The Interruption

*** I now interrupt your good night's sleep with a visit from one of my children***

I have always loved my sleep. That's why when I had babies, one of the most trying aspects was the lack of sleep during the infant stage. Shortly after our move to Broadview Heights, Chris and I went to a bank to open a new account. The teller commented that I looked sleepy. I agreed and said that my son Andrew, who was only two months old, wasn't sleeping through the night yet. She laughed and told me to get used to it because she still got up on occasion with her 11-year old. WHAT? I was aghast. I will NEVER do that I told myself. Ha- That's what I thought.

Now, don't feel too much pity for me. I don't get up every night, but I can rely on being beckoned at least once a week by someone, and each child has a unique style and reason for wanting me to help them.

Andrew's always been the quiet lurker. He will wake up and get rattled by a spooky noise, then he will rouse himself out of bed, silently tiptoe down the stairs, and eerily stand next to me when he says, "psst... mom! I'm scared." Chris and I laugh at this because if he was so scared, why would he walk all the way through our house by himself? The quick fix: I drag myself to his room to retuck him in.

Brendan is the complete foil to this. He has always been the most difficult child in the night. He wakes me up with irrational yelling and crying. Most of this behavior is due in part to the fact that he sleeps so soundly and isn't even fully awake when he is calling for me. He calls "Mmmmooooommm- Something hurts." That is his MO. Something always hurts. He gets leg cramps, belly pains, pins and needles. You name it; it hurts B in the middle of the night. Brendan does not get up as much as Andrew, which is a blessing, because it is difficult to remain patient with such irrationality.

Evan is my most sound sleeper. Yet, he is probably the loudest of the three boys. Evan doesn't cry irrationally or get out of bed, but he just yells, "mom, Mom, MOOMMM!" When I stumble my way to his room, he retorts with something like "Cover me" or "I lost my blankets" or "I need a kiss." While these are easier issues to deal with, I feel slightly chagrined at the idea of having to serve his every whim in the middle of the night.

Therefore, let me offer no hope to those of you who were expecting sound sleep one your infant sleeps through the night. You do get an opportunity to get more sleep than you did, but you will still be deprived. I suppose that this too shall pass someday. Until then, savor the sleep you get.

*** Now continue with your nightly sleep ***