There are times, albeit not often, where I diverge from my son’s otherwise fairly planned out sleep schedule. Such things would include traveling, doctors appointments and sporting events. Unfortunately, the FAA and Major League Baseball don’t really care what time my son goes down for this second nap of the day.
So this past Sunday, when I took my husband and son to the Chicago Cubs game for Father’s Day, I veered from my son’s typically rigid sleep routine. Which totally stressed me out. Yes, I’m anal. But I my son thrives on this routine, and really, I’m happier we’re all happier when we stick to the plan. I like having a strategy for my life.
I am a strategi-mom. Hear me bark at you if you don’t follow my rules.
I come by it naturally. Heck, in my job, I spend the better part of my days in the office coming up with plans for clients. Fit with the requisite goals, objectives, strategies and timelines, I’ve gotten really good at plotting out a whole year’s work onto a nice neat little grid. And making them happen relatively on time. (Yes, clients, like children, often decide on a whim that they may not want to do what you advise, but for the most part, after a reasonable discussion, the two sides can come to an amicable agreement.)
So you can see how a 1:20 p.m. start to a baseball game on a beautiful Sunday afternoon could stress me out, right? This was the exact time my son was supposed to go down for his second nap. In order to counteract the potential side effects of a ruined sleep routine, I plotted out my course of action. My strategy? I would put him down later in the morning so that he would be able to stay up a little later in the day.
The result? Three innings in, my husband and I were dealing with a pretty cranky baby. My plan didn’t work and we had to leave early. (Bribing the poor tired guy with a rubber ball didn’t do the trick. And no, my son doesn’t like to fall asleep on me, my husband or in his stroller. What can I say? He likes his bed.) We then spent the better part of the walk home debating all the possibilities for how we would get him to take his long overdue nap.
“Maybe he’ll just fall asleep in his stroller this time,” I said.
“Yes, just as we’re about to turn onto our street,” my husband replied, noting a common occurence of junior from his newborn days.
“You’re right, damn.”
“You can’t game the system, Sara.”
Stop.
What? Why not? Why, when babies, like clients, throw you for a loop can you not reason with them and have them do what you want? (Cue the Dr. Evil laugh track, right?)
Unfortunately, I think my husband is onto something. (I hate admitting he’s right.) And I see his theory playing out with my friends who are just having babies now for the first time; the strategi-mom wheels spinning ’round and ’round their heads. They say things like, “I’m going to get my nails done today at 11 o’clock.” Or, “if I get one of those motorized swings then I can just put my baby down in it when she’s crying and she’ll stop.” I think to myself, really? You think you can plan that?
But I too, recall the days where I convinced myself my 3-month-old son and I were just going to have a nice relaxing day at Nordstrom, and he wouldn’t make a peep and I’d feed him all his bottles on the go. And, yeah right. That was before he had a major breakdown in the car on the way downtown that was so bad I had to pull over and do an emergency “feed” before his wails became louder than the “El” bearing down Lincoln Avenue.
I mean, seriously, what was I thinking? How did I ever think I could plan out motherhood?
Truth is, even though the sleep training program I implemented for my son was successful, this whole mommy thing isn’t really all that predictable at all. So I’m going to try better to “go with the flow” (as my laidback mom says) and “live a little.” (I love a good cliche.) I’m going to take a trip this weekend to New York, even if it means 2 hours on a crowded flight with a squirmy baby. I’m going to let him sleep in a room without blinds and pray that the sun doesn’t wake him up.
But only for a couple of days. Because I know that one day, my son will try to game the system on me for a change and I need all the practice I can get before that day arrives.
No, I’m not abandoning my blog, just taking a little vacation next week. It may seem like I go on vacation a lot, but really, I haven’t gone anywhere exciting since March. But now it’s almost July, which means it’s time for my yearly family get-together in my hometown state. A lake and hammock are calling me. And trashy mags and the new Diana book. And, oh yeah, hanging out with my family. Isn’t that what summer vacations are all about?
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