Sleep Rage

Many things about becoming a parent took me by surprise. Spit up, for instance. And Laundry. I mean, I knew there would be laundry, but no so much of it. I guess I figured that, since the clothes were so much smaller... well, who knew?

I also knew about sleep deprivation. I had heard about waking up and putting babies back to sleep, midnight feedings, etc. But I wasn't prepared for just how frustrated I would be waking up at 3am, for the third time that night, to a one-year-old that is no longer breast fed, is eating real food, and who would like the pleasure of my company.

Nicholas was like this. He would wake up eleven times a night as long as I'd go in a sit with him in the rocking chair. I finally had to just let him cry, and it was a painful, irritating, frustrating process. Because at 3am, on twenty minutes of sleep, after a full year of not sleeping through the night... well, it's easy to give in, and I think I should either toss a bottle into the crib ot toss the baby out the window. And after Nick, I thought all babies were like this.

But then there was Nate. I was worried Nate's screaming would wake Nick, but Nate cried only until I walked into the bedroom, and refused to sit with me in the rocking chair. He would pitch his body toward the crib until I put him back to bed. Then he immediately fell asleep. So then I thought babies must be like Nate, and Nick was a freak.

But Andy is now over a year, and he doesn't sleep through the night. He wants a bottle. I allow him one a night. Because he keeps waking up and crying. Hell fall asleep in my arms, and the second I STAND UP to put him down he starts to cry. And he keeps crying as I bury my head under the covers and try to wait it out. And after 30 minutes I give up, go in, let him fall asleep in my arms for 30 seconds, and then it starts ALL OVER AGAIN.

But that's not what I was most unprepared for. No. What I was most unprepared for, and am most frustrated by, are the adds for SLEEP AIDS that are ALL OVER THE PLACE. The ARTICLES about how people NEED MORE SLEEP. The adds for sleep aids usually start out "Do you find it hard to get a good night's sleep? Is it interfering with your day? LUNESTA CAN HELP!" And I really would like to call those stupid sleep aid people and drag them back here so THEY can wake up five times a night. Also, if those people who can't sleep want to drag their behinds over here, I AM able to sleep if someone would just give me a CHANCE.

And those articles... I read one yesterday NOT about how people should sleep MORE, but how they should sleep LATER. Apparently 7am is when people can get most stressed (I know I usually hid my mid-day peak about then), and also "night owls are more creative." Based on the tests they gave. Of course, my question is "what time of day did they give the tests?" And also "how much sleep did the uncreative types get? HOW MANY KIDS DO THOSE 'CREATIVE' PEOPLE HAVE?"



I'm sorry this post is so ranty and rambling. I'm just a little tired. Of it. And just tired.