Consistency?

Aren't kids supposed to thrive on consistency? At least that's what everyone says (you know, that allusive "they" who say so much). Kids like routine and structure, or at least that's what "they" say. So we wake up and have our bottles, go down for our nap around 8(sounds early but not so when you wake up between 5 and 5:30), eat breakfast about 30 minutes after waking up from our nap, eat another bottle about 1 hour after breakfast... and so goes the day. We might go to the mall, hang out with a friend, take an afternoon walk, or run a few errands. But by afternoon we're right back in to the routine. We eat dinner at 5, baths at 5:30, bottles at 6, and bed around 7. Sounds pretty consistent right? Even a little like the movie Groundhog Day when Bill Murry wakes up to the same thing over and over and over.

So I am providing routine and structure with a few changes of scenery and new experiences mixed in for fun. I am doing the right thing, right? But now I'm left wondering WHERE THE HECK IS THE CONSISTENCY FROM THEM!?!

"They" say kids thrive on consistency. So why are they so darn inconsistent? Yesterday morning both babies napped for an hour and a half. That's awesome for Lola and a downright miracle for Jackson. How did it go this morning? Jackson slept for a whopping 30 minutes and Lola never fell asleep at all! One day Jackson likes to eat, the next he only wants bottles. One night both babies sleep (or at least mostly sleep) through the night. The next night I'm up every 20 minutes. Lola used to go to sleep and stay there. Recently she has been waking up at some point before 11 pm wanting to play. Not every night, though. That would be too consistent!

It's not like I expect them to fall asleep at exactly the same time and stay asleep for exactly the same duration every day. I guess I just expected all of my consistency to rub off a little on them. But that doesn't seem to be happening.

Just when I think I've got them figured out Jackson stops liking apples or Lola doesn't want to nap. The only pattern I can find is that there is absolutely no discern able pattern. So that gets me to thinking... is all this effort to provide structure and consistency for their benefit or for mine. Am I trying to make reason out of chaos? Are "they" just grownups like me trying to impose structure where there are really only the whims of inconsistent 8 month olds?