A Brief and Magnificent Moment With My Mortality

Not infrequently, I babysit for my youngest daughter and son-in-law.  When I do, I stay overnight.  From my perspective, I can go to sleep in a nice, warm, comfy bed in my jammies when I’m tired as opposed to curling up on the couch, feeling grungey.  I also don’t have to drive home in the dark. From their perspective, they can stay out as long as the spirit moves them without worrying about getting home.  I’m going with the win/win on this one.

 Yesterday I babysat and as I was getting my stuff together to stay over, it dawned on me that this wouldn’t be quite as easy an evening because once I got the 3 1/2 year old granddaughter to bed, there was the 2 month old grandson who still is getting acclimated to the societal concepts of time and sleep.  As in, you go to bed like at 10:00 pm-ish and then you sleep through the night.  (Or, in my case, you wake up to go to the bathroom but then directly back to bed in the hope of falling back to sleep.)  The learning curve on this societal norm, for most babies, is pretty steep.

 Sloane and I are accustomed to her bedtime routine, which always goes smoothly.  Nothing different there last night.  After she was down, Ace was both hungry and tired, but still about 45 minutes from when Bridget instructed that he would be changed, put into jammies, wrapped snugly into the Sleep Sac (aka straight jacket for babies), topped off with another ounce or so, then deposited into the Dock-A-Tot.
Deluxe+ Dock - Pristine White
Once upon a time, parents who brought their baby to bed with them and put the baby between them propped pillows around said child to protect him/her.  Then someone got smart and invented this. #missed opportunity

As caregiving adults do with babies, I did my best to read his signals and he did his best to be a baby. Again, going with the win/win because just about on schedule, I docked the soundly asleep tot.  And then made the fatal error of cuing up a movie on Netflix.  Parents, what should I have done?  That’s correct: rolled over and gone to sleep in anticipation of Ace, being a baby, waking up for his midnight snack.

He waited until a little after one or just until I had fallen asleep.  Fortunately he was quite efficient with the bottle. I redocked him and the next time he stirred, Bridget was on the other side of the Dock.

 Naturally I’m looking for a nap this afternoon and I’ll admit I had the momentary thought that I’m getting a little old for this when I stopped dead in my Flip Flops.

Unless situations change, Ace is my last Grand baby.  He is the final grandchild whose Dock-A-Tot I will be invited to sleep next to.  The last one I will hear make the tiny snuffing sounds while he sleeps.  This is the Grand Finale Go Round of snuggling to help him nod off; of those oh too sweet first smiles and coos.  Given my age, it is doubtful I will live long enough to be blessed with great grandchildren.

Yep, cuddling Ace in the middle of the night brings with it a brief and magnificent Moment of Mortality. Win/win.


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