The Routine
It's 1:00 a.m., and the piercing cries of my newborn wake me up to begin our nightly routine. I walk across the room to pick up my three-week-old Knox to change his diaper before we make our way downstairs to the couch for our feeding date.
I do the math and decide that after cuddling with my eight-year-old son Saul, I went to bed around 9:30 p.m. "A quick feed..." I say to myself right before Knox pees all over himself. Having two other boys, I should know better about the impact of cool air. Knox is now wailing from my rookie mistake boy parents can relate to.
The diaper mishap set us back a bit, but Knox is back in his crib an hour later after a successful feeding and swaddle.
It's 2:00 a.m.
I check on my four-year-old Crew, who has had flu-like symptoms for the past three days. He is up and his fever has spiked. We change his pull-up and I bring him medicine and more water. In his room are Legos, books, and dinosaur toys scattered on the floor, a landmine for unprotected feet. While he takes his medicine, I clean up the landmine only to hear the dreaded noise that wakes parents from a deep sleep and race out of bed to grab buckets and towels. Projectile vomit now litters his sheets, bedframe and floor. I catch the rest in a bucket. I call for backup through the baby monitor and my husband comes down with fresh sheets, towels and carpet cleaner. Like the best of partners, we've navigated this before; like clockwork, we tag team and get to work. Crew is now asleep in fresh bedding.
2:30 a.m.
I mosy into bed but my mind is racing on the meetings I scheduled for my CEO before my maternity leave. "Did I schedule that meeting date right?" "Was the session supposed to be on the 13th or the 14th?" Annoying "Did I" questions race through my mind. I'm not even partially sleeping when I hear the restless cries of Knox. He’s cluster-feeding.
3:00 a.m. brings another diaper change, feeding, burping and swaddling. Knox goes down and Crew is up. I help him to the bathroom, and we maneuver another bucket situation. Afterward, I gently hold my sweet, tired boy on the floor in his room after he asks for a hug.
I hold him as long as he lets me.
It's 4:45 a.m. and I realize I am going on 3 ½ hours of sleep. At 5:00 am, Knox is up. I begin our routine and this time grab a blanket, turn on the fireplace and make our way to the couch till 6:30 a.m. My husband takes over and I sleep.
