This kid doesn't care about a friggin schedule

With Nancy at work for much of the day, the task fell to me to entertain my 15-month-old son, Noah.

This wasn't the first time I was responsible for what he ate and when he ate. But it was the first time I was tasked with putting him to sleep. To be sure, he has fallen asleep in my arms before _ when he was completely exhausted. But Noah looks at me as the big kid: when I'm around, he wants to slam into my leg or throw things at me or play catch or just be rough. He sees Nancy as his caretaker and when she comes for him and says, "Time to go night night," he puts up a fuss but knows its time to go to sleep, and is usually out in 10 or 15 minutes.


Now, Ive tried to put him asleep in the past but he has whined and put up such a fuss that Id give up and give him to Nancy and shed rock him and shush him and hed be out.



Today was different.

Noah and I were playing and making all kinds of noise and it came time for his nap. I grabbed him and said its time to take a nap kiddo. Tried to rock him a little and he whined. He did that whole thing where he arches his back to try to throw himself out of your arms. Then his little lip quivers.

I thought, "Here we go again." Then I said, "Don't cry, the schedule says its time for you to go to bed."



Then I just laughed at myself. (He probably did too). But I stayed with it. Rocked him, shushed him, patted his back. Repeat. He'd get quiet, then look at me and cry a little, then put his head on my chest. Before long, he was out.



It may seem like a little thing, but I feel as proud about putting Noah to sleep as I've felt after any run. Its like, Noah sees me as his dad and sees me as somebody he can trust to fall asleep in his arms. Corny? Yeah. But that's the only way I can describe it. Anyway, here is fuzzy photo I took with my raggedy cell phone of Noah sleeping.