, now 24, was The Pacifier in our family. When his siblings were babies and just wouldn’t fall asleep for anyone else, they would always fall asleep for Ryan. I have a number of photos of him at 8 years old with his sister asleep on his chest, etc. Hope he has some babies of his own soon so that he can relive these glory days.

  26. Aw! The circle of life.

    Love the description of the sleeping baby. There’s just something about such a small, delicate being trusting you enough to fall asleep on you.

  27. The baby I am babysitting right now likes to do this :-) it is adorable beyond belief…only problem is that their rocking chair is not the most comfy thing for me, but moving would wake him, so last week i ended up sitting in the chair for over an hour afraid to move too much…my butt was completely asleep and I had to pee! I couldn’t bring myself to disturb the cute though.

    next fall i’ll be a nanny for infant twins. I wonder if it’s possible to have both fall asleep on me at once? i may just about die from the cuteness if so…

  28. I just came down from rocking my almost two year back to sleep from what I assume was a bad dream. I was amazed holding her in my arms and realizing how HUGE she is now compared to her infant days. I held her for at least 10 minutes longer than I needed to, just reveling in her being. Thinking how before I know it, she will too big for all this rocking to sleep business. Then I came downstairs and happened to read this post, AWESOME!

  29. awww, babies are adorable. by the way, today is my birthday and I think another AWESOME thing is: getting calls from your relatives/friends on your birthday and knowing that they really care about you. :)

  30. i love babies. i also love this awesome post. letting babies fall asleep on you is one of life’s little joys, and it truly is awesome :]

  31. My (6’5) little guy is now 15, and I’ll never forget how he made me feel when he feel asleep in my arms.

  32. i’ve always said that my “superpower” is putting babies to sleep. I used to work in the church nursery and all the other workers loved when it was my week because 30 min into the service all the babies would be asleep and we could just chill.

  33. The first time I met my best friend’s firstborn he fell asleep on my shoulder. I’ve been thinking about that a lot this spring as he’s getting ready to graduate from high school.

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    A writer found my blog and connected me with her agent and now I have representation for my book.

    Amazing how things work. Would you like to do an interview on my blog??? Would love it. Check it out.

  35. I mind my younger cousins and this feeling is the most calming thing ever. Although the youngest is now 2 and no longer falls asleep on my I love the time in the evening when I put on a film and make the older ones have a “silent meeting”, take him to the kitchen and turn all the lights out and just sit til he gets drowsy. Then its up to bed. It almost feels like I am sneaking a bit of loveliness that his parents should be getting, but shhhh…

    A close second came the day I was reading the 5 year old a story, and for no real reason he moved from beside me to cuddling up on my lap and holding my hand. I had never before felt such a moment of love.

  36. I’m not a mother and my maternal instinct is a little on the slow side, but even I can’t resist a baby falling asleep on me. It’s beats the hell out of that stranger on the subway!

  37. My best friend’s youngest fell asleep on my hand – like one of those Anne Geddes’ babbies. We took a picture because it was so damn cute. Don’t know why he did but he put his face down on my hand and was stretched out on my arm. Adorable. Definately a top 1000.

  38. For me, part of the reason it’s such an awesome feeling is because it’s the greatest compliment ever. Babies don’t lie, and if a baby falls asleep on you, that means you’re comfortable.

  39. My baby giggles in his sleep and it’s a very different laugh to his “awake” laugh! It’s the best. If my son is sleeping between us in our bed my husband or I will kick each other to alert the other person to the baby giggles!

  40. This is awesome, so is the blog.

    But there are a 1000 other awesome things you can do with your kid.

    Check my new blog about 1000 Awesome Things To Do With Your Kid
    The blog is an account and tribute to all the awesome things you can and should do with your kid!

    http://1000awesomethingstodowithyourkid.blogspot.com/

    And thank you Neil for the great idea for the format for the blog and how approach parenting.

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