The X- Factor

I'm starting to see more and more the way variables impact the outcomes in our lives.  There are always two outcomes but the variables are what not only determine the outcome but influences the journey. 

Prime example, I decided to work on my daughter sleeping through the night this week.  She's sticks to her schedule and usually fall to sleep around 8:00 p.m.  However, she wakes up by habit around 3:00 a.m. snack for a minute and then is back to sleep within 15 minutes.

Well the possible outcomes for this decision is either she sleeps through the night or does not.  So Sunday night I put her to bed at 8:30 p.m. and like clockwork she started crying around 3:30 a.m.  She cried off and on for an hour so I gave in, got up and fed her.  After her snack she went right back to sleep.  Monday, the same thing happened, but after 30 minutes the crying stopped "We're making progress", I thought.  Tuesday, 15 minutes and crying stops, I'm really feeling good and am convinced that by Friday she will be sleeping through the night.

Unexpectantly, a variable changes and all that progress is thrown out the window.  The variable in this case is teething.  I cannot imagine what it is like but she has been pulling at her gums and extremely fussy since Wenesday.  Let's not even bring up how it has affected her sleep, affected my sleep, affected my husbands sleep.  But I can tell you that I was spoiled by 6 months of a predictable sleep pattern.  So my husband and I will continue to try to get her to sleep through the night while keeping her comfortable through this growth process.

However, I have been thinking, what if I decided to change her pattern a week earlier or a week later ?  What would the outcome have been?  Would there have been another variable to prolong the process?  We make decisions every minute of our lives but I find it facinating to examine the variables that impact the outcomes.