Initialize USB keyboard attached while suspended

I have a laptop that I sometimes want to use with separate peripherals; external monitor, external keyboard and external mouse. When in this mode, I want to keep the laptop closed and tucked away (as much as cooling concerns allow ;)

I would like to simply attach the peripherals and then tap the external keyboard to wake the computer. This does not work -- it does not respond to keypresses on the external keyboard -- so I have to wake it by opening the lid. When awake, it recognizes the keyboard and does some kind of initialization. I can then close the lid, which causes the machine to go back to sleep, and wake the computer with the external keyboard.

This is more roundabout than I would like.

How can I make the machine recognize the external keyboard when I attach it while the machine is suspended? Or, do you recommend another way to get out of this pickle? (Maybe "resume on external monitor attached"?)