I married The Baby Whisperer

My husband has magical powers. I’m not even kidding.

I used to think I was the one with magical powers. I’ve always been the one who can comfort our children best when they are crying, whether it’s because they got hurt or for whatever other reason. I also was best at getting the babies to sleep. I had a secret weapon known as nursing.

Well, shortly before we reached our one-year nursing goal with Jordan, Hubby and I decided that night weaning him would probably help him sleep through the night a little better because he wouldn’t keep waking up expecting to be fed. In order to do that, I told Hubby he would have to be the one to get Jordan back to sleep in the night because if he saw me, he would want to nurse. Hubby agreed (and it became obvious the few times I did get up with the baby that he did, indeed, want to nurse and he got incredibly angry when he didn’t get to do it.)

So, over the past couple months, Hubby’s been on-call at night and Jordan is no longer nursing. Well, occasionally when his emerging molars bug him he does, but he doesn't get it at night anymore.

But there’s a problem. Now Jordan will ONLY go to sleep for Daddy.

Hubby has a strict no-picking-up and no-babying policy when it comes to bedtime for Jordan. He gets his story in the rocking chair, but then he’s placed into the crib, the Fisher-Price Rainforest Music Nature’s Lullabies CD is turned on (a fantastic soothing CD, I might add. I love it!) and he’s covered up, given his pacifier and told to go to sleep.

If I am the one attempting to put the baby to bed, he immediately pops up, starts screaming and pelts me with his paci. Occasionally I can sit in the rocking chair in his room and he’ll fall asleep after much howling (something I learned the hard way when Hubby went out of town recently for four days) but often he just refuses to sleep for me.

That’s when I call in The Baby Whisperer—my new nickname for Hubby.

I swear to you, the man simply walks into the room, lays Jordan down and tells him to go night-night, and the kid DOES IT.

What the heck?!

I have tried to pry his secrets from him, but this magician’s not revealing anything.
I’m kidding. He tells me that all he does is lay him down and tell him to go night-night. It even works sometimes during the day for naps.

Well, it doesn’t work for me!

I will admit, it has been kind of nice to not have to be the one getting up at night, but I still lay awake until Hubby’s back in bed. And, I also have to admit Hubby doesn’t deal very well with having to get up, even if it’s quick. He gets cranky and irritated if his sleep is interrupted.

I guess I would rather it be me, just because I don’t have to get up and drive to work and be mentally sharp like he does. I just have to expend countless amounts of energy keeping up with the boys all day.

Really, I just want the baby to learn to go back to sleep on his own, and that’s what we’ve been working toward.

In a way it bothers me that I’m not The One. That single person who can get the baby to lay down and go to sleep. Instead I’m the one who has to hand the baby over to Daddy and stand by, helpless, while he works his magical spell. I’m the one debating daily about whether I should pack the boys in the car and drive so Jordan will nap or let him refuse to nap for me and end up extremely crabby and overtired.

Oh well. I am just going to count myself lucky that I married The Baby Whisperer. At least one of us can get the kid to sleep!