The Sixth Sense

I’m still relatively new at this whole Mom thing. My daughter, Olivia, is just over 3 months old, so I realize I’m not supposed to be an expert at parenting yet. That said, throughout my pregnancy and now in my adventures as a mom, I continue to stumble on facts that I’m convinced all others parents know but neglected to share – useful tidbits the pregnancy and parenting books leave out.

One of these “facts” is that my daughter has a sixth sense. While she’s still developing her main five senses, Olivia came pre-programed with her special sixth sense, as I now have a feeling most babies do. My daughter has a keen sense for waking up from the soundest sleep with impeccable timing.

It was kind of funny and cute at first. It was like she didn’t want to miss anything, didn’t want to be left out of the fun. Admittedly though, it’s become much less funny and much more tiring.

Olivia seems to know the second my head hits the pillow or the moment I get myself tucked tightly under the covers. The string of red baby-monitor lights that alert my husband and me to her noises instantly flash the second we decide we’ll steal a few minutes of peace to snuggle on the couch. As soon as his arm wraps around my shoulder and my head falls with exhaustion on his chest, she begins her process of tossing, turning, furiously kicking her blanket off her legs and yelping to be fed and rocked back to sleep.

Do all babies have an internal sensor alerting them to Mommy rest, relaxation and snuggling that doesn’t involve them? Or is my little one super-advanced for her age, with hidden cameras throughout our house? And what’s more, is that a baby-sized “Bwahahaha” I sometimes hear from her crib just before I go into her room?

I think this is one of many baby habits that are here to stay for at least the very near future. And, in the bigger picture, things like this are what truly hit me where it hurts. They directly contradict my inherent need to be in control. It honestly didn’t quite sink in until she arrived after the nearly 10 months of anticipation – Olivia is, in fact, the boss.

At least until the days when she understand “No” and “Stop,” until she can minimally say “MaMa,” and until she eats more than just breast milk, I’m at her mercy. Until then, I’ll have to settle for little sleep and little rest in exchange for her big smiles, chubby cheeks, high-pitched giggles and big blue eyes full of unending love. Definitely not the worst deal I’ve made.