Sleeeeeep…
Today’s topic. And a couple of days late!
Wonder why that is.
Oh, yeah! Kiddo got me up in the middle of the night. Three nights now.
Originally, I was going to write about how well Jack has taken to sleeping. About how I’ve been seeing articles about the pros and cons of encouraging children to sleep alone in their own bedroom as opposed to, I guess, some kind of community sleeping with his parents.
Fighting sleep…fighting sleep…
Generally, Jack took to the crib fairly easily when the time came. Sure, more nights than not I’d hear him make noises over the baby monitor, but at most I just had to climb upstairs (I’d usually still be awake and working), pop a pacifier in his mouth and maybe straighten him out–then he’d be out like a light until around 7:30 in the morning.
Pretty easy routine. Once every couple of weeks there would be some gas issues that required more attention and often sleeping together on the couch, but for the most part he was a great sleeper.
Apparently sleep regression is a thing, and its time has come.
This means he awakens more easily and more fully. He naps for less time. He’s no longer bound by that infant sleep schedule.
All in all, I suppose it’s a good thing. Sleep regression around this age is an important developmental milestone. This is the boy engaging in and exploring more of the world around him. It’s him soaking up information.
How could that be a bad thing?
Sleep wins!
Well, if I were more selfish, I’d be complaining about how it affects my own sleep schedule, but I suppose it could be worse. I’m here right now typing this, right? (Actually, what I should be doing is working on editing over 700 photos for a massive book about Harvey Comics, but my “mouse hand” hurts after five days of cold wet weather and me not being 20 anymore. Straight typing is easier so tonight is a writing night.)
The point is, I still have time to work which is a good thing. I have several hours between dinner and bedtime. If the boy wakes up and decides he needs to stay up, I can take care of that and eventually get him back to sleep with me on the couch. Later, I can sneak him back to the crib or, if it’s almost time to be getting up anyway, to a rocker in the living room. From there, I can get in a few more hours of morning shift work.
So it’s all good. We’re adaptable. Margaret takes over when she’s not at work, and that frees me up. The boy does manage to get his sleep in, too.
So, as I said, it’s all good.
Just gotta roll with the flow, as it were.
Now… back to work.
Cheers!
–John
