24 March 2008

The more things change . . .

Only, wait, that part of the saying doesn't really apply since nothing much has changed. The part about things staying the same? That part applies.

I haven't posted about the sleep situation for two reasons: (1) Boring! Almost as boring as that cowgirl on American Idol, and (2) although it's marginally better overall, it's still not great and I'm sick of talking about it.

And yet. Here I am. 

I'll just say that there has been Screaming every night for Lo! Many Nights now. Sometimes Maddie, sometimes Riley, sometimes both, sometimes early, sometimes late, sometimes once, sometimes many times, very rarely Never.

It could be Teeth, it could be My Bad Attitude (tm), it could be a Phase, it could be the time change, it could be a developmental spurt, it could be grief, it could be Something of Which I Have Not Thought, it could be all of the above.

And that's all I know. So send some sleep vibes my way, okeydokey? We still need them.

********************************
Weekend Highlights
  • a walk to the park on a sunny Easter Sunday
  • a 2.5 hour nap (babies, not me) on Sunday afternoon, during which I read the latest issue of People*
  • a playdate with friends on Saturday, followed by dinner featuring a bunny-shaped cake for dessert ("We're gonna need a hose to get the frosting off Riley!")
  • Easter brunch featuring waffles and "dip" (a.k.a. maple syrup), after which both twins smelled like delightful maple sugar candies all day
  • the twins' newfound love of the song "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," including adorable attempts to sing along
  • the twins choosing to eat sautéed green beans for snack on Sunday afternoon
  • All hail the arrival of my $15 Senseo one-cup coffeemaker**!
Weekend Lowlights
  • being up for the day at 5:15 a.m. on Sunday
  • the longest stretch without screaming on Saturday night = 2 hours
  • me being a Crabby Bitch on Sunday morning due to aforementioned screaming and early rising
  • a sleep-deprived-induced sob-fest on the phone with my mom after nap got off to a poor start on Sunday (I suppose this is also a highlight, since it was helpful to talk things through with Mom)
Something that I am slooooowly learning about myself is that I'm not really a morning person. I always thought I was. And it's true that as a general rule, I'd rather get up early, get stuff done, and go to bed early than the opposite. This does not, however, mean that I'm in a good mood when I get up early. No, no it sure doesn't. So I guess maybe I am a morning person, but a reluctant and crabby one.

*Featuring Jennifer Lopez and her new twins. They are cuuuuuute. But her bliss at twin motherhood is a little rose-colored-glasses for me. I'm sure the two full-time baby nurses help Ms. Lopez to feel nothing but love and delight about her new additions. 

**The perfect complement to my Italian lover. I don't always want a latte, and now I can choose between a regular cuppa or the coffeehouse experience. I've had four or five cups out of the Senseo so far, and I'm impressed. I ordered a thingie that will let me use my own coffee thus avoiding indentured pod-servitude; hopefully it will work as well as advertised.

16 comments:

Angela said...

I'm definitely sending lots of sleep vibes your way for all of you! Like you, I'm definitely NOT a morning person, but after kids, learned that sleeping in meant getting up at 8:00am NOT 10:00am, slowly getting used to that(hey,it's only been 10 years!)

BrooklynGirl said...

I'm sorry about the sleep situation. Exhaustion sucks.

Anonymous said...

re: the sleep issue, have you tried a night light? (I remember you mentioned your flashlight in a previous post.) I found a small night light made a big difference. Sending sleep vibes your way!

Anonymous said...

You're parenting 2 kids solo, grieving your husband, AND not getting any sleep? Something to think about: Is there anyone who can play "night nurse" for you once a week on a regular basis? (Maybe the next time someone says, "Is there anything I could do?" that could be it.) Or maybe babysit from 6:00 - 10:00 on the weekends so you could at least sleep in? Sorry for the assvice, but I am emboldened because I KNOW how hard it is to go without sleep night after night. My two-year-old is currently up from 3:30 - 6:30 most nights.

Anonymous said...

Not sure if this will help either, but as a mother of twin boys who are 2 1/2, I put them in separate rooms around a year ago. They would wake each other up, and its enough to deal with one in the middle of the night and two is two much. They slept like champs again, although they still are early birds. A good day is 6:30am. And saying the mantra "this too shall pass...." Good Luck!

C. said...

Oh geez. I have Senseo I am not using and would have happily sent it along for the whopping price of nothing.

Annagrace said...

My personal opinion is that La Lopez is mostly over the moon because the babies didn't come out looking like Marc. Hateful? Sure. But I've never understood why Marc was such a hot commodity.

Pea has the flu and didn't sleep worth beans last night and just the thought of having TWO babies up screaming makes me want to cry along with you. And another thing about sleep cycles--I swear that it's connected to our feelings of finally having a handle on the current stage. Every time I feel like life is somewhat manageable and we have a routine that sticks, Pea likes to remind me just how near the surface my anger is...apparently it's the toddler way. If you were closer I'd totally take then for a night, though (keep that in your pocket for later)

Annagrace said...

Oh, and yes--link away!

amyinbc said...

"But her bliss at twin motherhood is a little rose-colored-glasses for me."

As a mother of a once colicky son and twins I SO hear you.

Those early weeks/months would have been blissful with a little SLEEP (which I am sure she is getting). Not to mention I am sure SHE is not cooking/cleaning/doing laundry or worrying about paying the bills!

Sorry. :) Just a vent on my part.

Wishing you more SLEEP..

Anonymous said...

I like the idea of a night light - if you don't already have one. My daughters won't sleep with their bedroom doors closed. They need to have the door open so they can hear that I am nearby. It gives them a sense of security to hear me moving around the house.
I wish you a good nights sleep!

Tamar said...

S - after seeing you rave about your Bialetti I so wanted one. I went to the mall for a little alone time the other night and walked past William Sonoma and it dawned on me that I had a $50 gift card for Pottery Barn and I could use it at WS and they had the Bialetti. I am so in love with this thing! My husband's hoping it means no more $20-25/week coffee habit.

Thanks for raving about it!

OTRgirl said...

Glad you have some coffee to help with the lack o' sleep. Small, but substantial, comfort though it may be.

I'm a wreck without sleep. It's definitely one of my biggest fears about parenthood.

I love that you read People! It's definitely brain candy, but fun every so often.

Anonymous said...

Of course it is different when you have full time help - that is what drives me crazy about all these movie stars having kids and saying how wonderful it is - they dont have to deal with the messy stuff so everyhing is rosey. BUT more importantly, how did you find a Senso coffee machine for 15 bucks? My daughter has been waking up screaming over the past few weeks, I have no idea why and it does wear on you...she is 18 months, perhaps it is the age? - Maggie

Snickollet said...

Anon (Maggie)--

Here's a link to the $15 Senseo promotion:

https://www.sharesenseo.com/q6/1.jsp;jsessionid=5681B9F05918C2BD95138D9B7C568102


Enjoy!

-snick

caramama said...

I'm definitely sending sleep vibes your way! I hope this phase passes soon.

Arwen said...

Grrr.... Blogger just ate my comment! I just wanted to THANK YOU, Snick (and whoever told you about the $15 Senseo offer). I just got mine today and it is awesome! It is SO much cheaper than my Starbucks addiction and with that pod thingy, I can even buy Starbucks (although I'm sufficiently impressed by the Bold Blend that I may not need it). THANK YOU AGAIN!