Beware the Ides.....

Well, Spring Break could not have come at a better time for Team Morris. We're entering six weeks since our newest member arrived, and we all are starting to evolve into our new roles. However, an unfair balance of the work had been carried on Emily's shoulders the past two weeks as she flew solo on Mom duty. It was a lot to ask of her, but she stepped up to the plate like a champion and made it through, knowing all hands would be on deck as soon as I got off for St. Pat's week. We decided that it would be a perfect time to try and transition baby Libby over to full-time crib sleeping.

We kept to the old ways on Friday night, just to make sure we all started off the break fresh, and it worked. Long hours of uninterrupted sleep for both Em and I. Only she was on the couch with Libby. Saturday we were refreshed and lounged around until Em personal trained in the morning, and Ja and Libby hung out with Uncle Jeff who was up from Pittsburg to visit. We were planning on going to the Brookside St. Pat's parade, but 42 degrees and drizzly did not sound like optimal conditions for a first Big Day Out for the family. Instead we went to visit Brad, Nikki, and Willa down the street for some awesome pork loin. I was in charge of the sides so everyone got stuck with Mac and Cheese and jalepeno poppers. Still, everyone had fun, and we came back to the house ready to begin our little adventure in crib training. (and The Arsenal even won, so Libby was Extra happy)

So, Saturday night we started the experiment, and by most measures it went well. Lib slept for a few hours while Mom dozed and Dad watched SNL and Poker After Dark (don't ask me why, I don't even like poker but i always end up watching it). A few rough patches throughout the night, but nothing that wasn't expected (although Emily really still ran the show through most of the early morning hours). We took a late start to the day and all felt so good about it that we went for a Sunday trip to Brookside. I strapped on the baby carrier and we all had a great afternoon going birthday shopping for Emily and enjoying a beautiful cold, overcast March day in Kansas City. We even picked up a copy of The Settlers of Catan with the hopes of spending a quiet evening at home playing a game instead of .

When we got home, Mamma and Pappa Ru came over, and Em and I even got to escape to the Salty Iguana for an hour to enjoy some chips and salsa. We came back, cooked dinner, and began to lay out the game. Libby had other plans, however. Every time we started to play, she let us know that she really didn't appreciate being abandoned to some strange crib. We'd calm her and start to play, then hear her protest. Feed her and start to play, then hear her saying "NO!" Change her and start to play, and then... well, you get the picture. This continued for the next 12 hours, long after we had given up on the game and all hope of sleep.

I think my baby calming skills had atrophied over the past few weeks at work though. All the little tricks I had picked up in those first few weeks had dramatically lost their effectiveness. I even tried bouncing on the exercise ball with her but forgot that balance and sleep deprivation don't go well together. To make a long story short, no one slept much in the house, but we didn't give up on the crib. You have to take the little victories. 

Moral of the story?......

Beware the Ides of March.

(heh.. that's a long way to go for a cute baby picture, but I thought it was worth it!)

From everyone here at Team Morris, thanks for dropping by MoTeamGo, and we look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on Easter when little Lib get's baptized.