My Sugar House Life: The 5 to 7

Every family with a newborn baby needs a sleep strategy. When I was in the hospital recovering from my c-section, the division of labor was that Robert would change and swaddle Harper then shuttle her my way for a feeding. This carried over for a little while when I was healing at home until Harper was three weeks old and learned how to take a bottle. "A bottle!" I thought naively, "Now Robert and I can trade night feedings." The problem was that we never established which night feedings he would take, which means that every time Harper cried it would result in a round of, "Should I go get her?" or later in the night, "Can you go get her?" at which point we were both awake and often just tag teaming the feedings like we did in the hospital. More importantly, I quickly realized was that there were certain night feedings that put me over the edge more than others. That's when we established the 5 to 7.

The truth is, by about 5 weeks, I was okay doing most Harper-related tasks on my own. She was sleeping in decent 3-4 hour increments, and I could nap during the day if I needed to (true in theory, if not in practice). But there was one time of day when I hit my wall, and that was around 5:00 am. Harper usually went down around 8:00 pm and woke up roughly three times in the night (11:00, 2:00, and 5:00ish). The last night waking between 5:00 and 6:00 am was the one that made me want to claw my eyes out. So Robert and I came up with a new strategy. I took any night wakings that occurred up until 5:00 am but between 5 and 7, I was off the clock. This ended the back and forth of "Do you want to get her?" and gave me a guaranteed reprieve that I so badly needed. If I heard her cry any time after the second night waking, I would check my phone by the bed. Robert likes to tease me that I would bark at him, "5:32. Go!" There was probably some truth to this. On a good night, I could feed Harper at 2:00 and sleep until 7:00 am, giving me my longest stretches of sleep since she was born. Of course there were times she would wake up at 4:40 or even 4:57 and I would begrudgingly get up and feed her, because I didn't like gray area around the 5 to 7. But if it was 5:01, Robert would get a "5:01. Go!" and I would fall back asleep without a thought.

Gradually the three night wakings became two, and they didn't always fall in the 5 to 7 range. The last two nights Harper has only woken up once a night at 4:00 a.m. (Go Harper!), and I can handle that schedule in my sleep, no pun intended. Robert still often wakes up with Harper when she gets up for real at 6:30 or 7:00 giving me that extra precious bit of sleep. As the 5 to 7 feeding becomes obsolete, I just want to tip my hat to its usefulness, and to my husband who gave me the gift of sleep when I needed it the most.

Switching gears to recorder mode, Harper is ten weeks old this week. She went to the doctor yesterday and weighed in at 11 pounds and 22 inches. The doctor predicted that her full adult height would be 5'4 1/2, same as me, which means that she too can perpetuate the little white lie that she is a full 5'5. Dr. Martini praised Harper for rolling over at 9 weeks old and for sleeping through the night, which is defined as six hour stretches in baby lingo. She assured me that going back to work won't do any longterm damage to Harper's psyche. I mostly believe her, but still harbor my doubts.

Here are some other things we've been up to in the last couple of weeks:

We went to Get Air Hangtime in Provo with Natalie and Jon, who just celebrated their one-year anniversary. Natalie is -- and I mean this with all sincerity -- one of the best people on the planet. Beautiful, super smart, raucously funny, fiercely independant. Seriously Jon, time to put a ring on it.

Aidan dunking at Get Air

Handsome surgeon, beautiful nurse

Photobombed by Robert

Aidan and Ethan

It has also started snowing in Utah sporadically though we still haven't had a really good storm.

Snow is a good look on you, CRV.

Time to take down the pumpkins and cornstalk

On Thanksgiving, we played in the annual Wasatch Presbyterian flag football game even though it was 23 degrees out. I am no stranger to Turkey Bowls, but in California they tend to be in the 60's and possibly 70's. We probably complained more if it hit 59 degrees in California than the Utahans do in 23 degrees. It's all relative.

Huddled around donuts and hot chocolate

Tough little eight week old baby

Be careful of the white stuff, Aidan. I think it's poison. (TM Lenore)

Smile literally frozen in place

Going long

Aidan ready for the lateral

Dads getting rowdy

Robert indignant in the end zone.

Aidan also built a real, working robot over Thanksgiving called Meccano. It took Aidan like ten hours to build and has provided constant fun ever since.

Sooooo many pieces

Intense concentration

Final product

Aidan's Boy Scout troop held their Pinewood Derby last week. His car took 4th out of 16 cars but, even better, his car was voted "Best Workmanship" by all the parents and spectators.

The Pit Crew. Three generations of pinewood derby champions and a future Girl Scout. Mmmm, cookies.

Harper slept under her nursing cover the entire two hours.

At the gate..

Photo finish

Check out that fine workmanship.

Only half true.

Robert and I attended law prom again, and I loaned my magic black dress to Chelsie this time. The best part of law prom this year was that Robert and I actually hung in there long enough to dance. I LOVE dancing with my husband who is almost always certain to be the best male dancer on the floor. I should start a side business pimping him out as other people's plus ones.