Do Not Make Eye Contact!

The first time my husband and I spent a night away from our son, he was 6 months old. We left him with my parents for an overnight getaway, and like any good mom, I left a schedule, and a list of instructions, tips and tricks for managing our precious baby. After all, babies are like Gremlins, you need to pay close attention to the care and feeding, lest you wind up with a little monster! It is a list that will forever live in infamy, and something my parents chuckle heartily over every time it comes up. The list made mention of the number one rule of night feedings with a 6 month old: DO NOT MAKE EYE CONTACT!

That one line of instruction had my parents rolling on the floor laughing. Who thinks of these things, right? Well, moms of 6 month old babies, for one. I still think this is more than just a family in-joke. The rule is there for a reason!

I don't imagine my baby to be a mini-Tom Cruise, who expects his minions to avert their eyes and back away slowly should he deign to enter a room. Not at all! The reason I live by that rule is because babies love to watch faces, and take their social cues from the way their caretakers react. If you sneak in to feed a baby in the middle of the night, and smile and coo and (god forbid) MAKE EYE CONTACT, the baby is going to think it's time to wake up and play, not time to sleep. Thus, the rule of no eye contact was born.

Just this morning, our little girl woke up at 3:45 in the morning. She is getting much more comfortable with her voice, and the sounds she can make, and this morning she was doing what I call the "Happy Honk", an excited scream that means she's ready for playtime. I peeked at her through my lashes, careful not to open my eyes, and there she was, staring up at me with her big blue eyes and a huge smile, just waiting for me to smile back. What did I do? I'll tell you what I did not do: EYE CONTACT!

Nope, I rubbed her back and snuggled her, and after a few more honks she gave up and went back to sleep. Thank goodness, because with the three year old visiting the grandparents this weekend, I was really hoping for a chance to sleep in a bit. Once again, the rule of eye contact was upheld!

I know my parents still think the no eye contact rule is hilarious, and that's fine. Our baby is still a smidge too young for an overnight at Grammy's right now, anyway. But we'll see who gets the last laugh when our princess does start honking at 2 AM on her first overnight. If you disregard the rule, and the Gremlin comes out, you can't say I didn't warn you!