The Stork Forgot the Instruction Manual

When one has been blessed and their child pretty much sleeps through the night (okay, since May anyways), mom and dad tend to get complacent and spoiled in our sleeping patterns. But when your child decides to throw a curve ball at you, you become frustrated and at a loss as to how to handle the situation. How would you rate your parenting skills?

It is 11:30pm and your child wakes up crying. Do you:
a) Let him cry it out for a couple of minutes in hopes that he goes back to sleep
b) Go and check on him to ensure that all is okay
c) Check for a poopy diaper

It is 11:40pm and your child is still crying. Do you:
a) Let him cry it out for a little longer in hopes that he will soon go back to sleep
b) Cave in and bring him into your bed in hopes that a cuddle will settle him down to sleep
c) Check for a poopy diaper

It is 1:30am and your child is wired and will not go back to sleep. Do you:
a) Let him cry just a little longer. He should go to sleep soon right?
b) Continue to lie in your bed and pretend that you are sleeping while he crawls all over you
c) Check for a poopy diaper

It is 2:10am and your child is crying his heart out and trying to make himself puke. Do you:
a) Let him cry and scream for another 45 minutes in hopes that he will eventually go to sleep
b) Go into his room and yell "Shut Up" in hopes that will inspire him to sleep
c) Check for a poopy diaper

It is 3:00am and your child is still crying in his crib with screams to ensure that you realize that he is still standing there expecting you to check on him. Do you:
a) Let him continue crying, self induced puking and screaming in hopes that he will sleep
b) Cave in, go make a warm bottle of milk and cuddle him with the bottle knowing that he will go to sleep
c) Wonder if that smell could really be a poopy diaper that you should have checked hours ago

If you have answered:
a - to all of the above, you are obviously deaf
b - you are likely tired because you got no sleep
c - your child has severe diaper rash
A combination of a, b and c - you are just as confused as us.

It has now become glaringly obvious that the stork forgot to provide the instruction manual on how to deal with episodes like this. That, or Paul and I are still considered major rookies in this game called Parenthood.