A mystery explained.

Last night it took me about an hour to get my daughter back to sleep after one of her marathon feeding sessions. I was getting really frustrated. Full stomach? Check. Dark room? Check. Limited interaction? Check. Dry butt? Check and check. What the heck was wrong?

Finally I decided it was time to leave the room and slowly swayed down the hall, holding her in the newborn straight jacket (a ridiculously tight swaddle - she's very strong). As I went down the hall, her eyelids immediately began to droop. By the time I reached the kitchen (maybe she wasn't so full), her eyes were rolling back in her head in an effort to remain conscious. By the time I'd reached the fridge, she was out and grinning in her sleep. So I slowly began working my way down the hall again. By the time I got to the really dark part outside our room, she began to scream. She's surely not old enough to be afraid of the dark, I thought.

So I turned around and walked away again. Again, she dropped off. Again, I began working my way toward the bedroom. And again she woke up and began screaming. So I decided to test a theory. I went to the end of the hall, walked back. Fall asleep, scream. I repeated a few times with the same results. What about our room was bothering her?

Then I heard a particularly loud snort and snore coming from the bedroom, followed by the sound of a buzz saw, otherwise known as my husband. Aha! Mystery solved. So I went to the family room and sat until she was fully asleep, then brought her into the bedroom during a break in the racket. Success! And she woke just once at 5 and she's still asleep. I guess I'll have to poke her soon, but first I'll enjoy a cup of coffee.