Tuesday, September 29, 2009

glitches

Oh, how I loved my new sleep schedule!  Life was seeming so much like a breeze.  Okay, well...not really a breeze--just a relative breeze.  But, alas, it's been thwarted by my problematic sleeper, Anna Grace.  She is apparently getting a third tooth, although I don't feel anything actually coming through.  She's been waking every thirty minutes or so in the early morning, which means I can't leave the bed to get my shower, do devotions, or complete any chores.  I am fearful of her crawling off the edge of the bed, looking for Mommy.  Transferring her to the crib that time of the morning just wakes her up.

Another glitch is that Daddy either studies late into the night, or works late into the night.  Having Anna wake him up frequently after he's just gotten into a deep sleep isn't kind.

I'm very disappointed with these glitches. Now that I've tasted the peace and order that flow from actually completing necessary tasks, uninterrupted, I feel off balance and cranky.  I miss that smooth-sailing start.

 Anna and I still get up before the older kids by an hour, and that helps some.  I can start laundry, feed Anna cereal, straighten up the living room and playroom, or look at a lesson plan or two.  But I can't get my shower until Daniel comes out at 7 and can keep Anna company.   Moreover, all the children are up by the time my shower is complete, and they all want a piece of me--making it frustrating to try to get dressed to shoes, put on lipstick and mascara, blowdry my bangs, and put scrunching product on my wet permed hair--to be combed out later.  I do all this hygiene business while trying to keep the troops quiet so Daddy can stay asleep.  Believe me, this scene is anything but relaxing.

There is peace in knowing that I'm getting healthier sleep, that I've kicked my computer-screen addiction, and that I'm getting some special time with Anna, who is pretty independent (as babies go).  She loves to walk around and play with her toys in the living room, which gets blocked off to become her own special, large playroom--devoid of choking hazards.  She can see me in the dining room doing laundry, so she is content while I work for a bit.  I recite nursery rhymes to her while I start the laundry and fix her cereal.

I love nursing babies--including night nursing--and I hate cry-it-out techniques.  So for now, I'll settle for some continued, somewhat-controlled chaos.  Having a cuddly baby in my bed gives me a unique peace and joy--an irreplaceable gift.

By this time next year, she should be sleeping through the night.  And 4 a.m. hot chocolate--enjoyed, not gulped--will be mine.