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Sleep.

Written by RhodeyGirlTests on March 26, 2012 - 9 Comments
Categories: PhillyBaby

Sleep. It comes and it goes. It’s not like Algebra where you learn a formula and can apply it always. I love Algebra. In fact, I love all kinds of math. You learn something once and can apply it 1,000 different ways. There is no secret code with baby sleep because once you learn it everything changes.

We’ve had our ups and our downs with Raffi’s sleep, which means I have too. I need good sleep to function. I feel no guilt in thinking many times that all I wish for is a hotel stay alone one day where I can stay in my bed for 12 straight hours.

Even when R sleeps 10 straight hours, it means only about 7 interrupted for me. I should probably go to bed earlier, but the pressures of work are always on my mind. If I’m not working after he goes to bed, then I’m working during precious playtime. The word “interrupted” has a lot of weight too. Consecutive sleep is a lot more restful than interrupted sleep.

R turned 6 months old last week and we are facing yet another sleep challenge. He had just started sleeping through the night in our new place. It took a lot of work. Then we introduced solids via baby led weaning, perhaps a bit too aggressively, and his digestive system is all sorts of messed up right now. He’s loving food and actually eating some, but perhaps it was too much too soon. I hope it situates itself soon as it’s not fun to change a cranky tired baby’s entire outfit at 1 am, never mind when it happens during the day.

At the 6 month mark he also suddenly learned to pull up onto his hands and knees. Unfortunately he can’t get back down, so he screams and cries until I help him. Then I need to calm him down because I think he is not only frustrated but scared when it happens. It’s not something I can exactly work on during the day either as he hasn’t done it yet when he’s fully awake.

He seems to like to make a lot of changes at once. I am someone who can adapt very easily in life, but these changes come so fast and hard and all at once.

Anyway, I’m rambling a bit but it’s 2 am and I’m tired. This is the second night in a row of bad sleep after a couple of weeks of really good sleep- even after we took away the pacifier. He doesn’t even miss it actually.

I’m so thankful I can fall asleep in minutes or this would be a lot harder. I probably shouldn’t be complaining because he is, in general, a great sleeper, but sleep is my thing. I’m obsessed with it and one night of tough sleep equals several days of crankiness on my end. I’m not proud of it, but it is the way I am.

We all need sleep to function and be happy. Raffi needs it as much as I do. I respect the power of sleep. It helps me with my general happiness, weight loss (or maintenance when I get there one day), work through problems, and so much more. I hope that Raffi settles down again soon, because sleep deprivation is hard, and its effects are real.

The sleep history can be found here.

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