Wednesday, November 22, 2006

ZZZZzzzzzzz.........

I'm so tired, are you too? One of the major reasons that I don't post as much anymore is because many days, when Noah naps, I just pass out. I've been very exhausted lately. I'm not sleeping so well anymore and wake up a lot at night. I suppose coupled with the fact that we wake up with Noah every morning by 7:00am, if not earlier, that doesn't equate to much sleep. A friend of mine has a fabulous system worked out with her husband. They have two small children, 1 year and 4 years. On the weekend, either my friend or her husband takes Saturday or Sunday morning as their morning to watch the kids, while the other takes the next day as their morning. The one who has the morning off, gets to sleep in a little. Such a great idea, right? Unfortunately, and I should add, regardless of how wonderfully helpful Jon is on any given morning, we just can't seem to sleep-in at our house. This is because it's a very small ranch and we have a very loud child who also happens to be very needy. So, if the loud screams and crashing toys from the playroom next door don't keep you up, surely the pounding on your door every five minutes with an astounding "MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMY!!!!", will.

Everyday around 1:00 when Noah goes down for a nap I have an internal battle. All I want to do is lay my head down and sleep. I must truly be tired because it usually takes just seconds to pass out. I battle with myself, stay up, get things done, clean, cook myself lunch, straighten up, make call backs or e-mail replies or sleep. I think though, for the mere fact that I literally "pass out" means that I am indeed in need of some sleep.

The problem is, is that Noah now only sleep one hour most days. It takes a while to get him down, do a couple quick things and lie down, so I am left with just 40 minutes or so. I wake up with a jolt each time, deep in sleep by a loud cry from his room. You wake up feeling more tired than you did going down. So what's a Mom to do?

Do I not let myself sleep and go to bed earlier or do I just try to get the rest that I can during the day? This is a hard one, what do you guys do? Hope you're all well rested and getting those dished done at nap time, or at least reading a magazine.... Thanks!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey there.
MANY days I lie down when the girls do. I just can't seem to get through some of those days without a nap!
Lately, I've been doing much better...I'm averaging about one nap per week right now...whew.
It will get better, but when the girls were Noah's age, I needed my rest, too.
And I can sympathize with getting up early and going through the day on very little sleep.
I have insomnia, and its a real pain when you can't fall asleep until two or three a.m. and the kiddos get you up early!
Keep the faith, you WILL get enough rest, but it will be hard for awhile yet.
But once they reach three or four, life is a bit easier. :)
I love ya.
Kendra

nancy said...

I can't think of anything to do about it other than go to bed earlier and I never want to do that. The only other thought is to try an occassional treat weekend with Jon where you each pick a day and the wake up person is on a mission to get the boy up and out of the house (even if you just pack a yogurt and go to the park for an hour it will be a little bit of quiet alone time. Here's to hoping for longer naps.

Laura said...

I have to agree with Kendra, that it does get easier as they get older. Plus, you can leave them alone for a few minutes to get something done quickly. I have been blessed in that Caitlin really knows how to entertain herself. Granted, she doesn't normally nap now, but I know that I can relax on the couch for awhile and she will be fine.
I will say though, that I am guilty of falling asleep in the mornings after Cara goes back down from her first feeding. Usually, that allows me an extra hour or so of sleep.
Going to bed early isn't an option for me as Caitlin resists bedtime. In order to get her to sleep, I have to go in with her and even then she oftentimes is up a lot later than I am 'cause she watches cartoons on the TV in the room that we all share.
Bottom line, don't feel guilty about napping and letting other things go...what's important is that you are well-rested and able to take care of yourself and Noah. I doubt that Jon will mind if the house is a little messy when he comes home.

Judy said...

I'm with Laura and Kendra...it does get easier when they are older. The stage that Noah and Tyler are in right now is EXHAUSTING. At least Tyler has an older brother to distract him...I remember with Travis how drained I felt each day with him. But, they DO become more independent and you slowly find yourself again, I promise.

Good to "see" you post.

By the way, my BIL and SIL do that trade off thingy in the mornings, and they say it works because they have three kids - they all entertain each other. They tried it with #1 and it was a no-go until #3 came about (didn't even think of it after #2 - they are too close together in age to have slowed down enough in between to think of it!).

Lauren said...

Hey, thanks guys! You have some really really good suggestions. You're right, I will get more sleep someday...like when he is 16!!!! :) Yeah, when Noah becomes a teenager and sleeps in, you better believe I will be too! Thanks a ton, you guys are the best!!!
Lauren

Ps. Today we ran and ran at the park and he only napped 45 minutes! I heard many kids drop their nap between 2 and 3 years. Now THAT is scary!

Judy said...

Hey - came over because Bloglines showed a link to a Britney Spears squirrel??? Where is it?