Emerson knew what he was talking about!

"Infancy conforms to nobody; all conform to it."

 In all the years I have shared my favorite aphorisms, I have never picked this one.  However, today this one seemed perfect.

My Daughter the Librarian is very organized. She is a planner. (I know, I know what those of you who know me are thinking).  She gets upset if someone is late, or if the plans change slightly.  She can't handle glitches or wrenches thrown into plans. 

Before Cooper was born, she would tell us of her plans for her maternity leave.  She would have a schedule for both of them.  He would eat at certain times, and he would sleep at certain times, and she would be able to keep up on all of her librarian duties at home, such as reading and reviewing new books for the students.  Her dad and I just looked at her, then at each other, and laughed. 

At one point she asked what I thought about her plan for something or other, and I said "Why don't you just wait until you see what happens and go with it?  Most of the  original planning will go out the window when Cooper is born and you bring him home."  She then burst into tears and was upset with me for upsetting her.  Oh my.
Fast forward to the first six weeks of Cooper's life.  He ate when he was hungry. He slept when he was sleepy.  He was awake when he wasn't tired.  He didn't care about any schedule that Mommy had made. He was in charge.

One day I called her and she had both changing table covers in the washer plus the crib sheet and had cleaned up the chair where she fed him twice that morning...for spit up milk and poopy diapers that had leaked.  She had been pooped on and spit up on as well, and she needed a shower and would love to wash her hair,  plus she would KILL for a nap. (not really kill anything or anyone..just a figure of speech).  And why could I not come and help her!!?!?!?!

Circle back to the aphorism.... Infancy (specifically Cooper) does not conform to anyone. He has developed his own schedule.  When he is hungry, he wants to be fed. Simple as that.  If his diaper is wet, he wants to be changed.  It doesn't matter what type of schedule anyone would wish he were on, he just doesn't care.

However, we all conform to him.  His parents time their trips to the grocery on his feeding and sleeping schedules.  I had to chuckle at My Daughter the Librarian say she had to get up at 5:30 to shower and get ready for a conference and be ready by 6:15 so she could feed Cooper before her friend picked her up at 7.  Then she had planned the bottles for her time away from home and planned to be back at certain time so she could feed him again.  The last time they visited us and I asked her what time they would arrive, she said it depended on Cooper and how long he took a nap.

We conform to infants.

Of course, this aphorism could be figurative in meaning as well, instead of just literal, but that may the subject of another post.  Got you thinking, right?

My Daughter the Librarian and my grandson Cooper