Routine

So I'm a big fan of routines, and it's exciting to realize that our kid has the same love for order and schedules. Her recent (well, the last 3 weeks or so) night time ritual has been particularly endearing and goes something like this:

7:30 pm -- nurse and start prepping for bed

8:30 pm -- finish nursing

8:30 - 9:30 pm -- several diapers and several attempts to go to bed. Sometimes fussing and crying the whole time, sometimes wide awake and cheerful (whether Mom and Dad get to eat/guzzle dinner depends on which)

9:30 pm -- sudden wailing, followed by yet another diaper change, followed by another hour of nursing

10:30 pm -- more attempts to go to bed, usually consisting of Mom and Dad taking turns carrying her around the room (or bouncing on the bed or swinging or anything else that works to stop the crying)

11:00 pm -- get a bottle of pumped milk since Mom is physically and emotionally unable to nurse anymore

12:00 am -- more attempts to go to bed

12:30 am -- finally, success! down for the night and Mom and Dad get to crawl into bed

12:40 am -- wailing, followed by Mom or Dad getting to pace the living room some more

12:50 am -- repeat

1:00 am -- BEDTIME!!

In fact, our little diva is so in love with this routine that she manages to stick to it whatever curve balls we throw her way. We decide to start getting her into bed sooner? No problem, she can manage to stay awake and fuss even longer. Get a bottle in there sooner so we don't waste all that time nursing? Awesome, more time to screw around and not go to bed. Up all day and exhausted? She can at least hang on til 11pm or midnight. Uncle J and Auntie M babysitting? Perfect, let's throw at least 2 good poops their way in a half hour period or so.

But like her mother, our girl seems to realize that routines aren't everything. It's important to be flexible. And she seems to have a knack for knowing when. So this morning, for example, when I needed her to wake up early so that we could fit 2 feedings in before going to the vet in Santa Cruz, she decided to sleep in. At the vet's office, when she had time to take down a full bottle, she opted to just drink just a little bit. That way, she had plenty of time to be pretty with the vet's nurse and then save her bawling for the ride home when she got hungry again. I mean, really, who wants to stick with the regular plan when you have the chance to give Mom a hard time? What's a routine if not meant to be broken, right?

Clearly, I'm loving this.