I am tired. Tired, tired, tired.
I have a half-finished post about these amazing blueberry cheesecake bars, but I can’t bring myself to edit all the photos and finish writing out the recipe.
I’d rather write stream-of-consciousness about my fuzzy brain and the trials of the Domestic Life (Now With Kids!) because uhh… I don’t really know why. It makes me feel a little less isolated I suppose.
Lauren is a professional sleeper. Once the sleepiness hits her, she can fall asleep anywhere, any time. I could totally do this myself. Really. Except unlike Lauren, I have everybody else in my house counting on me for one thing or another ALLTHETIME (or at least that’s how it feels) and so I can’t just sack out when the sandman comes calling.
See exhibit A:
One second she was climbing all over Dave, talking his ear off, and the next she was out. This is how I feel when I am so super tired and trying to have a conversation with someone. I try to focus on what they’re saying, but my brain is usually in a hundred other places (sleep! what should I make for dinner? sleep! Did I remember to switch the clothes over? sleep! why is the baby crying again?! sleep!) or I am sitting still trying to pay attention to what is being said to me and I get lulled into that nodding-off-in-class twilight zone. It’s horrible. Especially for the person trying to talk to me. (Hi, Dave! Hi, Susan! Hi, Adrienne!)
Exhibit B:
Lauren also often succumbs to the sleepiness in mid-escapade. Here she was busy pulling out all the ziploc/storage stuff from this drawer for the 100th time today when she just couldn’t take it anymore and laid down right in the floor. Housework makes me feel this way – especially after a crazy night of screaming colicky baby like I had last night with Danielle. Side note: Lauren had her colicky nights, but she was never a screamer. The screaming is especially nerve-wrecking. Help! When I’m this tired, I sit down to fold clothes and it’s not long before I’m fantasizing about lying down in them for a nice long, downy-scented afternoon nap.
Exhibit C:
Sometimes, Lauren feels the sleepiness coming on and she actually goes and finds a good place to lay down, like the couch yesterday. And sometimes everything works together for me like it did yesterday, and Lauren takes her nap at the same time that Danielle goes down and I actually take advantage of the situation and take a nap myself. Of course, yesterday was the day that David came home from work early, unannounced and found his whole family sleeping and took pictures of us like this:
Just kidding. You didn’t really think I was going to show you pictures of me all disheveled and snoring daintily sleeping away, did you? I’m exhausted, not crazy. Of course, now David thinks that all I (and the girls) do is sleep all day. Ugh.
Dreaming of sleeping,
Becki
P.S. – help a Momma out – what do you guys do to get through the Exhausteds?
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Been there, and lived. The only real solutions I know of are 1. Relax your standards. Everyone will be ok if the house stuff doesn’t get done like you want or if dinner isn’t as perfect as you want. Your full-time job is caring for 2 small people. 2. Get support and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Even just having someone come over to play with Lauren or just talk to you while you cook or clean up can make a huge difference. We weren’t designed to be isolated like we are and it is insane how much we moms expect of ourselves every day. So relax and seek support are my tips. And for the crying thing with Danielle, check out the free audio with Ray Castellino on Infant and Toddler Sleep on http://www.consciouslyparenting.com – amazing.
Here is the direct link: http://www.consciouslyparenting.com/teleseminars/RayCastellino1.php
Also we have some classes coming up really soon that will be on-demand on the site – http://www.consciouslyparenting.com/ondemand/HT/ and they will include several more sessions about SLEEP! 🙂
The baby swing!I had nights when jimmy was first born and he had reflux so bad that when we laid him down flat, he would gag and quit breathing..it was so awesome. I had to hold him upright or he wouldn’t sleep..so I learned quickly how to snuggle his butt into the swing for a couple of hours when I needed a nap..other then that, I slept sitting up on our couch with him on my chest/shoulder. Christy was like lauren, she slept whenever the mood struck. If she was napping, I prayed for 30 minutes of swing time for the boy so I could nap too. The house looked like crud, and my slow cooker was my friend:) I think this was when we also discovered my love of homemade bread and salad or soup for dinner. Soup in the slow cooker, dough made in the bread machine, and a simple salad and dinner was done:)
Coffee honey! Drink you some coffee!… and don’t you feel bad if you MUST take a nap…it’s OK! It really is! 🙂
What a little cutie! That’s too funny how she can just sleep anywhere, anytime, any position. Wanted to stop by and say thanks for entering my giveaway!! Good luck!
Oh, I guess grabbing a cat nap if you can and coffee or tea if you can’t!
With my first who refused to sleep in his crib, he slept buckled in a bouncy on the floor next to my bed. I would fall asleep draped over the edge of the bed bouncing him.
With my 2nd little man, we were given a swaddler and Oh my goodness!! That made sleeping so much better!! He slept snuggled in his swaddler for at least 6 months.
As far as getting through – nap when you can and try to get out in the fresh air when the children are all awake and your are super tired.