That time I had a fever.

Yesterday afternoon, seemingly out of nowhere, I was hit with a fever and chills.  It started with a headache, and before I knew it I was nursing a low grade fever and desperately trying to figure out if I was hot or cold.  I was unbelievably thirsty and my body felt like it was exploding from the inside out.

So, in regards to baby duty, I was out.  I was quickly becoming incoherent, and all I wanted to do was have a hot bath, climb into my pajamas, and get some rest.  The problem? Although I have an amazing husband, Chris had no idea what Cillian's schedule looks like, other than he goes to bed at 7:30pm.

I know this is a common problem with parents.  One parent, usually Mom, is home with the kids and
is aware/in charge of schedules and routines. I love being at home with Cillian, and the two of us have been sliding nicely into our daily routines from Monday to Friday.  Once the weekend hits, I try and plan our activities around when I think Cillian might be napping.  Usually we plan to do one big thing each day and leave the rest of the day loosey goosey.  Chris has learned to listen to my advice but I plan everything, making sure Cillian gets the sleep he needs on weekends.

So, as I tried to snuggle down and get better, I heard Chris struggling to give Cillian what he needed.  I had just fed the little guy, and he was ready to go down for his short early evening nap, but Mommy was always the one who put him down, and Chris didn't know the routine.

How did this happen? We always said we would parent together, and yet here we were, just three months in, and we had put such a divide between the two of us in regards to parenting.

So Chris and I sat down and talked about Cillian and what happens Monday to Friday.  We talked about how long he typically sleeps for, how much time he stays up for between naps, and when he eats.  I taught Chris some of my tricks for changing him and putting him down, and we talked about the stuff we like to do during the day.  With a little bit of guidance, Cillian went down easily for his nap and then, later, like a trooper at bed time.

Moral of the story? I didn't know I was the one calling the shots, and that meant that both Chris and I were losing out. I was losing a partner in bedtime battles because I had made myself the only parent "able" to play that role, and Chris was losing out on happy, cuddly Cillian time. From now on we are in this together.

Happy Monday!!