What an Evening...

So, Nick is away again this weekend for a second installment of his Wood Badge training course. It rained here today, so he probably got rained on, too, up in the mountains...

I certainly don't envy him. But I do miss him. And the boys have been missing him much more acutely this time it seems that last time. Maybe because last time, they were kind of caught off guard by the whole thing, not really having been given much warning. But this time, they have the memory of what it was like before, and how long it took for Daddy to get back (he was gone for three days and two nights). And this time, he's even gone a whole night longer. So now we're on night #2...

The boys were all right last night for the most part. Z was a tad fussier than usual, and did say "Daddy" several times in kind of a sad voice, before finally falling asleep.

Tonight, though, around 10:00, the waterworks began in earnest. It didn't help, either, that Z never took a nap today, despite the fact that he had several opportunities throughout the day. So he asked to nurse around 9-ish, and I started to nurse him. But then I realized that he would likely fall asleep nursing; so, I interrupted the nursing to put him into a fresh diaper for the night (didn't bother with PJs). Then I started nursing again and he almost fell asleep a couple times, but not quite.

After a while, I noticed G looking sleepy on the couch, and started talking with him while I nursed to keep him awake until I could get him all ready for bed (he still wets the bed, so I didn't want to let him fall asleep in his underwear). I kept checking on Z and eventually he seemed to be mostly asleep, and I decided to try putting him in his bed.

Bad idea, as it turned out. Z started crying and wailing as he just laid in bed-- obviously tired and sleepy, since he didn't just climb down out of the bed by himself. But I knew if I picked him back up again, he would not want to let me go, and I had to turn my attention to G for a few minutes.

I told G it was time to get ready for bed, and then HE started wailing and crying about how much he missed Daddy, and when was Daddy coming home?

They both continued to cry, and I eventually did the only thing I could think of to do: I said, "How about if we all sleep together tonight?" Well, it got G to perk up, at least, so I could get him ready for bed. Z was still not consoled, however. He finally got hiself out of bed and I picked him up (remarkably, he did not ask for more milk). He continued to bawl as I picked out his pajamas and got him changed. I almost ended up just bringing the boys to bed with me right then, thinking we'd just have to skip the teeth-brushing for the night.

But, it also happens to be "that time of month," and I could NOT just go to bed without taking care of my own needs. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise, however, as I carried Z with me into the bathroom, wondering what I was going to do with him while I changed into a nighttime maxi pad. Well, as soon as I got out a pad, he was fasinated with it and finally stopped crying. He took hold of the pad, and I was able to set him down as I sat on the toilet. He kept holding out the pad to me and saying "diaper." Well, it does resemble a diaper, I suppose...

Anyway, I got changed, and Z was still complacent. So we were able to all brush our teeth after all. Then we went to bed, said our prayers, and the boys laid down and fell asleep (Z had to be touching my chest the whole time) as I sang a few songs.

So, now I have two boys in my bed. And it is quite warm this evening. I think I may end up sleeping on the couch tonight...

I may be a "bad mom" for saying this, but...

...I believe I love my children best when they are SLEEPING.

For a Better Night's Sleep...

All through my teenage years and all through college, I struggled to sleep at night. Well, I still have my struggles, but for different reasons...But back then, I had two problems: 1)I couldn't get comfortable; and 2)I couldn't calm my mind down. I still struggle with the latter, but the former has finally been addressed, since my pregnancy with my first baby.

When I was in high school, I always slept on my stomach. To me, this seemed to be the most comfortable way I could manage to sleep, though it still was not perfect. Sometimes I would also sleep on my side, but this was a challenge for me because I did not like my legs touching. I did not like to sleep on my back, because I couldn't stand to have my mouth hanging open.

In college, I continued to sleep the same way. In one of my health classes, sleeping positions came up once, though the teacher did not say much more than that the best position for sleep was on one's back. Well, as stated above, I refused to sleep on my back.

I continued to struggle, into my first year of marriage. Then, I complained that it was the bed's fault that I was uncomfortable (being an old throwaway that my husband had picked up from a local hotel; it was really quite bad). We eventually bought ourselves a much nicer bed, and that really helped.

But, the best thing I ever discovered came quite by accident, when I was pregnant with G, maybe in my second trimester. I had a pillow that I was placing behind my back at night to prop myself, but that wasn't quite enough and eventually I got the idea to try a pillow between my legs as well.

Voila! It was the pillow between the legs that changed everything. I could now sleep with my whole body in a more natural position, legs together but not touching. All of a sudden, I was sleeping better than I had before (disregarding the leg cramps that came later in me pregnancy).

All through my pregnancy, I had been counting down the days that I could start sleeping on my stomach again, as it was still in my mind the best way for me to sleep. But, the night finally came (long after the birth, as I learned that sleeping on one's stomach during the first several months of breastfeeding is not a good idea) when I could try sleeping on my stomach again...I laid down. And it was the most uncomfortable position imaginable! I could not sleep on my stomach to save my life! It hurt my back, and it hurt my neck. How had I managed before to sleep that way?! It was unfathomable to me...

So, I continue to sleep on my side with a pillow between my legs to this day. And I am having some of the best sleeps I've ever had (disregarding the night wakings and the toddler in the bed).

So, a tip for anyone who struggles to find a good sleep position: try putting a pillow between your legs.

How can I turn off my brain?!!

I've always seemed to have this problem: my mind seems to want to be constantly on-the-go. If it's not thinking about something more-or-less important, I at least almost always have a song or ditty stuck in my head that I can't get out!

It's 2:46 AM right now...Slept for a while, but now I'm up, having been aroused by my toddler, and now unable to get back to sleep after having yet a new concern pop into my head...I even wrote it down to save for the morning, which sometimes helps, but not this time...

So I'm up making blog posts instead...

This is not healthy.