Drowsy But Awake

Before we had Naomi, a couple of coworkers of Jim's recommended the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child" to us. We (I) read it, and although it is not the best written book (a common thread in parenting publications, for some reason), the main points are important and good to know, and we became staunch (and to to childless friends, pretty aggravating) nap and bedtime advocates. I hadn't read it in a couple of years, and because it feels like Muriel is no longer in the newborn, "anything goes" period, I thought it would be a good idea to read through the 0-4 months section for a reminder of what's supposed to happen. As I was reading, last night, that around five to six weeks, patterns of "going down for the night" emerge, I realized that she has been falling asleep just after Naomi's bedtime (7:30, on our best days), usually in her swing, and going from there to the bedroom for the traditional three nighttime wakeups/feedings. So, neat, right? I should mention that although it is a bit of a drag waking up three times, the point of the wakeup has been eating and going back to sleep, so it's not entirely stupefying.

And then, there was last night. Jim turned the swing off and let her sleep in there until she woke up, just before 1. After she ate, I did everything I normally do to get her back to sleep- swaddling and rocking in her bassinet until I doze off, she makes her little grunty "I'm still awake" sounds, then I wake up, rock her bassinet some more, and eventually there are no more sounds and we're all sleeping. Except that last night, the night I am feeling all confident and well-informed on baby sleep issues, she didn't go back to sleep at all. Finally, at four-thirty or so, I brought her back to the living room (a.k.a., Jim's bedroom), put her back into the swing, made apologies to the groggy dad, and went back to bed. zzzz. The book advises that babies be put to bed (for naps and night sleep) "drowsy but awake," so that they can learn the process of falling asleep themselves. I wouldn't say I am in the position to be offering master classes on this particular process, but yeah, I'm pretty sleepy.

Despite her newfound party ethic, life with Muriel is good. I was worried that I would feel overwhelmed and unhappy staying home with a baby and a toddler, but I have found to my amazement and delight that I do not feel that way at all. I am finding Naomi to be really good company most of the time, and pretty agreeable in general. When I have some activity planned for her/us to take part in, such as an art project or an outing, I feel like a super mom. When I don't, we just dork around the house and read "One Fish, Two Fish" for the seven hundredth time this week, and I feel like a pretty good mom. It doesn't hurt that Naomi has taken to saying things like "You're a great, great, great Mommy that takes care of everybody." Hey, yeah, thanks! Nobody at work gives me that kind of affirmation, heh. "You're a great, great, great technical writer!"

I am worried that Muriel is not getting quite the amount of stimulating (constant) attention that her big sister got at the same age. When she generously offers to sleep through Naomi's breakfast, my doing the dishes, our reading of a hundred books, and a trip to the park, really, I just take her up on it. Even though the sleep book says (in a little inset text box) "Remember: never wake as sleeping baby," I can't help thinking that she's getting cheated a little.

There are so many things to say about both of them, and really, I should just keep a bulleted list going so I can throw it in here once in a while, but I hear one of them making nap is soon to be over noises, so this is it for now. I just have time for a shout out to the 'Tudes who visited us over the weekend- it was so fun, and way too short a visit, and Naomi enjoyed having you here, especially Maria's books, which she quotes now and then. Thanks for reading them to her, and thanks for coming!