Piece of Cake: No. 16 of 40 Forts

Piece of Cake: No. 16 of 40 Forts

Spring finally arrived in DC last weekend. FINALLY. I mean after 45 inches of snow, it has been a long, long winter. And I have spent way too many days inside with Lucy. Now whenever I say the words “go,” “studio” or act like we are going somewhere, Lucy gets really excited. I can even put her in her stroller and then walk around the house gathering important items like my wallet, which I have managed to misplace twice this week. She is content and gets super excited as soon as she sees the elevator.

The day was much easier...

So last weekend, I threw out her nap schedule and decided that I really didn’t care. I am not a schedule person. I am not rigid. I am not consistent. If you have to have a reason to go to therapy because of your parents, Lucy, this can be your first. And while her sleep is not really “a piece of cake,” it is about the same as before and I am not burdened with the guilt that I have had after reading a book by a sleep expert.

Last weekend Henry was home and if I’m not a schedule person, then he is really not. The only thing he does at the same time every day is eat lunch while at work – and that’s just so he can beat the line at Potbelly or West Wing Cafe. So on Sunday after they stopped in at their favorite coffee shop, we met on the American Art Museum steps, ate lunch, walked around 7th Street and even visited an exhibit at the museum. It was great! She was ecstatic and maybe even exhausted. That works for me.

This piece reads:

The day was much easier once she relaxed a little bit.

So, yes, I am going for easy. It is not ideal, but she gets her recommended amount of sleep with a lot of assistance from me. I would much rather just deal with it than continue to carrying the guilt that has been constantly plaguing me for the last several months. To me that is much more exhausting.

"...once she relaxed a little bit."

Recently I have heard a lot of talk about only eating foods your great-grandparents would recognize. I think they are talking about Cheetos or Doritos. I am not sure. But pure foods that aren’t composed of a lot of chemicals. Well, isn’t the same true for caring for your baby? I started thinking WWJD? What would Jospehine do? She is my last living biological great-aunt. She is 95 years old and I thought, you know I should call her. Did she have her son on a schedule? Then I thought about this a little more.

My mom and aunt Karen kept my younger aunt Jeannie when she was a baby. My grandma was working in the field. If Jeannie had a really bad poop, they would put her in a wagon and roll her out to grandma. I am guessing that they did not have Jeannie on a sleep schedule.

I do not mean to discredit people who swear by sleep schedules. I believe in them and wish that worked out for my child. But so far it’s not. But if you are struggling with this area of your life as a new mom. STOP. It is not worth it. And this week has been so much better since I have stopped mentally beating myself up.

We went out every single day this week. It was great. Whereas before I would not go out because I was worried about nap time. Now, I just make sure that she has a good, long morning nap and the afternoon is up in the air. It works for now, although I am sure that it will change now that I am comfortable with how things are.

piece of cake

The title of the piece comes from the headline on the sheet: piece of cake. I included a little flag of a cloudy sky to refer to the daytime naps, plus pictures of sheets, a teddy bear and pillows. It’s light and airy and playful, yet dreamy.

top view of piece of cake

This paper sculpture, roughly the size of a coffee cup, is one of forty forts I created during Lent 2010 as a creative exercise and spiritual exploration.

Previous: Warp Speed: No. 15 of 40 Forts
Next: Ambitions: No. 17 of 40 Forts