Forest of the Plains

Last night Jacob and I attended a program all about children and sleep that was sponsored by Parents As Teachers. Jacob took advantage of the free childcare provided by local college students. I joined the “12 month and younger” parent discussion group. I munched on Pepperidge Farm cookies and drank chamomile tea. And avoided sitting at the table that had The Worst Book Ever on it. There were some good resources available, and it was good to hear about how to deal with challenges that may come.

Jacob sleeps very well once he gets to sleep. He sleeps about 8-10 total hours, waking up 2-3 times to eat & promptly goes back to sleep. But he doesn't sleep during the day and he is fussy (ie screaming) for the majority of the evening.

The nice students providing child care got to experience the screaming first hand. He is so fair skinned that his little scrunched up face turns bright red, adding to the drama. Apparently Jacob impressed the professionals there, too. This morning I got a call from Parents As Teachers asking if they could have the Healthy Start person from the Marion County Health Department do a home visit & offer some resources “for his evening routine”.

I imagine that this phone call went similarly to a phone call telling a parent that their child was sent to the principal's office. “I'm sitting here with Jacob and would like to discuss some of his behavioral choices with you...”

I'm cracking up over the whole thing for several reasons. One, I used to be on the other end of similar phone calls when I worked with seriously mentally ill children. (Laughter as finally understanding some parents' reactions.) Two, I've been telling professionals how challenging the evenings can be & how tired we are and someone finally believes me. (Laughter as relief and justification.) Three, we don't live in Marion County yet, but the Marion County person who was in the childcare room with Jacob feels that it's important enough for her to drive an hour each way for a home visit. (Nervous laughter - how bad was he last night?!? Laughter as unbelief - this exception would never be made in a larger town.)

Jacob has a relative or two that were rather obstinate as children. I really hope that they're not about to get the payback of a lifetime. We need our sleep!