I did it all by myself

Success! I have validated myself as a father. Last night, Courtney was struck by extreme tiredness during a hockey game. We were just sitting there, having a conversation, and all of a sudden, she was slurring and acting funny and unable to walk correctly. I was really worried about her, but she said it was just lack of sleep catching up with her.

So, we go back to my mom's and get Mik. I take the girls home, and tell Re to get in the sack. For once, she listened, and jumped right into bed. It was like 9:30 or 10. Right at the dangerous time for Mikayla. Mik had been sleeping in the car on the ride home, which meant I was going to have to wake her. She does NOT like being woken up. I think she got the worst possible combination from me and her mom with that one.

After waking her up to get her out of the car seat, I tried to calm her right back down and put her in her bed. She was not having that. So, since she was awake, I changed her and held her for a while. I tried wrapping her up in her swaddle blanket, to see if she would chill out with that. Yeah, right. So, I figured she might be hungry(despite eating twice at mom's between 6:30 and 9:00). I get her a bottle, she takes one drink, and spews all over herself, me, and the swaddle blanket.

Now, I am used to being puked on at this point, and she is definitely used to having half digested formula running down her, but the swaddle blanket has been contaminated. This is BAD. How am I going to get her to sleep, without her mom's help, and with no swaddle blanket? I had to wake Courtney up to help me get puky Mik into the bathtub, so we could all clean up. After I got in the bath, I told Re to go to sleep, and wonder of wonders, she listened. Again. Twice in one day. Holy open ears, batman.

Me and Mik had a nice little bath time, and then got dried off. Of course, as I was re-diapering Mik, she decided to pee all over the clean diaper and her cool little towel. I wrapped her in my towel, and we were off into the cold part of the house to get a diaper. Once I got her diapered up, she let me know she was hungry(and didn't scream to do it!).

One four ounce bottle later, and it is clear that she is sleeeeepy. Droopy, red eyes. Bags under the eyes. Half sleepy cries. But the swaddle blanket is covered in puke. How to get her to sleep?

1. First try: put her to sleep on my shoulder (relatively easy), and then transfer her to the bed. Yeah right. Her head hit the bed, and her back hit the cold blanket, and she was wide awake, and pissed (remember she doesn't like to be woken up).
2. Second try: Old fashioned swaddle, using a light blanket. Yeah right. She was out of that thing in like 2 seconds. I tried to rewrap her, and she was not happy. Apparently, the swaddle blanket gives her just enough freedom of movement to avoid frustration, but not enough that her waving arms wake her up.

In the end, I waited for the swaddle blanket to finish washing and drying(I did mention that thing went in the washer as soon as we got out of the tub, right? Daddy's no fool), and then I wrapped her up and we watched some tv. She was out like 5 seconds after I got her in the cool blanket. I held her on my chest/shoulder for a while, and then put her in her crib.

That swaddle blanket is the cat's meow. Once she is asleep in that thing, she is OUT. You can drop her off the couch, and she won't wake up. Normally, if you move her 2 inches vertically, she is awake and screaming. The swaddle blanket apparently blocks her perception of vertical displacement.

The end result is that now Courtney should feel totally comfortable leaving the house and having fun without me. I survived a night with Mik, by myself(mostly), and no one got hurt. I even managed to make enough bottles to see her through most of today. And I got a full night's sleep, to boot; I was in bed at 1. All this on a night full of screaming, crying, puking, and pooping. Man was that a smelly poop, too. That poop is a story for another time, though.