As Jamie has blogged, the kids go to bed at a great time for Mom and Dad – 7:15 pm. It allows us time to mentally unwind from the day, spend much-needed time together, and talk about our day. I’m just kidding – most of the time we spend together in the evening is devoted to watching television and eating dinner. It’s not super engaging, mentally, but it is exactly what we need after a full day of work and child rearing. It works for us.
I’ve nick-named myself “Dusk ‘till Dawn Daddy,” as Jamie primarily interacts with the kids during the day. Nighttime is Daddy-time. And that has become quite the ordeal lately.
Anna has been waking up about every two hours beginning around midnight, yelling like Bo is snapping at her heels like when they play “Lion game.” She usually runs to our bedroom. Sometimes I can hear her coming from across the house, like the sound of an ambulance. You know what I mean – you can hear it coming from a mile away. Sometimes Jamie nudges me awake, nicely. Other times I am woken by a sharp jab from Jamie’s toenails as she kicks me to wake me up. Those are usually the nights she is sleeping well.
I pick Anna up, rub her back, and carry her back to her bedroom. I’ve tried asking her why she comes to get me. She says it is because she wants to be tucked into bed again. And again. And again. Rinse and repeat, until about 5:00 am.
Now I think I can handle sleep deprivation better than many people. I’ve never required tons of sleep and I am able to fall asleep pretty quickly once I’m back in bed. But this routine is starting to wear me down! I no longer feel as mentally sharp, on the whole, as I felt previously. It’s like my brain has started to operate in a fog. Lately there are many times I’ve been searching for … you know…umm…the right… <scowl>…Ah! Word! Yes, the right word. It’s slightly disconcerting. Is there a medical term for child-induced dementia?
Both Jamie and I are ready for this sleep stage to be finished. I’m sure there will come a day when I’m blogging about how Anna refuses to wake up and get out of bed. But for now I’ll continue in my roll of … umm, you know… Dusk ‘till Dawn Daddy!
Proof that they do sometimes actually sleep… These photos were taken on our way home from St. Louis on Saturday evening. The Hunn Family exhausted our trio as they rarely sleep in the car!