I think Mr. Sandman got laid off.
Just after I gave birth to my first child, my mother-in-law told me I will never get a peaceful night of sleep again. While that’s not been entirely the truth, she was on to something. Midnight and early morning feedings turned into aiding sicknesses, turned into easing nightmarish fears, turned into a little one needing just one more cuddle, turned into two more children to follow the aforementioned pattern. It seems as though we will eternally be hearing the little patter of footsteps padding into our room during the sleepy hours.
Sleep. Ahhhh. Sleep. Motherhood has turned me into a light sleeper. I awake if a down feather wrestles loose from a pillow. I awake if I hear a cough. I awake if one of my little ones falls out of bed. Well, sure that one is a given, but still. You just can’t keep a good woman down I guess.
How then would I describe the nights when I do sleep well? I can’t describe them. I can only say it’s obvious the next day. I’m restored and my mind is crisp, everything seems more doable and less an obstacle.
So, I’m hoping that Mr. Sandman gets reinstated. He had such purpose. I know it’s not his fault my sleep is as jilted as shifting tectonic plates. I’ll just blame this whacked out economy, but I miss him. I wonder what it’ll take to get him back. I wonder if he’ll ever come back. I imagine I’ll have to get through the teenage years first.
Sleep Much?
Motherhood has transformed me into a light sleeper as well. I do wonder how my sleep patterns will change (if they still can) once my children are all out of the house approximately 17 years from now.
ReplyDeleteHi Wendy,
ReplyDeleteYou have an adorable blog! And I just love your posts! You have a natural way of describing motherhood!
My husband and I keep reminding one another that one day the kiddos will be older and we'll be able to sleep. Right now, any one of the three will wake in the middle of the night (or usually at the crack of dawn). It's funny because we KNOW we'll miss them one day. One day when they're leaving for college or getting married or something like that, we'll look back and think of the little chubby legs that curled around ours or the little morning breath that asked us if we could get up and put on Dora the Explorer or Blues Clues at 5am. I try to treasure these days, but some mornings it's all I can do to peel my eyelids open and make it through one more looooong day after a sleepless night.
ReplyDeleteHugs!
~Shaye
I am a light sleeper too. Zeke fell off the bed last night. All I heard was a light thump followed by a little whimper across the house. I ran in to see if he was okay and he had already climbed back in bed and was on his way back to sleep. I'm going ahead and rearing up for #3's midnight feedings=)
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