Parenthood: Week 292 – AM

This is an amalgamation of night time adventures that have happened with my one-year old Ethan, as he continues to prefer to sleep in our bed over his crib.  While not every one of these things happened on the same night, the description here is not unrealistic or misrepresentative of the challenges of getting a baby back to bed.   

7:40 PM

Diana walked into Ollie’s bedroom, as I was finishing up my bedtime reading to him. We had gotten into the groove of Diana nursing and putting Ethan to sleep as I read a story to Ollie. Then I would say goodnight to Ollie and and tag out. Without much effort Diana had put him into his crib and he slept comfortably as Diana read to Ollie and I went downstairs to take care of evening chores. I hadn’t had chance to say goodnight to Ethan yet, but I wasn’t too worried about missing out.

9:40 PM

I turned down the volume on the television, and my suspicions were correct, Ethan was crying. I ran up the stairs and found him sitting up in his crib, crying sadly. I reached down to pick him up and carried him over to the rocking chair. He settled down quickly in my arms, grabbed a handful of my shirt, and closed his eyes.

10:00 PM

Ethan’s arm slipped out of his mouth and fell to his side. I felt his weight relax into my arms. I stood up, and carried him over to his crib. With great care, I leaned over and tried and placed him in the crib. As soon as his body weight fell onto the surface of the crib, he started crying again. I placed my hand on his chest in an attempt to comfort him, but it didn’t seem to help. At this point, Diana walked into the room, tapped me on the shoulder, and relieved me.

10:45 PM

Finally ready for bed after getting some work emails done, brushing Buffy’s teeth, and taking care of my bedtime routine. I looked down in my side of the bed and there was Ethan curled up on my side of the bed. I carefully picked him up, and managed to transfer him to his crib. As I got into bed, Diana sleepily said, “thank you” and I settled in for the night.

1:39 AM

I woke up to the sound of Ethan crying. I picked him up out of bed, and paced around the room trying to get him to calm down. After he settled down, I went to the rocking chair and we rocked together.

2:20 AM

I woke up from a light sleep realizing I had dozed off. Assuming that Ethan was ready for a transfer, I picked him up, and placed him gently in his crib. He exhaled with a gentle sigh, rolled over...and then started crying. I picked him up...again.

3:00 AM

After another failed attempt to transfer Ethan to his crib, I stood there at the edge of the crib at a loss of what to do. He pulled himself up on the railing of the crib and leaned his head into my stomach, attempting to cuddle with me standing up.

3:30 AM

As I lay in Ethan’s crib, I’m considered the weight limit of this thing, and whether it’s was worth taking the chance that I would break this thing. At the time it the risk felt worth it, as Ethan peacefully slept on my chest. Now I just need to figure out how to climb out of this thing without waking him up.

3:45 AM

“Well, at least he’s not crying,” I’m thinking as I stand on my tiptoes (the only way I can reach into the crib, yes I’m short), bent at the waist with my arm underneath Ethan’s neck. I’ve been this way for at least five minutes. I didn’t quite get climb out of the crib without stirring him, and the physical contact of my arm seemed to pacify him. I slowly pulled my arm out from under his neck, he rolled over, and continued to sleep.

5:30 AM

Time to get up for work.