Sleep

I don't know about you, but I love me some sleep. I literally used to crawl into bed and say out loud, "I love you bed." Most people consider themselves a morning or a night person. I am neither. I like to sleep in, and I like to go to bed at a decent time too. But guess what? In 2007, that love of sleep went BUB-BYE. Forever, I think.

With four children, I'm bound to get up at least once a night for one reason or another. I'm not gonna lie, there are nights I do get to sleep through the night now that I don't have an infant. But let me tell you (I earned it) that Paisley didn't sleep through the night until she was 10 months old, Madden until 8 months, Hudson at 7 months, and Everleigh...our best sleeper, 6 weeks. It was long few years with no sleep. And when I say no sleep, I mean it. When you have nursing twins, you'll understand. And if you never have nursing twins, consider yourself lucky. And well rested.

But see how cute they are when they are asleep?

But many nights, I'm up. Sometimes it's a legit reason. Sometimes it's not. Last night, I woke to a loud, "MOOOOMM!" I got up, stood next to the twins' door and waited. I didn't hear anything else, so I was just going to go back to bed. Then something made me go in and check. Sure enough, Madden was sitting up, with puke everywhere! UGH! After cleaning up the bedding, pillows, pajamas, etc and starting laundry at 3am, I went back to bed. Then I heard something else, so I went to check it out. It was a bare-bottomed Hudson, standing on a toy, looking in the dresser with his flashlight. He wanted some different jammies (smh). After dealing with that, I went back to bed, again. About 5 minutes later, another loud, "MOOOOM!". I rush in expecting to see more puke. Hudson says to me, "Mom. My blanky hit me." -- REALLY?! Go. To. Bed. I am tired!

More than once, Paisley has woken me from a dead sleep to tell me that her pinky itches. Guess, what? At midnight, I could care less that your pinky finger itches. Tell one of your stuffed animals, this mom is sleeping!! Or the best is when you roll over, and awake to a child standing at the side of your bed! Scares the shit out of you!!

Between the husband's loud snores, the kids having to go potty, my leg pain (I have Schwannomatosis that keeps me up a lot at night), sickness, losing toys down the crack of the bed and other nonsense. I long for sleep again. I dream about the days when I have to yell to get the kids out of bed, because that means, I got to sleep in.
The whole sleeping through the night business though...that might be gone. I understand my kids will always need me for something in the night. And when they're old enough to be out with friends, I'm sure I'll be awake worrying. Especially because the room that the twins share has easy access to sneaking out. And lord knows that these two will master any lock we place upon those windows.

Oh, sleep. I miss you. Until that day when you come back into my life, I guess I'll get by with big bags under my eyes, several cups of coffee, no energy, big yawns and the distant memory of what we once had. You made me happy. Come back again, soon. Okay?!