Nighttime

I LOVE sleep.

I NEED sleep.

Unfortunately I was one of those cursed to need at least 8 hours of sleep per night. Actually, I function my very best with 9. The problem is... I'm a mom. Ask any mom whether or not she gets 8 hours of sleep a night. At least moms of little kids. It just doesn't happen.

Take last night for instance:

Everyone in my family is sick. Toby and I decided that we should try to go to bed early and got to bed by 10pm. (wow I know) Within 2 minutes my phone started beeping saying I have a text. I can't stand not knowing who is texting me so I get up and answer. That starts a conversation with my brother.

At 10:30 I leave the texting to go get Porter who is crying. I feed him hoping that now I will get a big chunk of sleep in a row. I put Porter back in bed and go back to bed.

2 hours later Zeke comes running (yes running) into my room and around the bed saying "Mom, hold you". I pull him into bed, give him a hug and lay there for a minute telling myself to get up and put him back in bed. (it is impossible to sleep with Zeke in my bed) I finally send Zeke back to bed and then follow him in order to "tuck him".

1 hour later, Porter starts crying. He isn't crying hard so I leave him hoping he'll go back to sleep. After 3 minutes, Zeke runs back into my room. "Mom, Porter's crying!" I tell him I know and to go back to bed. I go get Porter and feed him (face it, I'm a sucker and it's the fastest way to get him back to bed).

1.5 hours later I hear Porter and Zeke. I look up and see a light on down the hall. I yell for Zeke to turn the light off in his room. I run in finding Zeke sitting on the floor saying he fell down trying to turn off the light and turn the light off myself. I grab Porter and try to soothe him and get him back to sleep. I tell Zeke to be quiet over and over because he keeps yelling at me to "tuck him". I finally get Porter calm, and tuck Zeke in and walk into the hall to go back to bed. Toby is up getting a drink of orange juice. I crawl back in bed.

15 minutes later Toby asks me where the heating pad is. I help him plug it in behind the bed because his arm is too big to fit.

1.5 hours later Porter is crying. I get up and feed him and decide that I don't want to put him back in with Zeke so I make a bed for him on the living room floor. I go back to bed.

7am rolls around and Porter is waking up. I leave him for as long as I dare before getting him so he doesn't wake up Zeke.

I wish I could say that last night was the exception and that every other night I get a decent amount of sleep. Not so. I have a love/hate relationship with nighttime. I love going to bed but hate it at the same time because I know it's going to be a long exhausting night. Ahhh... the joys of motherhood.