Why don’t I make sleepy children?
Why don’t I make sleepy children?
It is 11: 36pm and I just put Julianna down. I’m actually patting myself on the back right now, because I managed to beat her usual midnight bedtime by a whopping 24 minutes (I’ve got to hold tight to the small victories). My wee one has decided that her old 8pm bedtime was just the right time for a power nap, and wakes up after 20 minutes or so. I normally try to nurse her back to sleep for anywhere from five minutes to a half hour or more. She usually goes along with me for just long enough that I get my hopes up. As soon as my guard is down, she pops up, points at the crack of light visible beneath the bedroom door and says “do-a, do-a” in her perkiest voice. Eventually I admit defeat and open the do-a to let her rejoin the social activities going on downstairs.
Bella fell asleep about twenty minutes before Julianna, but only after two hours of yelling, threats, clothing changes, and drink and food requests. She thinks I’m the meanest person alive, I think she’s out to steal my last remaining shred of sanity. She was eventually silenced by the fact that I informed her that if she yelled out one more time I was turning the hall light off (gasp, the hall light – I AM mean). Lets not talk about my parenting ideals, they went out the window a few weeks ago.
Since alone time is far more important to my sanity than sleep, I will now stay up until 1 or 2am and enjoying the fact that I can finally, finally hear myself think. I also spend this time hoping against hope that Julianna will sleep at least an hour before waking to demand my services once more. Although historically speaking I am almost guaranteed disappointment, I remain ever optimistic.
At least they are sleeping in until 10am. If they were waking at 6am I’d likely loose it. I keep telling myself I need to get us all out of bed earlier and try to set their body clocks back – but I just don’t seem to have the will power necessary to actually do it.
My mother thinks this is all rather amusing. She repeatedly reminds me that I didn’t go to sleep before midnight until I was twelve (surely she exaggerates?). She smiles a smug smile (I think I even heard her cackle once) and makes statements that clearly communicate she feels this is poetic justice - some sort of sleep karma at work. This confirms my suspicion that raising myself and my three siblings made her a touch mean-spirited.
Presumably my girls are (after almost a month?) still on Phoenix time. The four-hour time difference means Jules is sleeping from 8pm to 6am. Although I don’t believe that is really enough sleep for my almost-one-year-old – it is at least within reason. My mother (mean-spirited and pessimistic) predicts they will adjust to Atlantic time a few days before we return to Arizona.
As for me, they can get me down – but they can’t break my spirit. I’ll just sit here and dream about the day when their children will do the same thing to them. Then it will be my turn for a mean-spirited cackle at their expense. Universal sleep karma will not be denied.
Oh my gosh, I am so there with you. It’s 10:30 here and Leo is alternating between chewing my nipples and cackling. My mother also tells me how at 12 months, I slept from 11pm-7am on days I didn’t nap and 12am-7am on days I did. I’ve been up until 4am sometimes to get that precious alone time. At least Leo sleeps a long chunk once he’s down.
Comment by Amy F — 07.25.06 @ 4:34:58
I remember being there with Andrew, not so long ago. I remember thinking that as much as I was complaining about the all-night nurse-a-thons, that I wasn’t doing anything to change things, so things weren’t likely to change on their own anytime soon. They sure push you to the brink though, eh?? Sounds like they are indeed still on Phoenix time, which should make for a nice smooth transition back home when you get there. You can hope so, anyway!
Comment by Jen H. — 07.25.06 @ 1:34:53
You poor thing… I’m obsessed with sleep and fortunately appear to have had children who enjoy sweet a slumber themselves… Kudos to you for keeping your sense of humour - I too look forward to being a grandmother who can smile and nod knowingly!
Comment by em — 07.26.06 @ 3:51:16
Jeanette, with both girls I will give them a three strikes and you’re out policy. After all the bedtime routine is finished, they can call me back to their room exactly three times. After that they will be in big trouble. Also, they must stayin the bed and call me, except if they need to use the bathroom they can go on their own. If someone gets out of bed after the three strikes, they are put into the guest room for about an hour or so, and it’s veerrrrry boring in that room! Much better to at least be able to talk to your sister in the other bunk bed.
As far as Julianna goes– just hang in there! I know it’s hard to have a baby and taxing in so many ways. But I kinda (sorta, on a good day) miss the baby stuff.
Comment by darshani — 07.26.06 @ 6:09:38
Thanks for reminding me that what we go through is normal.
And that you, too, want to pull your hair out. We’ve got the bedtime drama happening around 8 and they start waking at about 6. But the 10-month-old thinks we have a standard nursing appt. at 4 a.m. argh.
Comment by Beth — 07.26.06 @ 10:22:07
When my husband was in Iraq last year, this is the schedule we fell into. And I also stayed up into the wee hours of the morning because I so craved the alone time. And letting them stay up later than the ideal was just way easier than fighting them in order to get them into bed at a decent hour. And mine were 3 and 5 at the time! I think my late nights definitely played a part in me strongly encouraging the 3 yr old to give up that last nursing session (it was first thing in the early AM, then she’d go back to sleep).
Comment by Kelly — 07.27.06 @ 7:42:10
oh, sleep.
is it bad to think about giving them opium just to get a full 6 hours with two hours of alone time?
:) hee!
Comment by sagefemme — 07.29.06 @ 9:45:58
oh, sleep.
is it bad to think about giving them opium just to get a full 6 hours with two hours of alone time?
:) hee!
Comment by sagefemme — 07.29.06 @ 9:48:38
Oh, Jeanette, I feel for you, dear! Nothing (at least in my book!) is worse than continued sleep deprivation. Every time you don’t mention this for a while I think, “Ahhh . . . everyone’s sleeping like babies (pardon the pun) at Jeanette’s house.” Not so, I see.
As I’ve told you before, I’ve been there but (as for now) have made it to the other side. My upcoming sleep project is to get them onto “school time” and off of “summer time.” Bedtimes and wake times need to be earlier. Right now we head upstairs somewhere between 8 and 8:30 but by the time books are read and everyone’s tucked in, it’s close to 9:00 before they are asleep which means sleeping until 7 or 8 in the morning. That won’t work with a school day that starts at 7:35 AM!
UGH! I am dreading it!
Hang in there!
Comment by Lisa P — 07.29.06 @ 3:41:52
they sound just like my people, who are driving Dh and I insane. if these kids were boyfriends, we would have broken up already.
Comment by Anna — 08.07.06 @ 9:23:25