My kids are adorable, wonderful, fun and awesome. They do a lot that makes me laugh and they also have a knack for making me crazy.
The good FAR outweighs the bad.
But they both seem to have this inherent issue that just plain kills me.
They don’t sleep.
Ok, that’s a slight exaggeration. Of course they sleep. They just don’t sleep well. Both of them were well over six months before they slept through the night. Miss E was nine months. I thought I was going to die.
At 18 months, Mr A started waking in the middle of the night. That “phase” that we just knew he’d outgrow lasted months. I was pregnant and already tired. Sleeping on the floor of his room was not part of my plan.
My daughter was a champion sleeper once she figured it out. She went down in seconds. You gave her the lovey and pacifier – BOOM – she was out.
Then I went and effed it all to hell. I took away her pacifier.
WHAT WAS I THINKING?
Ever since then she wakes at night. Most nights. On the nights she doesn’t (which are few), her brother wakes up. Sometimes, when I’m super lucky and clearly have irritated every sleep god in every religion there is, they BOTH wake up. Like last night.
At midnight, there was a small boy human at my bedside. I took his hand, put him back in his bed and then just crawled in. Yes, I hear that’s a big no no, but I didn’t care. I wanted to sleep. Three hours later I hear SCREAMING. I pop out of the boy’s bed and run down the hall to the girl human’s room, praying he doesn’t wake up too.
Mother of pearl.
So when people ask me if we’re contemplating a third? That’s a pretty loud and clear NO.
I’m not a very nice person when I don’t sleep. I yell. I lack patience. I cannot even begin to imagine having a newborn and still having to deal with the other two in the middle of the night. No thank you. Not for us.
Babies are cute, cuddly and make my ovaries sing with anticipation. But I’m pretty sure we’re closing up shop.
A rested mama is a better mama.
Send coffee.
© Photographer Johanna Goodyear | Agency: Dreamstime.com
Ahh Erin. Been there. I’m sorry my friend. Hugs. *Passes the ‘Jet Fuel’ coffee pot*
It shall pass my friend!!! Hang in there!
Ugh. Reason enough right there. I’ve been fortunate (even with the planes so low now) to not have this issue except the nights when his leg cramps are bothering him. As with Katja, this too shall pass. Before we know it, they’ll be complaining to us that their kids are keeping them up all night. 😉
Yeah, Lucy is 2 1/2 and has never slept through the night, and Catie wasn’t consistent until kindergarten started, so believe me, I feel you.
And this is terrible and I’m probably going to hell for saying it, but the absolute best part about my ex-husband moving back to NC is that I’m now guaranteed at least a couple of nights a week in which no tiny children wake me up in the middle of the night. It’s not much, but I’ll take what I can get.
Mark my words: when they’re teenagers and want to sleep until noon? I’m going in their rooms at 5 a.m. with air horns. PAYBACK TIME.
ahhh yes… the sleepless years. we have 3 and the third has to sleep with me. it’s so annoying. I keep telling myself she won’t be this way forever, but she is 8. she may well be sleeping with me in high school at this rate! haha.
The sleep deprivation is so difficult, but it really does get better. I promise!
I get you. Mine do not sleep either. We have taught them to be self sufficient and demand quiet in the morning.
My guy had such a hard time settling down at night that we talked to his doctor about it. He now takes 2mg or melatonin every night as part of a very (VERY) structured bed time routine. Of course he still wakes up at 5:30 every morning, he has done that pretty much his entire life. We are still learning to adapt to each other.
Hang in there .. I have been there. Lots of coffee
I feel your pain. Although you should know that my boys didn’t sleep through the night until at least 18 months. My kids are BAAAD sleepers. At least the littlest one has always been able to fall asleep without the screamfest his brother was the first year+ of his life when it came to sleep of any kind.
And like you – my hubs is not good on no sleep. For whatever reason, I can manage (caffeine addiction?) but it REALLY helps to know yourself and I adore how honest you are about this.
I know that “this too shall pass” but it doesn’t make it suck less while it’s here! 🙂