So Natasha is too nice. Last night I came home from work late, pretty tired, but I saw that Natasha was completely exhausted. I gave her a nice foot rub, and sent her to bed insisting that she use the coupon I gave her for tending Yeva all night. I knew I had a very busy day in the morning, but I figured she needed it more than I, and besides, I'm used to taking care of Yeva, since we usually take turns getting up anways.
At the beginning all was smooth as usual. Get up at 1:00, change diaper, hand-off to mom in bed. No prob. 2:00 get up again, this time it's poopy and midway she decides for some more. double clean. No biggie. Hand off to Natasha, all is good. 3:00 Up again. Barely wet. not too hungry, but not really going down as usual. hmmm... I figure maybe she has some gas, so I do some exercises with her and the usual massages to get her bubbling. Nothing. Try putting her down again. Nada. I tried everything, but she wouldn't stay down for more than 5-10 minutes. Wouldn't even touch the pacifier. I get Natasha up again to feed her, which Yeva enjoyed. Not that she was hungry at all, she just really dug the idea of having the VIP treatment-- luxury pacifier with the occasional sip, followed by a few minute interlude to savor the milk as a fine wine. Meanwhile I got some tea for Natasha replenishing her precious bodily fluids (she knows all about the commy plots now) but she wasn't really in the patient sort of mood to wait for Yeva to finish, so after say, 20 minutes, she puts her back in her bed, which of course Yeva hates. I even remember I tried letting Yeva sleep with me in my bed, which I tried a previous night, but this time she wouldn't go for it.
By now things were finally starting to click in my head. It'd been usual for Yeva to get up, but she'd always been good about staying down quiet so long as there was nothing bothering her. So what was the deal this time? Every time I had her out, she was a cute little angel, she even smiled at me a few times, which is really precious. She wasn't obnoxiously crying, just noticibly discontent whenever we didn't have her out. She was just bored. She wasn't in the mood to sleep and wanted someone to amuse her, which is a really new thing for her. It sort of surprised me that she's matured so much all of a sudden. I just wish there were a polite way of communicating that at 4:30 I'm not interested in sitting up with the light on, holding her in my arms exchanging looks, and doing leg exercizes on the table. (by the way, now she's learned to do these exercises with me. Before she'd just sort of hold her legs tense while I did the movements, but now I put her legs in position and she starts to go along with it herself. Sometimes I can just get her started and she'll keep going on her own.) So anways, then after another poopy diaper, she finally worked up an apetite, had a real feeding and went to bed around 6:00.
When Natasha helped me drag myself out of bed in the morning, I didn't really have time to eat a real meal before leaving and it took a while before I could think straight. I just looked at Yeva sleeping and thought, hmmm... I'm bored. How about I wake up Yeva so that she can amuse me. I'd bet she'd really like that. But then she was so cute all cuddled up, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Fortunately (sort of) one of my students called in sick, so I got to have a half hour nap mid-day which I think saved me.
6 comments:
You should teach her how to dream so she's not so bored at night ;)
I told you, her future is with the KGB! Just kidding. I wish we could get revenge on our little ones, every now and then, but like I said before, they just won't get it, and that takes all the fun out of it. I suppose we just have to carry on, knowing that someday maybe they will have a child and suffer as we did.
Of course there is the heartless "you are ok so back to bed--you can cry it out if you need to." Since the men in my life (especially my dad) have pretty much been in favor of this technique. I am led to wonder if this is why, as a teenager, I sometimes felt that I ought not bother my busy Dad with my personal struggles. I have no clue.Or maybe it's how my parents kept their sanity and refrained from yelling and screaming at their kids or at one another. Good luck with that.
You are such a good Dad. The pictures are so precious. Love to all 3 of you.
I love the part where you dream of inturruptng her sleep. If only that worked! they will however learn that night is not for play fairly quick, even though it will seem like forever till it finally happens. and might I say YOU ROCK for taking a turn to get up all night!!!!!!
I'm sure Yeva will appreciate the devil picture when she gets older! Oh the endless sleep deprivation of new parenthood. Those prisoners-of-war who are kept awake for long periods and then interrogated have nothing on a new mom! Try 6 weeks with no more than 2 hours of sleep at a time. (Hopefully it's not that bad for you guys.) You are so nice to take a turn and let Natasha sleep!
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