We did not realize just how sleep deprived we really were until we got to go away in March for an extended long weekend without the kids. My sister in law came from Canada to stay at the house- bless her heart- and we slept three whole nights in a row.
We came home and the first night we were up with Sam all night we felt like we had been hit by a truck. It was super rough- and even rougher then because we knew just what we had been missing. Sam was six months old and was still waking at least once to eat- and was sleeping so restlessly (in our bed still) that it didn't matter- we weren't getting any quality sleep anyway.
Then my husband had to go home for almost a week and my iron resolve was that I would get Sam to sleep in her own bed. It took me four nights- but by the fourth night she was staying in her bed the whole night and only waking once to eat. Two weeks later she gave up the middle of the night feeding and it was heaven.
Until a few weeks after that when Hayley started waking in the middle of the night to cry for milk. I don't get it. She was two and a half. Why, oh why, can she not sleep through the middle of the night?
It has been happening ever since. I am not kidding when I say we maybe get one good night out of Hayley a week. Sam? Sam sleeps like a dream. Seriously. She never ever wakes in the middle of the night even though she is getting like fourteen teeth all at the same time. (And why haven't those teeth poked through yet? By the time they finally cut I think they are going to be adult teeth! But that's a story for another day.)
I honestly think we are the only people I know whose children just do not sleep. Well, I take that back, one of the girls that works for me was telling me a few years ago how her prechooler would get up every night and come to their bed. They were so tired they just let him in and he slept there every single night.
HA! I was such an expert then. (I mean, Hayley was all of like four months old and I just knew it ALL). I told her there was just no way that was ever going to happen in our house- we were going to lay down the law. We were going to Super-Nanny her right back to her own bed until she figured it out. We were never going to let Hayley sleep in our bed.
Ummm. Well, I have half that right. Hayley never does sleep in our bed. Instead one of us usually goes and lays with her in her bed. Incidentally- I'm happier now than ever that we opted to skip right over the toddler bed stage and right to a double bed- even foregoing the twin bed stage.
I am certain that us moving into this short term rental house has had an impact on her sleep habits as well- but honestly, there is just something to be said for sleep. I always used to say (when I was younger of course) "Sleep is overrated. I'll sleep when I'm dead." And at this rate- well, not getting any sleep just might kill me.
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