Yesterday was the true Day One of my parental leave, the first day that NK went to daycare and that E headed off to study. Yep, just me and my boy and the same burning, panicky question I had the first day of my previous parental leave: How the hell will I get this kid to sleep?
Now, I put Baby B to sleep all the time, but it has gotten harder and harder, both to accomplish and on my back (I still have to “shush” him).
So there we were, both still jet lagged, and me expecting to get out a bit. But the boy wasn’t having it, grumpy and crying. So I tried to put him to sleep, and it has never gone so wrong.
About 15 minutes later, I am standing there watching him roll on the floor in absolute despair thinking that I totally misread that situation. Great job on the first day. That type of thing. I tried to dress him, feed him, play with him. Nothing. I got the stroller ready. Nothing.
So I tried to put him to sleep again. Took 15 seconds.
Sigh.
The rest of the day was short, actually. Baby B and I went to the mall and shopped and played at the library. E came home to be with him so I picked NK up from daycare on my own. Then we all did the family thing for the whole afternoon, which we have done for weeks, months, years at this point (so we decided to take more alone space, even within the apartment. I broke out and immediately went and sewed three buttons on my winter coat. It was crazy.)
Then today, I vowed to stay home and see if the baby crashed. He did not. Hours and hours passed and he was awake and happy. We played put the top back on the baby food jar for at least an hour (strangely, it lost its appeal for me after 45 minutes).
Finally he slept late and now I am stuck inside hopping back and forth from computer to baby, since he does not sleep for more than 40 minutes on his own.
Off to nap besides him.
Dispatches from Daddyland 