Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Sleep....


For the normal person, one doesn't miss something until it is gone. That idea is so true on many fronts...especially after having a child. Granted, you gain so much more after this little one enters your life, but there are a few things that go by the wayside once this little person takes over 99% of your life. One of the most missed aspects is a very simple one...sleep.

Oh sleep...how I miss you. How you used to tickle my eyelids with your warm embrace for upwards of 9 hours a night and I would wake up refreshed, renewed, and energized. How we used to laugh at the thought of welcoming you into our world before 9:00PM because there was the Daily Show to watch, followed by The Cobert Report as a soothing nightcap for our day. When the only sound that entered our room was Marcus' crazy loud snoring, which was perfectly hidden by my earplugs, which now I cannot sleep without. Dear sleep...ah, that you are...a dear friend who has gone missing for close to six months. With that we say...we will see you again...someday.

When I saw my sweet cousin from Austin, TX at my brother's wedding last month, she was asking me all sorts of questions about parenthood and how things were going. I told her how amazing it is, how it is hands down the greatest blessing and joy you can have in life, and the first time that baby smiles at you...wow...your heart is a puddle of melted love. That child is the greatest thing to enter into your life. But, I felt like I had to be perfectly honest with her...it is also the most difficult and hardest thing I have EVER done.

Let's be perfectly frank, the first two months are all about survival. There were many times where I really questioned if I would make it. The mixture of hormones, overwhelming feelings of love and feeling completely inadequate for this unbelievable task ahead of you sometimes feels so enormous that you question if you will ever get past it. Believe me, you do get past it and forget how difficult those first two months are. We are five months in and it has gotten so much better...except for the sleep.

Granted, he sleeps a full night for an infant. 7-8 hours straight is considered a full nights sleep and he certainly passes that. But when you go to bed at 7:30PM, eight hours later is 3:30 and boy are they ready to eat. I am really looking forward to the day where he actually sleeps till 6 or 7 AM without any earlier wake-up calls. I know this day will come!!

But it's the naps that are killing us right now. The boy does not like to sleep more than 30 minutes a few times during the day. Yesterday he actually slept for 3 hours, which is a complete miracle and hasn't been replicated yet today. I'm quite sad about that. He actually just woke up after only 30 minutes. At least he is happy and not cranky.

Sleep...we will see you soon...we miss you!

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