Routine

Two days ago I was about ready to go out my mind. LM had been up five times the night before, barely napped, and was on the verge of meltdown numero nine million. I was in tears from exhaustion and he was crazy crabby and we were expected at dinner at 6 that night. Dinner was difficult. He had to be jogged and jostled the whole time; he napped in his stroller on his way home and then refused to sleep until 10. I was up with him four times.

Today, we are back onto our bedtime routine - he had his bath, got changed, drank his milk and was asleep at 7:30. Hooray. I never thought I'd be one of those parents who becomes a slave to their child's sleep schedule, but if this child does not get to bed by 7:30, he is up all night, and so am I! He will still be up probably three times before morning (once before I go to bed), but that's a helluva lot more manageable than five times between eleven and seven. He sometimes gets a six-hour stretch, so what more can I ask for.

So here I am at 8:30, with a little free time, feeling so much more relaxed. I knew there was another reason I was sort of happy the holidays are over. Now if only I can make it clear to the visiting in-laws that asking for dinner out at five-thirty is not just me being fussy, but me maintaining my sanity because the alternative is extreme sleep deprivation.