As a mother with 4 kids, sleep deprivation seems to be a constant thing. I don't claim to do a good job at the whole sleep thing with my kids (I've never had one sleep through the night consistently until they are over 2 - 2 years old, not months!). But my 4th is the worst. You know, you get a little arrogant by the 4th kid. "I know what I'm doing, leave me alone! No advice, I'm a pro!" Well, #4 is making sure that I stay humble. :-) All my other kids would wake up, I would nurse them, put them down and they would go back to sleep. Not so this time. Sometimes that does happen. But, he has a "habit" of not going back to sleep too. For a long time, he would just jump in his crib. For a long time. He did this enough, that I started getting heart palpitations when I would hear him jumping - no kidding. He's been doing better, but right now he has a cold. So, he woke up last night around 2:30 and didn't go back to sleep - until 4:30??? I'm not even sure. I had listened to him talking to himself, playing in his crib, jumping for a long while from my room. (Just so you know, I am such a pious person - I spent that time praying! "Dear God, KNOCK him OUT!" Just kidding, I really prayed for other things, with just an occasional request that angels come and sing him a nice song. I'm weird.) I finally went in his room and laid in the bed in there with him. That didn't work. I went back to bed, he screamed. Finally my dear, sweet husband got his sick body up and laid down in there. Why does that work? It does! Why, if I'm in there does he want to play and talk? As soon as Daddy goes in there he is quiet and goes to sleep. Can someone explain this to me? Anyway, at 6:30 he was screaming again. Brought him in my bed, nursed him and told him to lay down or he was going back in his crib. Instead, he sits up and says, "Sef is seeping" in a very loud voice. (#3 has been getting up at night due to being scared. He has a sleeping bag on our floor and was in it.) So, let's see, I went to bed around 11, was up from 2:30-4:30 (I do think I dozed a little in that.) and up for the day at 6:30. Coffee anyone? I love coffee. Really, I LOVE coffee. Any questions why?
2 comments:
Oh, I remember those days. My kids were pretty good sleepers overall, but I personally don't do well when I don't get a good night sleep.
And with 4 kids you increase your chances of 1 of the 4 of them not sleeping all night.
However, I promise the day will come when you will not get woken up by your kids. In fact they will go out of their way to be quiet and not wake you up. Of course that is usually because they are a few minutes late for curfew and you were not sleeping anyway because your babies were out in the big bad world without you doing who knows what...
Okay, perhaps having them in their cribs jumping is better after all. Do they make teen size cribs?
:o)
So, you're telling me it doesn't get any better than this? Sigh. Well, thanks for the hope and encouragement. :-)
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