Sleep, TV and Music: guess which one the baby likes best

After a couple days of truly awesome sleep, enough so that Phillip and I were starting to bat around the "sleeping through the night" phrase, the last day or two have been ROTTEN. What is this eating every two hours and waking up at 4:30? And not just waking up at 4:30. WAKING UP. Like, FOR THE DAY. I have calmly explained that this kind of behavior is unacceptable. The boy is now on his playmat violently kicking the baby wind chimes and straining to stuff the entire set of dangling toys into his mouth. His father is sleeping upstairs and I am allowing this because, when the baby would not go back to sleep, I got in bed and pretended not to hear him. I think Phillip was holding him and trying to get him to go back to sleep, but I am not sure. I was sleeping. Mmm, sleep.

I blame his mother's inability to get him to nap. Okay, that is not entirely the case. When we are home all day and being very routiney, getting him to nap is no problem. But! If I ever want to leave the house and breathe different air and socialize with people who can speak English, sometimes naps are disturbed. Like today, I will be attending the moms group right about the time he should be eating and probably going down for his second nap. If I can get him to take the first nap we might be golden, but this nap thing is a total crapshoot. WHO KNOWS? Yesterday I spent three hours at the lake with my friend and her baby. Both babies were hungry (we fed them there) and tired (we attempted to get them to sleep in our arms), but my friend and I were not willing to leave. Were you around yesterday? Gorgeous! Like we wanted to go sit inside our dull living rooms.

And also? I didn't think this would be a problem until he could at least sit up by himself, but my child loves the television. DUH, you are thinking. LOOK AT HIS PARENTS. But really. He looooves the television. He especially loves the traffic reporter and the Bravo channel. Yesterday I put him on his tummy and spread out a large assortment of toys thinking one of these days he might deign to roll over again. Instead he just held up his head higher than I'd ever seen it. I dashed to the diaper bag to retrieve my camera and I saw that my child was holding his head up that high so he could get a better view of Anderson Cooper on TV. ANDERSON COOPER?!

So, um, I am not sure what to do. On one hand, I do not want to stunt my kid's intellectual and developmental growth. On the other hand I am not ABOUT to turn off my television. Even if I am not watching it, it's usually on for the noise factor. I cannot deal with a perfectly still and quiet house. Gives me the shakes. But this morning, when we were desperate for the baby to go back to sleep or at least shut up already, Phillip mumbled, "We could turn on the TV" and I CONSIDERED IT.

BAD MOMMY! BAD MOMMY!

Whatever. We are just going to have to cultivate his tastes to match ours. Don't worry- I keep my hands over his ears when we watch The Sopranos and Phillip stands ready to cover his eyes during the whacking scenes.

(Speaking of keeping my hands over his ears, we took Jack to experience his first concert the other night. A friend's band was playing at a coffee shop so we went to show our solidarity. It was super fun, except for how I worried the entire time that I was destroying the baby's eardrums. I made Phillip put his hands over Jackson's ears but he hated it. He'd shake his head back and forth until Phillip moved his hands. Maybe the loud music didn't bother him? He actually seemed pretty happy. Speaking of- do you have any suggestions for music for a 3 month old? He is not a fan of my John Lithgow cd (which I really bought for myself) and his grown up banjo jazz cd doesn't seem to do much for him.)

Okay, I think he's hungry. At the very least he is howling for attention and I am a BAD MOMMY! who has been sitting at the laptop a smidge too long.

Comments

[Lindsay]

So, since he's all about the TV thing, I think now is the time to start ingraining a love of Gilmore Girls in him... and, you know, just be standing by ready to cover the eyes or ears during the occasional adult discussion of mattress dancing.

Oh, and for the record? I think you're an AWESOME MOMMY.

[Tara]

We are having similar sleep drama. Or should I say, LACK OF SLEEP drama. I feel your pain!

Oh, and ditto the tv thing too.. it's amazing the physical lengths she will go to catch a glimpse.

[nessa120]

Ohhhh, a kid after my own heart. I am such a tv addict - it drives my hubby nuts! I think you are as perfect as you can be for a first time mom. Not having any experience on the mothering end I really can't give any assvice, but I do know that God has equiped you with the skills you need to help Jack grow into a great person.

Any time you want to walk around the lake, let me know and I"ll jump on a plane asap! Hubbs might not be too happy with that, but he'll have to adjust.

[jackie]

just turn the classical music radio station on. it's the background noise to my house lately. Bonus: I hear songs I haven't heard in 10 or so years. It's good for both of you!

[Angela]

"On one hand, I do not want to stunt my kid's intellectual and developmental growth. On the other hand I am not ABOUT to turn off my television."

It is very rare that I actually laugh out loud when I'm reading, but that line had me going. This whole having a baby thing sounds so complicated... I've got to say it sounds to me like you're doing a pretty darn great job.