We pray as a family about 5 times a day - morning, evening, breakfast, lunch and dinner.
It's cute to see Eli hold his hands together for almost 10 seconds when we say, "Time to say prayers."
Those first few months with a newborn are pretty exhausting - there were several times when I'd start to doze off and then Eli would cry out like he desperately needed me. It's such a tough balance sometimes, knowing if the newborn should cry it out or if you should respond right away. I don't really know the answers (in all seriousness, I don't even think the "experts" know all the answers)... anyway, I often think about how we can pray to Heavenly Father at any hour of any day and he's always there, even at 2 or 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning. As I reflected on that thought again and again as a new mom, it didn't seem like a burden to be woken up time and time again by my baby when he needed just a simple cuddle.
Yesterday afternoon, this random screeching noise was coming from the vents in our home. According to a text from my landlord, it may be the blower? (Whatever that means.) The sound continued when Aaron was home from work so he didn't think I was crazy when I called him in a panic yesterday afternoon! Ha!
Needless to say, we had a comical dinner conversation with the missionaries last night. Someone would start talking and then get interrupted with a screeeeeeeeech from the vents.
After the missionaries left, we got Eli ready for bed, said our family prayer and then Eli went right to sleep. The screeching sound continued on and off until Aaron and I went to bed at 10:00 p.m. and I was pleasantly surprised that Eli hadn't woke up.
"Looks like Eli will sleep through the night despite this annoying sound," I said to Aaron.
At 11:35 p.m., I woke up suddenly to the loud screeching noise and Eli screaming. It was a scared type of scream. I went into his room and sure enough, he was sitting up in his crib with this arms out begging me to pick him up. I'm pretty sure this was the first time I've seen the little guy scared. He's not afraid of strangers or dogs or cats or a new environment, but this beyond-annoying-sound did him in.
Aaron tried turning off the heater completely. According to Google, that was one way to prevent the sound. Google lied. As soon as Aaron turned off the heater, the sound grew louder. From Eli's room, I heard Aaron say as he stumbled back to bed, "That theory was false." I laughed out loud.
Before going to bed, we had done our research. I had contacted our landlord several hours earlier. We called Pepco, our electric company to see if they had any suggestions. At 11:50 p.m., I was desperate and tired and frustrated so as I rocked Eli back to sleep, I said a little prayer asking that our house be protected in the night and that Eli would either be able to sleep through the sound or the sound would completely stop.
This morning when we all woke up at 6 a.m, I realized my simple prayer had been answered and the sound had stopped. I was so grateful!!
Prayer works. Always. I'm grateful for the simple answers to my prayers that strengthen my faith that prayer works - even when I pray about silly things like a stupid sound coming from our vents. :)
