Saturday, December 3, 2011

What Would You Do?

Checked into our Columbus Ohio hotel. Disappointed that parking costs $23 per night.  Devastated more like it.  Guess that $40 meal comped in Chicago was a tender mercy for the outrageous cost of parking Ohio would bring us.

Unloaded all our stuff into the hotel room.  Found ESPN2 on our huge flat screen TV.  Headed to Goodwill where we didn't find anything "as is" tack enough for our upcoming Christmas party.  Bought Jordan a cute zip up hoodie and items to bedazzle with tackiness.  Ventured to Ray Ray's BBQ truck which we found on Yelp!  Discovered it was serendipitously a block from Goodwill.  Imagined ourselves living in Columbus.  Noticed the candles in every window on some houses.  Admired the large colonial style homes.  

Returned back to our hotel.  Gave Jordan a bath.  Worked on company's financials while Andy watched the BYU vs. Hawaii game.  Ate an apple.  Fed Jordan.  Put Jordan to sleep.

And then..... it happened.  

He's still crying it out.  

Give up?  Us?  No way!  

He was crying.  He was wailing.  He was yelling.  He was so... so... sad.  

A knock on our door.  

"Is everything all right?"  In the background, our child is still crying.  

"Yes, he's just teething," says my husband.

"Is there anything we can do?" they ask.  

"No, he's just teething, we're sorry.... there's nothing we can do," my husband responds. 

They leave.  

"Who was it?" I ask (I had not moved from where I was working).  

"The people from downstairs front desk," Andy says.  

At first... I thought, great... we can never train him to cry it out since our neighbors are complaining.  But then... after I mulled about it a bit, I got angry.  He hadn't even been crying for more than ten minutes, and they called downstairs to complain?  To express concern?  To say we're bad parents?!  It's 10:30 PM on a Saturday night... it's not like we're throwing a party, destroying the furniture or being that loud.  Right?  ....  

As I muttered in my state of confusion and anger, Andy rocked Jordan to sleep as he watched the rest of the game and I continued working but now I can't help but think... have we started a really bad trend?  Maybe we should stop traveling with Jordan and start giving him a better routine.  

What would you have done?  

4 comments:

Sarah said...

Where was Jordan in your room? I've found that putting a pack and play in the bathroom with the fan on seems to do better if you're crying it out. Teh bathroom walls are, typically, never by your neighbor's beds. But I'm sure we would have done what Andy did--pick up your baby and rock him to sleep.

As with leaving Jordan with someone else while you all travel, wouldn't that be an upset to his routine too?

Good luck with the sleep training and traveling!

Paige Taylor Evans said...

I would have let him cry and told those people to deal :) Or at least that's what I like to think I would have done. I probably would have done what Andy did though and held him 'til he fell asleep. Some people, sheesh.

SupaFlowaPowa said...

HAHAHAHA. He was in the hallway at our new hotel... the other one was too small of a bathroom to put the pack n play in. Right now, he is sleeping in our bed.. he seems to like that the best and it won't be an issue when we're back home since the crib is far from our room (when he sees us, he just wants to play with us!)

Gena Hopper said...

Good for Andy for being clear with the management- in a kind manner! At least you know the source of his un-settlement (he sees you, and wants to play) so you are right that it's not an issue when you are back home in your routine. I know Hannah trails Jordan 4 months so they are at different development stages, but if we are out or have lots of people over, anything outside the norm, we soothe her every way possible- rocking, bouncing, pacifier, and last resort- nursing. That's just what works for us now, we'll see what happens as she grows.