We're not doing too bad

I know I have been writing obsessively about Isaac's sleep schedules, but it is a rather big deal, as any parent who remembers their baby's early days will probably agree. The nights that Spike is up 3 or 4 times are fairly horrendous, but those that he's up twice or even once (like last night!) are pretty fabulous. I feel so much better today.

The obsession with Isaac's sleeping runs deeper than just writing about it on my blog. For example, I've read as much as I could get my hands on about the subject: Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, Babywise, Happiest Baby on the Block, What to Expect the First Year, The American Academy of Pediatrics Caring for Your Baby and Young Child, and lots of www.babycenter.com articles.

When Zach and I went out for his birthday sans Isaac, it was one of those particularly obsessive days. I realized on our car ride home that I had talked of little other than authors' differing views on schedules, naps, sleep training, etc. I stopped myself and said, "I'm so sorry, honey, am I completely boring?" He replied, "Oh no, but if you want, we could talk about RSS feeds or the new iMacs." (Zach, are you so proud of me for linking in my blog? and to YOU no less!?) "OK," I concluded, "We're both boring."

I had to laugh, though, when at Liz's birthday party I observed Zach talking away to Peter and Casey, neither of whom have kids yet, and both of the other guys' eyes were sort of glazed over. I wondered what he had been talking about for so long, figuring it was some sci fi movie or new iMac feature, so I wandered over. The sentence I walked in on was something like, "So at his age apparently it's pretty normal for babies to have later bedtimes, but soon we have to start looking for signs of sleepiness earlier...." Peter and Casey were extremely polite, but probably not at all interested. I was proud that Zach cared so much about his boy's sleep schedules.

What made me feel better about Isaac's schedule/relative lack thereof came from an unexpected source. After that really bad Saturday night of constant fussiness, I got an email from babycenter.com about month-by-month sleep schedules. I clicked on the link and found that it was a forum for moms to write in what their babies did on an average day. I am so glad I read it! People and their babies are crazy! For once, comparing myself to other moms made me feel like I'm actually not doing too bad--not necessarily because the other moms are doing anything really bad (although there was some of that, too), but more because every single baby had such a different schedule. There was one lady who included at least FIVE TV shows that she watches DAILY while taking care of her son, including Golden Girls, Full House, and Family Matters! I mean, watching TV during the day is one thing, but to have it be a part of a routine that you write down is something else entirely.

Reading the forum also made me appreciate how lucky I am to get this time at home with Izey Baby. I honestly think working while you have children is a good thing (and I'm not just paying lip-service to those mothers who do), but reading about moms taking their kids to work or childcare made me realize that if I were going back to work this fall, I'd be really sad. I'm pretty blessed to have a hubby who supports me, both emotionally and financially, no matter what I choose to do.

So today I'm not so crabby. I got lots of sleep last night, Isaac's having a good day, and compared to other moms, I'm totally normal. Maybe I can stop obsessing....but probably not.