Frances has never slept very much during the day. She sleeps like an old man at night - anywhere from eight to fourteen hours - but the days it seems are for watching and learning and watching some more. I read that babies at her age should be sleeping six hours during the day. We're lucky if she sleeps one fifth of that.
Lately, this lack of daytime sleep has been catching up to her and causing bouts of the baby crankies. When this happens nothing seems to make her happy - not eating or being held or toys or smiles. When this happens it means we just have to stop and rock. And we rock and she falls asleep and I sit and rock some more.
And there's no television or radio or internet. And for some reason I don't plan dinner or make lists or solve all the world's problems. I just sit and be. Somehow even though I have less time than ever I finally have the time to appreciate the stillness.
Sure I could put her down and get to getting things done. At this stage, with her feelings on daytime sleep, putting her down pretty much guarantees a wide awake baby in five minutes or less. Maybe this will change as she gets a bit bigger. Maybe it won't. For now I think I'll embrace her sleep particularities as the perfect excuse to take ten minutes and just do nothing at all.
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