Are you sleeping??
The answer to this question is nearly always a resounding NO! I sleep like crap and have for as long as I can remember. I think probably 15-20 years now. There are many factors that contribute to my lack of sleep.
Perhaps it's ironic that I can fall asleep quickly, at the drop of a hat, and almost always when Dave turns on a movie he really wants me to watch. Some people have trouble falling asleep, but not me! My problem comes when I want to actually STAY asleep. It would seem that God, the Gods, the Universe or whomever controls everything thinks it's very funny to keep me awake. I'm not sure what I've done to deserve this terrible fate. Perhaps I was too lazy in a past life or something. If I get 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep, it's a miracle in my view. A full 8 hours is almost unheard of.
Believe it or not, the toddler is the least of my sleeping worries, though lately he's been contributing - isn't that nice of him? We will call him Sleeping Problem #1. Several times a week, he's decided it will be ok to wake up at 3 or 4am and yell for me. Sometimes it's a legitimate nightmare and I will cuddle with him, stroking his sweet-smelling hair and patting his back. After a few minutes, he happily lays back down, and we do Bedtime Ritual #3, which consists of "Wee" (a game involving me taking his sheet, snapping it high up in the air while saying WEEEEEEE, and laying it down on him and Hider-man), grabbing his sippy cup of water and going back to sleep. If it's not a bad dream, he usually says he wants to come lay down with us or go downstairs. I will bring him into bed with us, but never downstairs. Coming to bed with us is always followed with the Zack2.5 stipulation that just as I'm getting comfortable, he will want to go back into his own bed. Repeat Bedtime Ritual #3 here. If he asks to go downstairs, he gets a firm "Zack, it's still dark out, everyone is sleeping, it's time for night-night" and Bedtime Ritual #3.
This happened last night of course. Here is where we introduce Sleeping Problem #2 - my husband. If he eats after 8pm, he will snore. It's a fact of life and I'm used to it by now. Sometimes the snoring will wake me, but usually it doesn't, it's just a factor in not allowing me to get back to sleep again when I've been up with Zack. Other times, he snores one of those snores where I'd prefer to rip off my own arm and beat myself into unconciousness, rather than listen to it anymore. But usually, it's the first instance. I must add that unlike every other man I've heard of, David will happily go downstairs and sleep on the couch if I ask him to when he's snoring. However, most of the time I feel bad asking him to do so. I need to get over that - big time!
So, I bring Zack into bed with us and Dave's snoring. This causes Zack to make comments. "Did you hear dat, mommy?" "What's dat noise, mommy?" "Dat daddy?" "I wanna go my woom" So back to bed Zack goes, with Ritual #3, of course.
Took me over an hour to get back to sleep after that last night.
Sleep problem #3 - I can't stay asleep, even when it IS quiet, after around 5am. I will wake up numerous times. Sometimes every 10 minutes. Joyous, it really is. Exhausting is more like it. I can remember this happening as early as high school. I would look at the clock - 5:30am - fall asleep, wake up, look at the clock - 5:45am, etc. I've trained myself now to not look at the clock. It only makes me upset and frustrated. I have an alarm set and I will only look at the clock if Sleeping Problem #1 calls me. Because, well, I have to have a reference point to get sympathy from everyone the next day. "Zack was up at 3:30 last night", you get the picture.
I never wondered why I didn't suffer from sleep deprivation that much after Zack was born. Very simply - I was already sleep deprived, so at least when Zack was born I had someone to keep me company :)
From now on, when I say I'm tired, you have a little more insight as to why.
Perhaps it's ironic that I can fall asleep quickly, at the drop of a hat, and almost always when Dave turns on a movie he really wants me to watch. Some people have trouble falling asleep, but not me! My problem comes when I want to actually STAY asleep. It would seem that God, the Gods, the Universe or whomever controls everything thinks it's very funny to keep me awake. I'm not sure what I've done to deserve this terrible fate. Perhaps I was too lazy in a past life or something. If I get 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep, it's a miracle in my view. A full 8 hours is almost unheard of.
Believe it or not, the toddler is the least of my sleeping worries, though lately he's been contributing - isn't that nice of him? We will call him Sleeping Problem #1. Several times a week, he's decided it will be ok to wake up at 3 or 4am and yell for me. Sometimes it's a legitimate nightmare and I will cuddle with him, stroking his sweet-smelling hair and patting his back. After a few minutes, he happily lays back down, and we do Bedtime Ritual #3, which consists of "Wee" (a game involving me taking his sheet, snapping it high up in the air while saying WEEEEEEE, and laying it down on him and Hider-man), grabbing his sippy cup of water and going back to sleep. If it's not a bad dream, he usually says he wants to come lay down with us or go downstairs. I will bring him into bed with us, but never downstairs. Coming to bed with us is always followed with the Zack2.5 stipulation that just as I'm getting comfortable, he will want to go back into his own bed. Repeat Bedtime Ritual #3 here. If he asks to go downstairs, he gets a firm "Zack, it's still dark out, everyone is sleeping, it's time for night-night" and Bedtime Ritual #3.
This happened last night of course. Here is where we introduce Sleeping Problem #2 - my husband. If he eats after 8pm, he will snore. It's a fact of life and I'm used to it by now. Sometimes the snoring will wake me, but usually it doesn't, it's just a factor in not allowing me to get back to sleep again when I've been up with Zack. Other times, he snores one of those snores where I'd prefer to rip off my own arm and beat myself into unconciousness, rather than listen to it anymore. But usually, it's the first instance. I must add that unlike every other man I've heard of, David will happily go downstairs and sleep on the couch if I ask him to when he's snoring. However, most of the time I feel bad asking him to do so. I need to get over that - big time!
So, I bring Zack into bed with us and Dave's snoring. This causes Zack to make comments. "Did you hear dat, mommy?" "What's dat noise, mommy?" "Dat daddy?" "I wanna go my woom" So back to bed Zack goes, with Ritual #3, of course.
Took me over an hour to get back to sleep after that last night.
Sleep problem #3 - I can't stay asleep, even when it IS quiet, after around 5am. I will wake up numerous times. Sometimes every 10 minutes. Joyous, it really is. Exhausting is more like it. I can remember this happening as early as high school. I would look at the clock - 5:30am - fall asleep, wake up, look at the clock - 5:45am, etc. I've trained myself now to not look at the clock. It only makes me upset and frustrated. I have an alarm set and I will only look at the clock if Sleeping Problem #1 calls me. Because, well, I have to have a reference point to get sympathy from everyone the next day. "Zack was up at 3:30 last night", you get the picture.
I never wondered why I didn't suffer from sleep deprivation that much after Zack was born. Very simply - I was already sleep deprived, so at least when Zack was born I had someone to keep me company :)
From now on, when I say I'm tired, you have a little more insight as to why.
1 Comments:
Oh my goodness it's hard to know which one is more work, the husband or the kid, isn't it??
Well, to make you smile I went to the rap star name generator and got your rap name. It's Mama Lipps.
Doesn't that make you feel better?
Well, you can go here and get your country star/pop start/ etc. name!
Sincerely,
Risque J
http://rapstarname.com/index.php
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