Night's Watch

[pen_grunt]

Right now, D and I have a shift system for the baby's nights.

It's ridiculous, in a way, because we could probably both sleep and she'd be fine. But she's not in the room with us and we're new parents. I'm allowing myself a certain amount of leeway in the being ridiculous department. Because, well, you can't really talk yourself out of new parent paranoia. It's just something you have to get through. That and they have you convinced that your child will absolutely die of SIDS by the time you leave the hospital.

(She won't sleep in the bassinet and loves her crib. Hence why she's not with us. In fact, there are times when she would rather be set down alone in her crib than be held or rocked. She likes to look at the bars and seems quite content in there.)

So for now we have shifts. D sleeps in the bed from 8p.m. to 2 a.m. or so while I handle the baby. This is usually when she's the most fussy and wants to eat every 40 minutes or so. So it makes sense that I'm up with her or sleeping in the nursery. From 2-7a.m. I go to bed and D only comes to get me for feedings.

It seems to work out okay. Then I'm with her all day, he gets home at maybe 6. He fixes dinner. I hand the baby off to him until the night shift begins. Or I would. If he hadn't decided to take his Series 7 exam. It's a 6-8 hour test. Stocks and such. So he studies in the evening.
I do not love the timing of this, but he may have been motivated by having a baby. It's an important thing for him. It makes more relentlessness for me, though.

It's not hard. It's just constant. And I feel like D gets so much more freedom and sleep and flexibility. Of course, because he's taking that licensing right now, he needs his sleep. And he's going to work every day. He needs to be functional. I can be barely functional and still adequately perform infant care duties.

So I dread the beginning of the night after a full day. I find myself calling it "taking the black".

And so begins my watch.

Comments

[eyelid.livejournal.com]

*hugs* it's temporary! It'll get easier soon!

[grenacia.livejournal.com]

"In fact, there are times when she would rather be set down alone in her crib than be held or rocked. She likes to look at the bars and seems quite content in there."

I can't help but think of Joey Baines in Back to the Future when you write that: http://backtothefuture.wikia.com/wiki/Joey_Baines

Another random baby thing to worry about, that you shouldn't actually worry about!

[pen-grunt.livejournal.com]

I heard something about schedules. They eventually get on them. Or something. Unsure how that works.

[pen-grunt.livejournal.com]

Ha! I am comforted by the fact that sometimes she would rather be picked up. I think it all depends where the gas bubbles are in her tummy.

But I will keep an eye out for deviant behavior!

[newlifeinstpaul.livejournal.com]

In fact, there are times when she would rather be set down alone in her crib than be held or rocked

Napoleon Dynamite LuckeeeEEEE goes here.

Lil' LP used to climb out of her bed, crawl across the floor from her room to ours and wait for us to fall asleep so she could crawl in.

Did I mention she was oh, maybe SEVEN?!?!?

[eyelid.livejournal.com]

it just happens eventually. they decide to sleep at night. Who knows, man. I don't ask questions.

[pen-grunt.livejournal.com]

I place very little weight on her proclivities and desires right now because I'm not sure she's aware, at all, of what she is or isn't doing.

However, this is why we haven't pushed the sleeping with us thing too hard and kind of went: Hey, if she likes her crib, let's go with that and maybe we won't have the sneaking in to sleep with us (or screaming when not with us) situation in the future.

Or maybe we will! Because she's a baby and who knows!

[newlifeinstpaul.livejournal.com]

Midget gave Zero Shits. Pretty much evar.
But yeah. We'll never know for sure....