Sleeping

People ask if your infant is sleeping through the night like it is a tremendous personal accomplishment, like cooking a turkey or earning a doctorate degree.

Isabella sleeps in completely unpredictable 1-3 hour spurts, and her best sleep is in our bed (with my boob in her mouth). I have been banking daytime baby sleep, allowing only a couple naps a day.

No, honey, don't let her fall asleep on you at 6pm when we're putting her down at 8pm. What? No, I know she's fussy. What? No, I'm not going to put my boob in her mouth, I just fed her an hour ago. What? No, get up and walk around with her or something.

I thought I should be stimulating her senses all day long because her brain is growing so fast and what if she gets bored and turns into a couch potato because I let her watch Yo Gabba Gabba while I check my email? Well, without admitting that I may be wrong (by telling my husband I'm trying something different), I'm trying something different.

Yesterday I let her nap every two hours, mostly 20-30 minutes at a time. Holy snarkles, Buddha, it worked. She was happy all day and evening. Not like she magically slept through the night, but she just slept better. I can't explain it. More actual sleeping. Of course, it's not working this morning because she wants to watch cartoons with the big kids (inservice day after school's been in session a week? Whatever). Right now she's down for some quiet time to herself. I'm listening to the monitor and surely there is someone else in the room because she is positively chatting and screeching her entire life story. And when she starts crying I'm going to wait ONE FULL MINUTE before I go running to her. But I'm going to keep trying this for the week until I'm sure I'm not fooling myself with it.

Meantime, you'll know when she starts sleeping through the night because see that idiot turning cartwheels down the street in front of a 300 piece marching band with floats and fireworks? Yeah, that's me, and I don't have bags under my eyes.