Thursday, November 8, 2012

Working Mom Law of Baby Physics #1

It's late (11 p.m.), and I'm trying to pull together an important motion for summary judgment. I've researched the heck out of this thing. I've been working on it for three days. My mind is starting to freeze up, my eyes are going cross-eyed, and I'm increasingly concerned by how little sleep I'm going to get tonight (I have to wake up at 5:30am each morning)....BUT... I'm nearing the finish line!

Suddenly, the baby cries from his crib in his room. I calm the crying, get him back to sleep, and return to my work (which I really do enjoy, btw). Five minutes later, baby screams. Again I get him back to sleep and return to my motion. Minutes later, he is awake AGAIN, crying. I get him back to sleep once more only to hear him wake up a fourth time! At this point I'm ready to do bodily harm to someone. He only recently started this frustrating sleeping routine. I'm flustered and have no idea how to manage it.

I decide to let him cry it out for a little. My husband just went to bed. Our room shares a wall with the kids' room. Ryan screams for a good 15 minutes. How does Jacob, who is literally four feet away in the same room not wake up?! How does my husband who isn't much farther not wake up. Part of me wants to let Ryan keep screaming just to rouse my husband from his sleep. Why am I the only one who does night duty?! If my husband is not going to help out, he should at least be woken up and subjected to the screams. In case you haven't already guessed, I am an angry, sleep-deprived working mom:

If I'm going to suffer, THE WHOLE WORLD WILL SUFFER WITH ME!

I finally give in and pick up the screaming baby. He is just as angry as I am. The two of us get to be angry together until he finally calms downs and goes to sleep (fourth or fifth time, I've lost count at this point). Suddenly it's mid-night, my motion is not complete, and I have to wake up in about five hours.

Working Mom Law of Baby Physics #1: Baby will wake up multiple times on the night you need to complete a very important motion ("VIM").

Tomorrow morning is going to SUCK.

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