Graceful Parenting in Austin

I waved to my neighbors. It was completely dark with just a little light from a street lamp. They were going for a walk. It was late for a walk. It was also late for a drive. I wondered if they could see my robe and slippers.

I wondered if it would be strange to get in a car accident and be caught in my robe in slippers. Well, if it was a serious accident I probably wouldn’t care what I was wearing. But what if it was a fender bender and the guy in the other car wanted me to get out of the car and trade information? That would be worse. Wait, no, not worse than a serious accident. Maybe I should just not get in an accident tonight. It would make getting Baby Girl asleep that much harder…

Baby Girl is a great sleeper. Blue Eyes and I brag about her all the time, our great sleeping baby. She has slept twelve hours a night since she was four months old and has taken regular naps since about five months old. Before she was born, I imagined that we would have an elaborate routine before bed, first a bath then infant massage, then a book and a bottle and singing and rocking, but holy cow, we just lay her down and she turns on her side and holds onto her bear and that’s it. It’s amazing.

But on this night, she has chosen to not sleep. When we put her down, she screamed her head off. So she stayed up a while longer, then we put her down and she screamed her head off again. We checked her diaper, looked for rashes and tried to talk to her about it even though she doesn’t really talk yet. I brought her to my bed and we snuggled for a while, but then she started to crawl off the bed. Blue Eyes and I took turns and we were both getting worn out. She was tired, but wound up too and determined to stay awake forever and be very, very tired.

I decided she was Chris Stevens on Northern Exposure. Remember him? He was the town DJ. During one show, someone in town was stealing car radios and they found out it was Chris. They asked him why he did it and he said he wanted people to be less attached to things and not take them for granted. They would appreciate the simple things more if the loose something now and then.

That is what tonight was about. Baby Girl was going nuts only to remind us of how good we usually had it. How simple most nights are and how beautiful that time is after she goes down at 7:30 and Blue Eyes and I have some time to ourselves.

Baby Girl and I drove to South Austin and back and when we got home she was very, very asleep. I laid her in her crib, gave her a kiss and smiled. My sweet sleeping baby. Being like Chris Stevens. I always liked his Chris Stevens. So I’ll appreciate my evenings and I’ll let go of them every now and then, when Baby Girl needs a late night drive after I’ve already taken my shower and I’m in my robe and slippers.