Breaking up with Sleeping Beauty!

While I was pregnant with Thing One everyone told me to take advantage of being able to sleep at anytime and to my heart's content. I accepted that soon I would be on a newborns sleep schedule and not my own. What I didn't realize was that sleep deprivation would go far beyond the first couple of months of Thing One's life.Thing One is quickly approaching 3 years old. That will mark the 3 years I have had very little and sporadic sleep.

Sarge always called me Sleeping Beauty. Since a very young age I can remember really enjoying sleeping in and taking an occasional naps, just because. Sarge said I had a voracious appetite to sleep just like him. Sometimes in the afternoon it would be a time to lounge in the living room, just because we were tired and needed a nap. Teenage years didn't fare any better. Unless I had a cheer competition or practice to go to, I would sleep until noon if I could. Into my young adulthood I had much time between getting married and going to school to sleep whenever and wherever. I guess you can say that I had my fair share of sleeping, because the lack of sleep I was in for may make up for the times I slept my life away.

Thing One has always been a pretty good sleeper since about 5 months of age. I could always predict his naps and the length of them. Unless it was the occasional illness or tooth coming in, it was not much that I didn't expect from his sleeping patterns. He can actually sleep through a train wreck, earthquake, leaf blower, vacum cleaner, etc...

When I found out I was pregnant with Thing Two, I knew there would be again nights with very little sleep, especially since Thing One would only be a mere 17 months old. I had no idea what I was in for.  Thing Two was definitely a different child with different patterns and unpredictability.  She was 6 months old before we could get through a night without several hours of screaming off and on through the night.  She is the type of child you have to have a quiet room for.  Any motion, wind blowing, whispering, tip toeing she is able to detect.  Pediatrician said she would grow out of this, I'm still waiting for that moment and it's been a year since then.  So you can imagine that sleep is a luxury now.  Thing One being the busy little guy that he is does not know the word "ssshhhhhh!" So Thing Two is startled and cries until she can come down from her fright. 

Not only are the Thing's different types of sleepers but they also have not fallen into that in sync nap schedule I had hoped they would after age one for Thing One.  I have tried to follow suggestions for naptime schedules with no success.  Thing One will take one big nap at noon for about 2 1/2 hours. Thing Two will break up her nap into two 1 1/2 hour naps at sporadic times in the morning and afternoon. 

 Most mom's can get both kids down and do things, not me.  As soon as one is down, the other is up.  Frustrating on some days when Thing One requires all of my attention (She is a diva of sorts. :P)  I swear there are nights when Thing One and Thing Two conspire to keep me up most nights.  I hear them babbling to each other at times.  It's almost as if they are saying "ok, I wake up with a nightmare, then you cry once I go to sleep. Let's see what happens."  What happens most times is I am up sporadically through the night.  I have tried to ignore, but ignoring only makes Thing Two grow louder.  Thing One will occasionally get up and go and find me in the room. 

I have a natural tendency to have dark circle around my eyes, but I am now making racoons jealous! Geez!  I have been known to fall asleep on the couch while in the middle of folding clothes only to be awakened by the scream of Thing Two because her brother is hitting her so that she doesn't turn the T.V. off.  I have also been awakened by Thing One's chubby little fingers poking my eyes and lifting my eyelids and saying "wake up momma!".   I practically jump for joy when I have more than 6 hours of sleep at night or the times both of them nap at the same time.  This is the life of a mother I suppose, but being a single mom, there really isn't anyone else to say "Hey can you take over the reigns, while I catch some zzzz's?".  So for now me and Sleeping Beauty have broken up, I have welcomed Zombies. Bring on the late night infomercials so I can spend money!