Sleep-challenged weekend

Friday night we had one of those nights that all parents of a two-plus-month-old dream of: eight-to-nine hours of uninterrupted sleep for the little one (without the aid of any "dream feeding" tricks, too). Yes, this was something to be very happy about, with the exception that his night's sleep started just before three in the afternoon and went to past eleven at night. Andrea and Laura (in town from NYC for a visit) had gone out to grab a bite to eat and I was brushing my teeth getting ready for bed when Emmett woke up ready to eat and be entertained. I fed him a bottle Andrea had just pumped, struggling to stay awake the whole time, and the night, then, turned into what a typical day is for him: sleep for an hour-and-a-half, wake and eat, stay awake for a while, repeat. We have not had nights like this for a while and we didn't like the return of one one bit.

The next night, Saturday, would be more of the same, but would be even more painful as we stayed up well into Saturday Night Live as we had guests over (unheard of late night for us). By yesterday we were all dragging. I finally took Emmett for a walk to check out Bay to Breakers, which passes only a few blocks from our house. For those who don't know it is supposedly a race (there are runners at the front, I think, but you have to show up early to see them), but the primary attraction is the fact that thousands and thousands of people walk the course (from the Bay to the ocean) dressed in costume (or undressed)----it is basically a moving party through the city. Emmett wasn't sleeping so well on Sunday morning so I walked him over and the constant drone of loud voices and music served as perfect white noise and he slept in the Ergo carrier against my chest. It was a little worrying as there were drunk people all over the place and I didn't know when one was going to stagger into me, so I spent most of my time propped against a tree for defense.

Last night, he got back on a more reasonable sleep schedule and I feel a ton better. It seems that much more than anything else, our lives completely revolve around Emmett's sleep schedule and we spend a lot of time wondering what we should be doing to improve it or what we have done wrong when it goes astray. It is kind of funny, too, that Andrea and I both know that when he first starts to squirm at 2 AM any diaper change or the like that needs to take place will be easier if done immediately rather than waiting for him to wake up completely (which usually brings the tears, crying, and misery for all involved). Part of the waiting is hopes that it is just a squirm that he can go back to sleep with (rare), and the other part is hopes that the other person is going to get up (less rare). Yes, it is much easier to see the rational choice in the daytime.