Me and Zzzzzzz

Last week, Hallie at The Princess and the Pump gave me the kick in the pants I needed to write again.  In her post, Destination Me, she challenged us to start taking care of ourselves.  She was going to start with getting more sleep.  Sleep.  How I've missed you.

I've been meaning to write about sleep.  Or lack there of.  My precious little boy did not sleep through the night until he was about 9 months old.  Or my darling daughter.  And my sweet baby boy as well.  Evil.  All three of them. 

Want to know one of the best ways to get on my bad side?  Tell me your child slept through the night at 6 weeks old.  BOOM - there you are!

Once son number one started sleeping through the night life started to get back to normal.  The little bugger did not like his crib.  He did not like his toddler bed.  He liked to be smack dab in the middle of his mom and dad. 

Around 22 months, our sleep was disrupted again.  That kid was a kicker and a thrasher - so much so that one of us would eventually have to move to another bed.  In hindsight, his restless sleep makes sense - to this day he will kick and thrash with a high blood sugar (in his OWN bed...thank God).

At age two came the diagnosis and the end of sleep for a very long time.  Enter sleepless nights worrying about him going low.  Or high.  Enter baby girl.  Enter continuous glucose monitor that wakes you from your slumber.  Enter baby boy.  Enter &^%ing colic. 

Enter studies about the health benefits of uninterrupted sleep to make you lose sleep over losing sleep.  A good night's sleep helps lower stress, improves your memory, makes you more alert, helps control your weight, and so on and so on.  Sign me up.

We've been working on sleep for a few months now.  Realistically, we like the kids to be in bed and asleep by 9.  It's hit and miss and we are the kill joy parents in the neighborhood, but sleep is a priority in our household.  Even if the sun is still out at 10 pm, Leah Marie!  Room darkening curtains, melatonin and white noise are my new best friend.

I stumbled across this image when I was looking for quotes on sleep.  It pretty much explains why I don't take care of myself.  Most of my sleep has been lost to diabetes - either worrying about it or "managing" it.  Although I complain about losing sleep, it has been worth the sleepless nights.  Every morning I wake and see those beautiful blue eyes looking back at me, that extra cup of coffee I may need is well worth a sleepless night. 

I'm getting there, Hallie.  I promise.