May 3, 2004

Dads and Baby Monitors

We had an interesting night last night. Everything went well until 11 o’clock when all of a sudden Caleb started screaming. Andy and I looked at each other stunned. Caleb has been sleeping through the night since December 12. (Parents remember the exact dates of the monumental milestones.) For four and a half months we have enjoyed uninterrupted sleep. We let Caleb cry for about 15 minutes, but then I had to get up and check on him. He didn’t have a fever, he wasn’t too hot or cold, and he didn’t have a dirty diaper. I rocked with him a few minutes and put him back down. As I returned to bed I saw my wonderful husband snuggled up all warm and cozy in our bed. Apparently loud noises from the baby monitor don’t keep him from sleep.

It turns out that was just the beginning of a two-hour ordeal. The second time Caleb started crying Andy rolled over and said, “Can’t we cut that monitor down a little?” It was interfering with his sleep. He was planning on going back to sleep while our child cried. The mom in me had a very hard time with this.

It took about two hours to get Caleb back to sleep, but I enjoyed every second with him. The house was quiet and dark. It was just the two of us snuggled up together. Caleb was giving me funny laughs as he put both of his hands on my cheeks and squeezed. And then finally he rested his sweet little face on my shoulder and went to sleep. I might not have gotten as much sleep as Andy did, but I had one of those special moments that reminded me how amazing it is to be a mom.