Sleep Hack

There are two little monkeys who I shall not name that have figured out a little sleep hack. One likes to sleep in my dark and cool west-facing bedroom rather than their east-facing with pathetic-non-light-blocking curtains because otherwise "the sky is awake, so I'm awake, so we have to play", and the other little monkey has never slept in a room alone a day in their life (except when they slept in a crib) and is just willing to keep me company whenever I might need it, which is really so very thoughtful.  

And while these two little monkeys would be completely mortified to ever admit this to anyone outside of our immediate family (pretend you aren't reading this if you're not), they are both hopeful and willing most nights to kick Daddy down to the basement and take their own turns in the big bed with 'the best pillows and the softest sheets'.  And I don't mind one tiny little bit because these days are so numbered that I can almost count them on one hand.  

And he'll never admit it but Jason actually loves sleeping in the basement, where he can toss and turn and cough and snore and stay up as late and get up as early as is his heart's content. We've got some musical beds going on in the house this summer and I kind of love it, mostly because I know it's not going to last forever. While I still can, why should I refuse these cute, well rested smiles!?

Goose Glue

 If you need a good laugh this morning, search 'bed' or 'sleep' on this blog and read all about the sleep-time antics that Noah has dished out over the years.  I think it's time for an update. 

Noah does not like that he can't see Adam on the top bunk from him spot on the bottom bunk.  He doesn't like that our room is a whole floor away, and he prefers the closet door closed, the toy room door closed, and the bathroom doors closed, all of which is fine in the summer but not great when we're trying to evenly heat the rooms in the winter. He likes having a nightlight in his room, in the hallway, and across the hallway in the toy room.  He hangs two blankets around his bed so he has a nice little fortress to protect him against whatever imaginary intruders might appear in the night. Sleep, for Noah, is a trial and a tribulation. 

He much prefers to sleep in our bed, on 'the hump', happily situated squarely in the middle while Daddy and I hang off the edges for dear life.  Most often he rolls toward Daddy's side of the bed, and Daddy has become the master of sleeping on the slimmest sliver of the mattress.  The other morning his pillow was half on the bed, half on his night stand.  It looked a bit uncomfortable. 

But guess what? It still doesn't bother me that Noah occasionally sleeps in our bed.  I mean, sure, I like the extra space when it's just two bodies in the bed, but when Noah is asleep in our bed I know he is happy and sleeping well, and that makes me happy. I wake up much, much earlier than he does, and sometimes I pet his downy hair and chub his cheeks and just look at his baby face that is growing up so fast.  (If that's not creepy enough to get him out of my bed for good I don't know what would be ;) 

This is the boy who is mortified to occasionally see me in his school, can barely bring himself to wave at me in the hallway, who told me clearly and without question that I MUST NOT refer to him as the baby in the family while I was helping in the cafeteria. "My friends don't see me as a baby and I am one of the oldest and tallest kids in my class!  It wouldn't make sense!" 

Yes, he often laments about being the youngest and expresses how frustrating it is that everyone is (currently) taller and faster and knows more than him about just about everything.  But these days are so limited.  It has been years since Leah or Adam have slept in our bed, and Emma only comes in when Jason is out of town and I want a companion.  Noah, who sneaks quietly in with his blue book lamp and his hopeful heart and big brown eyes, he's not going to be making the mid-night visit much longer.  So for now, on the occasional night that he makes the request, I'm happy to accommodate him! And since I write this blog and not Daddy, we'll just assume that he doesn't mind it either. 

"It's just not the same situation in my room!  I can't see Adam!  But in your room (eyes get a little dreamy) I can hear you and see you and I know you're right there." 

After a good night's sleep Noah will hop out of the bed and declare "Last one out of the bed makes it!" and get to work pulling up the blankets and fluffing up the pillows.

However, we do all sometimes grumble and groan about how silly it is that Noah still occasionally sleeps in our bed.  Adam and Emma came up with a great solution for me- Goose Glue!  Ah, these kids make me laugh and laugh. 

There is nothing quite like a little post-nap nap.

The Quietest Thing

Frances went into Mother and Father's room.

They were asleep.

Frances stood by Father's side of the bed very quietly, 

right near his head.

She was so quiet that she was the quiestest thing in the room.

She was so quiet that Father woke up all of a sudden, 

with his eyes wide open.

He said, "Umph!"

It's pretty rare that we have mid-night interruptions anymore.  There was a time that I thought Noah would never sleep in his own bed, but he's my best sleeper now.  Last week he begged to go to bed at 7:00, where he happily snoozed until 7:00 the next morning.  We still nap most days.  Everyone gets a reasonable amount of sleep most nights. 

But last night bedtime was a circus.  Gallons of pent up energy were spilling out of all of the kids before bedtime, at bedtime, and after bedtime.

Noah was in tears because I didn't tuck him in properly. 

Leah was worried because she spent more time preparing for her math test and her honors choir audition than for her science test.

Emma wanted to chat and chat and chat, and stalled my exit by asking questions like, "What would we do if you and Daddy both died?  What would happen to us kids?"

Adam snuggled right into bed and pretended to head to sleep, although we both knew full well that he was going to dive under the covers and read a few of the last chapters of Harry Potter book 7 before he went to sleep.  But he wakes up bright eyed and bushy tailed every morning, so I don't stop him.

Eventually everyone was  in bed for good.  I spent a few hours enjoying the quiet of the night, Jason kept chiseling away at his mountain of work, and then we headed to bed.  Separately, as is usually the case.

And then sometime in the middle of the night, the quietest thing came and stood next to my head.

She was so quiet that I woke up all of a sudden and said, "Umph!" 

And Emma explained that she had a bad dream and needed to sleep in our bed.

And I mumbled yes and fell back to sleep.

And then another one of the quietest things came and stood next to my head.

And he was so quiet that I woke up all of a sudden and said, "Umph!" 

And Adam explained that his foot hurt and his leg hurt (a common complaint as he's currently growing like a weed).

So I got him some medicine and he got a drink and then got back into bed and I turned off the girls nightlight because it shines bright in my room even though it's at the other end of the hall and I got back into bed, which was a bit more crowded because of Emma, and I went back to sleep.

And I smiled because somehow the quietest thing in the room always manages to be the thing that also robs me of my sleep.

And because I still nap during the day. 

Sweet sleep.

Sleep

He says he isn't tired... 

   

but we still nap nearly every day. 

Because naptime is the best time!

Routines

There was a time when I napped with Emma every day while baby Noah napped and the big kids were at school.  It was the exact same routine every day.  I loved it and it felt like it would never end.

We're back there again, when our afternoon routine is the exact same every day.  Only this time around it's just me and my daytime buddy.

We finish up lunch. 

We walk hand in hand up the stairs.

I turn on the fan and close the blinds.  The door stays open.

We climb into my bed.  I sleep on Daddy's side of the bed, and Noah giggles about stealing my side of the bed and my most comfy pillow.

We snuggle under the blue quilt to read a chapter or two of our book.  Noah doesn't like that Emma always gets the "bedtime pick" but he always gets the "naptime pick" so it really is fair.  

I start to fall asleep as we read, which means its time for us to both turn over onto our right side and take a snooze.

Noah announces that he needs to go to the bathroom, slides down the foot of the bed, and goes to the bathroom (This happens every. single. day.).

I don't always hear him come back into the bed, but after a quick minute or two (or 45) of shut eye, my eyes pop open, I see that he's fast asleep, and I realize that I have a few minutes of alone time in a quiet house before the big kids get home.  

I sit up.

My left elbow cracks as I straighten my arms (every time).

I slide out of the bed, pick up my slippers, and silently sneak downstairs, avoiding the creakiest steps as I go in an attempt to keep Noah asleep for a few more minutes.

I pick up the water cup, my phone, and settle in at the computer.  

Noah magically and immediately appears at the foot of the stairs.  He looks like he is still asleep with his eyes open, but the invisible bond between us has apparently required that he get out of bed too.

I snuggle him up on the couch, where he promptly falls back asleep.

I sit down at the computer and type out a post just like this, relishing in the clean house and 32 minutes of quiet that I have before the afternoon excitement hits, while Noah finishes up his nap on the couch nearby.

And I smile and hope that these days never end.

Naps

Sometimes a mom can just tell when her preschooler needs a nap... 

 No matter how much he insists otherwise.

Sleep Robber

We've called Noah the Sleep Robber for years now.   Any given day or night, he's plotting ways to torture me in my sleep.

"Emma!  After we get back from the Disney Cruise Daddy is going to be working really hard in Mexico and I'll get to sleep in Mommy's bed for so many nights!"

In prayer- "Please bless that I'll be sleeping in Mommy's snuggy warm bed... or maybe not.... but maybe."

In the middle of the night he usually helps himself to the middle of the bed by way of the bench.  One night he stood by the side of the bed until I picked him up and put him in the bed.   The next morning he claimed he had nothing to do with it.  "Mommy!  Why did you put me in your bed last night??"

After he climbed into my bed another night, I said, "Buddy, you need to go get in your own bed."  To which he responded "Oh!  ...  no thank you."

One night Jason came to bed and found him already tucked into his place.  He scooped him up and put him in his own bed.  Noah said, "Daddy!  What is this?  NO!!!" and darted around him and back into our bed.  Jason just followed him.

Early one morning I was in the middle of the bed.  Noah appeared and took over my spot, snuggling down and declaring, "Ahh!  This is all mine!" 

Any hour, day or night, Noah looks in my eyes and says, "Mommy, I just love your snuggy warm bed."

Sigh.  It's a phase.  It's a phase.  It's a phase. 

Sleeping Babes

It doesn't matter how old they get, I never grow tired of admiring sleeping babies.  

It's a gift to get to gaze on someone resting so peacefully.

Naptime is generally a thing of the past now- it's fabulous to see what we can accomplish in those two hours each day- but every so often we still snuggle up and take a nap.  Last Sunday I found myself squeezed between Emma and Noah on my bed and loving it.

Sweet Sleep

There aren't any newborns in our house anymore, but somehow that hasn't increased the number of full-nights-sleep we're getting around here either.

Although, let's be honest, nothing is quite as difficult as the newborn phase.

However!  I can't really remember the last time all six of us slept through the night- no kids insisting that they're just not tired and reading stacks of hidden books under the covers by stolen flashlight, no first weeks-of-school exhaustion that causes meltdowns and tears, no stuffy noses due to seasonal allergies, no bad dreams, no mid-night dispersing of medicine due to high fevers from hand-foot-mouth disease or new molars coming in, no crazy loud thunderstorms, no restless children that insist on sleeping sideways- simultaneously whacking me in the face and kicking Jason in the back- in our bed, no requests for "just snuggling wif you, Mommy"...

It's been a good long while, but I remember what a good night's sleep feels like and I'm confident that one of these days we'll be enjoying it again... I hope!

Sleep

Sleep is always a hot topic in our house.  With six people possibly having nightmares, kicking bunchy blankets, hearing bumps in the night, feeling sick or needing comfort, it's a rare occasion that we all sleep through the night and are all rested in the morning.  The other day I woke up to five of the six of us in bed together.  Leah, my lover of all things sleep was the only one left in her own bed.  Noah woke up and cried out for a "drink" then to "sleep in you bed!", Emma had a bad, bad, really bad dream, Adam just wanted to snuggle up close to me for a bit, and Jason declared it the worst night ever.  But we've been there before, many times, and I'm sure we'll be there again.  For another few years anyway.

*****

From November 2014- It's silent.  I'm ready for bed after a long, full day.  Noah is weaning.  He loves him mama all the day long and well into the night, but he isn't settling down when he nurses anymore.  That is always a sign to me that it's time to wean.  I love breastfeeding.  It has been a challenge in its own way with every one of my babies, but I've always made it to thirteen months and I've always loved it.  Jason and I are leaving all four of our babies in just six weeks for a vacation to Puerto Rico, which sounds horribly selfish to me right now.  But the only thing that would make leaving my sweetest little sugars behind even harder would be knowing that they are torturing their grandma in the same way that they do Jason and I throughout the night.  Everyone settles down for bed just fine, with the occasional visit from Emma.  If she's had a nap that say she will insist that she isn't tired, stay up and charm us for twenty minutes or so, then obediently head back to bed. Then there is silence until after midnight.  It's not until after midnight that Noah walk up and insists on staying within reach of his beloved mama.  Around three Emma silently slides into bed on Jason's side, occasionally followed by Adam. Jason is usually too unconscious to direct them back to bed, so the five of us squish and squirm and shove each other in our king sized bed until the dawn breaks.  Then Jason marches the bigger two back to bed and proceeds to get ready for the day while I attempt to eek a few minutes out of the night.

Noah Asleep

There is nothing so peaceful and beautiful as a sleeping baby.  

Especially one who is constantly on the go when he is awake.

Noah had tubes put in his ears last week.  He's been having ear problems for the last six months, so we were more than happy to get some tubes in place to try to make him more comfortable and healthy.  It was a quick and fairly painless procedure, but it still broke my heart to turn him over to nurses and let them carry my sobbing baby away from me.  And then to return to him not ten minutes later, groggy and confused and surely feeling a little beat up.

I had arranged to have the kids stay at my sweet friend's house for the morning, and I was so grateful for the chance to snuggle with Noah while he slept off the anesthesia.  It felt like holding a newborn baby all over again, which was a real treat since those days are now a full year behind us.

And other days I'm just so thrilled to see him holding still that I can't help but snap a picture before I leave him to rest.

Sleep

Half-day kindergarten can really take it out of you!

Pictures are from her early days of school.

Taking Turns By The Nightlight

I guess Mr. Man can only do so much running, jumping, and climbing after all...

Adorable.

A Familiar Sight

Some things just never change...

Leah continues to be the winner in the sleep category.  She is usually the first to sleep, the last to wake up, and the easiest to read- when she's tired, she twirls and twirls and twirls her hair as she waits for permission to go lay down.  She has become very fretful about monsters in the closet or under her bed, and likes to sleep with the light on.  Her beloved blankie has turned into a pile of shredded rags that she likes to chew on.  I'm afraid if I wash it it will disintegrate.

Adam needs a nap and an earlier bedtime, but he doesn't usually get either.  There is far too much to jump off of, run into, and climb on to bother with a silly little thing like sleep.  He insists upon "scratch back, scratch tummy, and scratch arm" every night, and, amazingly enough, he has yet to wet his bed, even though he orders a big glass of water every night.

Emma has started sleeping through every other night.  Given that last night was a glorious 7 hour stretch (for me, 11 hours for her) I'd better get to bed before she wakes me up again!

Excuses, Excuses

Because he's usually well rested from his naps, Adam likes to stay up well past what I would consider a reasonable bedtime.  Several nights a week he will appear in the kitchen with an excellent reason why he should be allowed to prolong the inevitable, always a helpful reminder of something we forgot to do during the day.

"We forgot to take a bath.  I'm stinky."

"We forgot to play with the paper boats today.  We can make some more tomorrow."

"We forgot to play with the dinosaurs with the sharp teeth."

"We forgot to do wrestling.  Woo wrestle with me, Daddy!" 

 

I think Adam won.

Sweet Sleep

"Yeah, I'm sleeping 10 hours straight at night these days... Could have all along, just wanted to see how crazy I could make you by waking up 3 times a night for the last 8 months first.  I'm wild like that."

I'd like to think Emma's sudden obsession with sleep- 10-12 hour stretches at night and 3 hour naps every day- have everything to do with my efforts in protecting her sleep needs (at the sacrifice of getting out of the house EVER), but truthfully, it probably has more to do the germs in her body that make it possible for her to do this-

Either way, I'll take what I can get.  Sweet sleep, how I have missed you.

Speaking of Sleep

A few weeks back, Leah was the last to wake up at naptime.  She came downstairs to find Adam, Emma, and I playing.  "Mom!" she declared.  "It's supposed to be naptime!" I explained to her that naptime was over, and that she had already slept for 2 hours.  "Oh," she said.  "Well... that was short!"

My children have no concept of time.  Minutes, hours, days, and years all run together for them.  Apparently days and nights fall into the same category.

They always come and check to see if it's time to get up.  One of them will tiptoe into our room around 7:00 (where I'm usually still in bed, trying to catch a few more winks before the day starts) and ask, "is it morning time yet?".  And if I say no, they go back to bed!  Even if it's 8:00 in the morning.  I wonder how long that trick will last.


Leah came into our room at 7:00 this morning and informed me that I never sent Daddy in to kiss them good night.  She was right, I said so and sent her back to bed.  And the kids slept on until 7:30, when Jason discovered that Adam had thrown up in the night.  So our day began with laundry and baths, after which both kids thought they were supposed to go back to bed because it was the middle of the night.  I really should have let them!

Adam fell asleep in the car today and slept for 40 minutes, then came home and said, "Mommy, I'm tiiiired.  I want to take a nap."  Music to my ears. 

I even convinced my big girl to rest on the couch for a bit.

Now if I could just get Miss Emma to stop this new waking-up-every-two-hours-all-night-long trick that she has started, I'd be set!

A Moment of Silence

Three weeks shy of her fifth birthday, Leah and I have come to the mutual consensus that she no longer has to take a nap every day. 

Doesn't mean she might not need it, but no nap has made for an earlier bedtime and a fun bit of "big girl time with Mom" every afternoon.  Of course, I'm still requiring a nice chunk of "quiet time", which I need to figure out the parameters for because, despite her hoping and pleading, not napping does not equal 2 hours of screen time every afternoon while your younger siblings sleep.

I made the mistake of telling Leah that she is a big enough girl to not nap anymore, and she seems to think that means she CAN'T take a nap anymore.  She actually sauntered over to the couch the other day (with the "I'm so obviously trying to do something you don't want me to do" look on her face that is generally reserved for misbehavior like chewing on her headband or sneaking an extra cookie) and casually said, "I'm just going to lay here for a minute with a blanket."  She wanted to take a nap, but it seems that now she thinks she is no longer allowed to.  I try to point out to her frequently how even tired old mommy likes to take a nap every now and again.  Okay, every day, but I guess that's a thing of the past for me now, too.

The transition hasn't been entirely smooth.  She falls asleep in the car anytime we go out in the afternoon, and she's a bit of a grump nearing dinnertime, but we'll get there eventually.  I'll sure miss naptime, though.  Boy did we have a good run.

Milestone?

Adam does not ever sleep in our bed.  He has no interest in cuddling, snuggling, or snoozing together.  But, thanks to sickness, this past week his sleep has been irregular and restless.  I have been woken up to the sound of a bleating little lamb- "Maaa-maaa, maaa-maaaa" several nights in a row.  One day he started at 4:00 in the morning and didn't let up until I scooped him up and brought him into our bed at 6:00.  I figured he wouldn't go to sleep and we would just have an early start to the day, but he snuggled right down, stretched out all legs and arms, and slept until a gloriously late 8:00.

I just wish I had a picture of his face when he got out of bed and wandered out into the hall all by himself.  He was quite proud.