Nightime Ruminations

Since we converted her crib to a toddler bed last week, Sophie requires we accompany her a little longer on her journey to sleep each night. I shouldn't grumble, someday I will look back on what will likely be a short period of time with fondness, but some nights it's as much as an hour and frustration, thy name is Cara. After a couple of nights, I discovered that turning on her Rainforest Waterfall Soother helps in the process. She lays in her crib and I lay on the floor next to her and we watch it. It is mesmerizing. It makes tinkly music and rainforest sounds and has very pleasant lighting. It just about puts me to sleep.

While I was laying there, I thought that it was a little like watching TV in bed. You know, minus all of the comforts of a bed, I was on the floor, after all. Which got me to wondering if they make TVs for cribs. Sure, there's the whole "is TV good for babies and toddlers" business, but most parents follow their own instincts on that anyway. Meanwhile, when has what is "good" or "right" had anything to do with what manufacturers will produce and retailers will sell?

Is it wrong that I would seriously contemplate getting one if it meant that I could get that extra hour of sleep in the morning?

Doing Some Sussing

Finally got done Sussing Out last night's episode of Lost. Come check it out!

Customer Testimonial

"I love Direct TV. It's not just about the hundreds of channels, with like 30 for kids. And don't even get me started on HD. You haven't lived until you've seen the Backyardigans in HD. Mostly, it's because they have the yummiest remotes."

Sophie TV

I received one of those video baby monitors for my baby shower. I registered for it because a friend recommended it to me, but I had no idea how much I would come to depend on it. And love it.

I know there are those that think the video monitors are obsessive. That watching your child like that is just too much. But for me, this monitor has made my life so much easier. When we first moved her to her crib, I was so afraid of SIDS that I, like many (all?) new mothers, would go in and check on her many, many times a night. Touch her tiny body to make sure she was still breathing. I would watch the monitor, waiting for her to move, telling myself that I wasn't going to go in there again. It always seemed like just as I was at the end of my patience, when I was sure something was wrong, that she would finally shift. Now that she is older, and those worries have lessened, I can click on the monitor when she makes noises, to see if she is actually getting up or if she is just rolling around or talking in her sleep, a trait she inherited from her father.

At the end of the day, it is our custom to spend a couple of minutes, as we settle in to bed, to watch a little Sophie TV. I love to see her little body in the various positions she takes up over the course of the night. I can watch, unobtrusive and unseen, as she rolls around with her blanket or cuddles her lovey. I can chuckle when her feet stick through the slats without worry that I will waken her.

Watching my daughter sleep is one of my great pleasures. While standing over her bed or holding her in my arms would be my preferred mode, that is just not realistic. This wonderful little gadget allows me to feed my addiction from any room in the house.

Now, how long can I keep watching her? Is 18 too long?

How Do I Love 30 Rock?

Watching the Tina Fey skit from SNL the other night reminded me just how much I miss her. I love 30 Rock. Love it. Love it, love it, love it. I think Tina Fey is just about the funniest thing on TV. It's an ensemble cast, though, made up of a bunch of talented actors playing (sometimes) believable but (always) crazy characters. I don't think she would be quite as enjoyable without these people to play off of. Alec Baldwin, who is a complete nutjob in real life, is absolutely hysterical as her boss. So it's not surprising that one of my all time favorite clips has him in it. Whenever I need a laugh, this is my go to clip.



It kills me that I have to wait more than a month for the show to return. Whatever happened to the days when all shows started in August/September and ended in May? I know the writers strike screwed things up, but this was happening before then, too. I am ridiculously excited for the show to come back. Don't even bother to call me between 9:30 and 10 on October 30th, because I will be watching the season premiere LIVE. No Tivo, no DVR...LIVE. That should tell you just how important this show is to me, because this girl doesn't do commercials.