04 March 2008

A New Day Dawns

Last night was better, for the most part. We had a fun evening of play, and the kids went down with nary a peep of protest. I had been in a cleaning frenzy at the office and let it continue to home, spending some time organizing my desk, filing, and updating our very outdated twin-picture website.* I was in bed at around 10:30 p.m., exhausted, and nervous. I was right back to the newborn days, filled with that sense of dread, knowing that I was going to fall asleep only to be woken up by a baby's cry.

And sure enough, at 11:30 p.m., screams from the Ri-Man. Eleven-thirty! My only thought was, "This is going to be a long night."

He went right back to sleep after a hug and reassurances that Mama was right next door. Of course, he only slept until 12:30 a.m. But again, right back to sleep. (Well, two minutes of screaming, then he was out.) But then he slept until 6:40 a.m. He cried a few times, but just brief hollers; I'm not even sure he was awake. Of course, Maddie decided to have her own personal scream-fest at 3:00 a.m., but a quick Binky location and she was right back out.

But then there was me. Sleeping? That's a different story. It really was like being back in those early days, when I would sleep but never a deep sleep, just waiting for the sound of a baby who was awake. I can't believe I lived on that kind of sleep for months, without even the happy thought of caffeinated coffee to keep me going! Yowza.

So here's to things just steadily improving for the Ri-Man in the sleep department. Improvement for him means improvement for me. And here's to it being Idol night! Yeah.

*If you would like the URL for the twin pic website, send me an e-mail and I'll give it to you.

18 comments:

moo said...

My son is 2 months younger than your twins. He has never been a good, solid sleeper and also goes through phases where he'll wake up screaming in the middle of the night, for no apparent reason.

If he gets himself good and riled up, he'll decide he would really like a snack, please, mama, and perhaps a nice video at 4 am?

You can bet your britches that although I am not a single parent ... from midnight until 6 am I might as well be classified as one. (hope that's not insensitive to say)

Here's hoping that Riley gets past this phase SOON so you can get some much needed rest!

Lucky said...

Good. I tried to "send" you a better night as I was getting my daughter (same age, to the day as your twins) ready for bed. She night wakes from time to time and it really derails me. I don't know how I survived the newborn nights either. Oh wait, I went a little crazy because of those nights...
To better nights ahead! (Raising virtual cup of coffee)

Glory Laine said...

I would love to see updated pictures of your babies. I think ours are just days apart.
Love reading your thoughts. You're my hero.
Becca from Oregon
beccariddle@yahoo.com

Angela said...

I remember those sleepless nights, I hope Riley gets past this stage very, very soon. I hope you treat yourself to the very best coffee around, you deserve it.

Anonymous said...

Sometimes I'm not sure how I survived those nights either. I remember actually trying to stay awake because after a certain point, it was more disruptive and frustrating to actually be woken up by a crying baby after what felt like 3 seconds. (It was probably more like 3 minutes.)

Lack of sleep will certainly make one delirious.

Hope Riley keeps improving. Poor guy. Poor you. Here's to better sleep tonight!

Jen said...

hey dude.. i'd love to see the web site with pics of the kids. i'm too lazy to email.. *laff*

go idol! i have to find a way to go birthday shopping for shiela (i'm being a total guy by waiting until the night before) tonight.. so hopefully I won't miss David..!!!

Anonymous said...

Ugh...I totally know that sense of dread before you go to sleep. It makes me sick to my stomach thinking about it. Builder Boy is almost 4 and we still have sleep issues intermittently. I hope this gets better for you soon!!!

Angela said...

A person who hasn't experienced the newborn stage desn't know true sleep issues.
Cheers to more sleep
yea

Jana said...

You know, it's always so encouraging for me to check in on the twins here because they're always going through the exact same thing as my daughter, who is one day younger. Charlotte's been the same way with sleep lately, too. Uuuugggghhh.

amyinbc said...

It gets better. Really.

Like pregnancy and childbirth/recovery the pain fades. I can not honestly say I remember the agony of not having a good nights sleep for days/weeks/months on end. But I do remember I was prone to melt downs and tears quite frequently in the early years. And that with an afternoon nap with the kids as babies. Still, I feel your pain.

It gets better, trust me!

debangel said...

Forget waterboarding, our gov't needs to interrogate terrorists after a few nights of what it really means to "sleep like a baby". I hate that feeling worse than anything...the peaceful drifting off into sleep, only to be jolted awake, heart pounding, to the sound of your child crying. I think I'd spill more than name, rank and serial number just to get some rest!

I'd love to see pictures of the twins! And my daughter LOVES to see pictures of other "bee-bees"!

Kerry Lynn said...

OK, I found your blog on Valentine's day linked from Eva's blog (sarah and jordan). I have spent every spare moment between then and now reading every single post.
I don't even know where to begin commenting but I live near you on the north shore and if you ever want to meet for coffee let me know. I may do all of the talking since I already know everything about you though. :-)

oh and I want to see your tattoo!! shave your damn legs and get on with it already. I think I'm going to get one soon for my twins.

Superha said...

last night was the first night in more than a year in which my little supergirl did not wake up at least once - crying very loudly. i think it's because she skipped her nap yesterday and went to disneyland for 7 hours. she didn't even nap in the car on the way home. otherwise, she would probably cry like riley. she's a night time screamer. my sister says her 4 year old just recently stopped crying nightly. it had gone on for a year or so. d'oh. hopefully, it'll be a shorter time for you and the 'lil ri guy. maybe he'll grow up to be the new david archuletta. :) p.s. welcome to my new super secret blog, snicollet! superha.wordpress.com

Molly said...

Your blog does such a great job of communicating what the little things that kids do, can do to us. My son is right around their age, maybe a little older. But a good day could just be a day when they eat well, and sleep well, and hell is, well, all kinds of other stuff! You sound like such a great mom. Your babies are lucky! Much love!

OTRgirl said...

I hope it's over soon. I'm so horrible if I don't get enough sleep. I don't know how you do it.

Anonymous said...

Hi this is crazy i feel like our lives are linked or something i am having exactly the same thing with the angel boy...i am so tired i actually feel ill. last night was horrible. He sat on his bed hitting his head to keep himself awake. i dont know how much longer i can do this!

Mama Nabi said...

Sending you LOTS and LOTS of SLEEP BETTER vibes and thoughts!

Liz Miller said...

I'm sending hugs, and hope for better sleep.

On that front, you might want to check for new tooth growth? And don't forget the ears.