Sleepy time

There is something about moms and cues. Even when my daughter was as small as 2 months, I knew exactly when she would go to sleep when I had her on my shoulder. I called it "docking". She would be restless and peering all around and then after a while when she locked her feet in the crook of my arm and fitted in like a tiny jigsaw puzzle, I knew she would drift off in less than 3 minutes.

I am the one who usually puts her to sleep. As she grew older, the cues changed. There was no more "docking". It changed to a process which a friend very meanly termed The Parkinson's .Baby would be on your right arm and you had to shiver that arm with oh so slight tremors till the vibrations got to her. Right now what works during sleep time, is a process I have termed the Butt and Cheek Combo. She will be on her side with both hands clamped on your cheeks, pulling at them. Then you pat her "right" butt cheek till lactic acid accumulates in your arms.Ten minutes later, on a lucky day, she will be sleeping.

Teaching other people your kid's bedtime cues can be a nightmare. There is the seasoned grandparent who is convinced that reading Dr.Seuss' Movie version of the Cat in the Hat with animated gusto will "definitely" stop the bawling. Err, excuse me, but the bawling is because you are patting her "left butt cheek". Switch to the "right" one please and throw the Cat in the Hat away. It is a "morning only" book and freaks her out at 9:00 p.m, those photos of the mawkishly made-up Mike Myers (another cue that only mommy knows! ). The touch lamp has to be on medium-dim and the fan has to be at the regulator speed where it will make the faint but certainly audible Ckrrrr Ckrrrr Ckrrrr...

Of late, her father has been putting her to bed. Our second baby is due end of September and with a new one due to arrive on the block soon, number one will have to get used to other people putting her to sleep. Her pop is a fast learner alright and got how the the Butt and Cheek Combo works figured out fairly fast. But kiddo is a smart-ass. She knows exactly how to confuse her dad with mixed signals. So, there are days when I have to walk in on bedtime and fix the process.

I was looking at some old photos that I had shot of pop and daughter over the past two and a half years. Found 3 I thought were interesting. Sleepy time over the years:

Here's one that looks fresh out of a whodunit! :-D