Daniel Declares War on Sleep

Its 10 p.m. Do you know where your child is?

At many times along this journey called life I have waged all-out war on my mortal enemy: sleep!


This pesky foe tries to sneak up on me when I am least aware. My mouth opens wide involuntarily and I suck in all the oxygen in the room in what is called a "yawn." Then I exhale loudly, usually loud enough for one of my parents to catch me in the act and whisk me off to my crib. 


Then the war begins in earnest.

Sleepy but not sleeping. Yet.

As soon as I go horizontal, my survival instincts kick in and I flail and pout, adding a few blood-curdling screams as well. Even in the car, when most babies take an instant nap in a car seat, I remain on the defensive, ever alert lest the sleep fairy cast her spell on me.


I gum my lips. I chomp on my hand. I dare not blink. I vocalize. Whatever I can do to not be overcome. I prefer watery, bleary eyes to shut eyes. I don't want to miss anything. I've noticed that the world continues to turn when I am asleep. Not fair! In New York, I never went to bed before midnight as I was surrounded by too much excitement in the city that never sleeps. 


Many times, I have also declared a ceasefire in my war on sleep. And then I will take a surprising two-hour nap in the middle of the day. I'm not 100 percent asleep, as I do hear mommy tiptoe in several times to reassure herself that I'm still breathing. Yes, it is that rare that I sleep that long. I was the master of 10-minute naps for awhile.


My parents have a bet going about how long after the operation I will wake up. They know my resilience against this arch nemesis of mine and are banking on me defeating even anesthesia!


The following videos show off some of my sleep-resistance skills in a car seat. As you can see, this was shot in two parts, mainly because I was able to hold out against sleep during the first shoot despite it having the military advantage at the time (namely I hadn't slept for seven hours at this point).  

Ultimately I lost this battle, but I will not lose the war. Good night everyone!

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