As a first time father I remember things very vividly even down to the minute. Jolene took four months off to bond with Johanna. One of the first nights Jolene went back to work Johanna cried the entire night. It was so bad that she finally fell asleep at 6:19 a.m. I tried rocking her on her back, as well as her chest. She wasn’t hungry. She didn’t need to go to the bathroom. Pedialax didn’t work. I paced back and forth trying not to step in the areas that creaked. I tried music, nothing. We have a tv in our room that I tried to distract her with. Swaddling was of no use. I even tried a car ride. To this day she has only fell asleep in the car 4 times. Her colic was so bad, it felt like my child was possessed by demons. I too broke down crying.
Jolene works the night shift. She got home around 7:00 a.m asking how my night was. Only if she knew. So not only was she awake the entire night, but so were we. Jolene just had the luxury of getting sleep before she went to work. I would have called the doctor for suggestions, however it happened many times before. This was just the first time it happened to me alone. It wasn’t the last.
When Johanna was in her first year of life each night I had a routine. Each night included food, playtime, a nightly walk, bath, bed, and a hopeful prayer that she would sleep the night. Her first year of life consisted of colic. Luckily the worst occurrence was the story above. It was a hassle, but eventually we got through it. I do remember each night counting the seconds till my daughter was in bed.
Having a child has its big points. However, most of the time raising a child is plagued by the monotonous routine. Consistently sticking to a routine though became one of the few ways that Johanna would keep asleep. If we wavered outside the routine, then often problems arose where she would not sleep through the night.
Each night I looked forward to the alone time I would get before I went to bed. It was the only time I felt like an adult. I’m sure I’m not the only one out there that feels this way. I do remember looking at the clock every half hour hoping it was later than it was. In reality counting seconds only prolonged the wait.
Now, Johanna is 5 years old. Our routine isn’t the same, and I don’t count the seconds anymore. She occupies herself for the most part. Which allows me to be able to do other things that I enjoy. Such as typing this blog, and working on my other company adventures. Luckily she rarely wakes up during the night. If she does it is because of a night terror. That’s a whole different problem in itself. In a few months, we will be adding another addition to our family. Johanna will be attending kindergarten. I’m sure I’ll be too busy to count seconds this time around. I do however hope that I still get some time to myself. As I feel it is important to reset. Also, I hope that my boy doesn’t have the colic that Johanna had or my prayers will begin in earnest again. So to those dads and moms up in the middle of the night because your child has colic, I feel for you. It will eventually end.
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