Spare the Night-Waking, Spoil the Mom

Parents can’t spoil infants, but infants can spoil their parents. I know this firsthand.

After raising her Record Hours Slept from four to 11 hours in just a week, Ava had lulled me into a nice little routine.

When she fusses 6 p.m., I jiggle and snuggle her till about 6:45 then we head up to her bedroom. I swaddle her, she stares in amazement at her dimmed lamp while I put away laundry. She fusses, I nurse her and plop her back in her crib, where she sucks her pacifier to dreamland. Then she sleeps for impossibly long stretches, making her mother weep with joy.

Until last night, when she screamed during lamp-amazement time. She screamed after I nursed her, then spit out her pacifier and screamed before I could even say, “Night-night.”

And on it went until 11:30 p.m., when we put on the Happiest Baby on the Block DVD, playing its womb sounds for crying babies. It knocked her out, but she screamed again once back in her room.

She spent the night in our bed, and it took me a long time to get her to sleep. After much whining and sniveling (by me), she gave up at about 1:30 a.m.

Tonight I went through the evening routine on eggshells. Would she go down? Was last night an illness, a fluke, or proof that I should never, ever speak of my child's good sleeping habits out loud?

She screamed at the now-unamazing lamp, then again after we nursed, but she quieted when I swaddled her in her crib with the pacificier. We’ve had to run up and soothe her about 10 times so far, and it’s only 9 pm.

I know that parents with infants will read this and say, “What is this of which she speaks? Infants, sleeping 11-hour stretches? Her 9 week old has one bad night and she comes unglued?”

So let me just say, I blame Ava. She gave me every thing I wanted so now I’m a spoiled rotten brat.

And, I am not unglued. Yet.