The N-word

Napping is the most tedious discussion topic ever. Yet, again and again, Paul and I will find ourselves discussing sleep with the intensity and thoughtfulness that we once saved for important topics, like Quentin Tarantino films.

We want Joel to be a good sleeper. I checked out a book called Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby. When my nephew was in the NICU, the nurses told my sister-in-law that this book was the best. I've had other friends say the same thing, talking about it with near-reverence and awe. So, I figured we would give it a shot.

The book starts off by explaining that if your child does not get enough sleep, he or she is more likely to be an insomniac, suffer depression, do poorly in school, become obese, and be diagnosed with ADHD. No pressure. The book goes on the explain that you need to put your child down before he starts fussing, because once they start crying, it's too late. It will be harder to put them down, and, as the author states, ominously, "Lost sleep can never be regained..."

Basically, it's worked, but the side effect is that I have a two hour window during the day to leave the house. Last night, we put Joel down for the evening at 5:45 and he slept until 6:30 this morning (with one short feeding break around 2:30). I guess that's good.

Time will tell if we continue this or not. In the meantime, don't call unless you want to hear all about it. We'll try to talk about other things, but it's almost impossible.