And this guy? Is definitely not weak.
I want to tell you a lot of things about this weekend, things that don't just involve me making fun of myself. Things about how I met some beautiful, brave souls.
How we laughed so hard on the drive up there that it was probably dangerous. How we had walkie talkies since we caravaned, and it was pretty much the funnest thing ever.
How many women I've never met before loved on my baby in ways that made me smile.
How Tommy and OBaby are the cutest punks ever in their matching outfits.
How I came to love new friends, and somehow, came to love old friends even more.
But also, there's this whole other part about how I haven't really slept since July 16th because I own one of those babies who simply does not sleep. Perhaps you've met the type? He's so ridiculously cute and healthy and happy that I cannot begrudge him for not sleeping, yet since birth, he's only slept longer than four hours two or three times. I'm starting to get to the point where it's making it really hard, where I feel like I'm misfiring words and friends and life is all just one big jumble and what I would really, really like is to check into a hotel room and sleep for twelve hours, instead of returning to work and losing more sleep and oh my gosh, can you pump and nap at the same time? Because if the nurse will let me use one of her cots, I might try it. And so, I can't even put together the words to describe what this weekend was because it took me FOUR times to spell describe correctly.
But then I look at his face and think, Oh. Oh my goodness. I would work 80 hours a week and sleep zero hours a night just to have him here.
31 comments:
Love this post.
Also, last night Ivy was actually sleeping so soundly and so was I and HUBBY woke me up because he wanted to MOVE her from his side of the bed and I could have killed him. I was all- you WOKE me up to WAKE her up?
Ugh. She woke up and I was MAD. Took me a while to fall back to sleep. He's sleeping on the couch tonight.
Steph
I want to fix this for you, so bad. And I know there is no "fix", there is simply time, and most of it will be spent with no sleep and for heaven's sake how can he be so stinkin' happy?
Bottom line, though? I am SO GLAD to get the chance to hug your skinny, sleep-deprived butt and I really can't wait to do it again.
Isn't it funny how much they change our priorities?
I love to read about how much fun you ladies had at Cupcake'10! It's amazing to me how the 'net has brought complete strangers together like never before. Love this post. Hope you get some sleep.
P.S. That sweet baby & I almost share a birthday (mines 7/18)
That baby is such a punk. Bring him to me so I can punch him and then snuggle.
Love this post.
Super awesome post. I'm so, so happy that you all got to have this experience!!
I also own one of those babies and at 18mths he still doesn't sleep through the night. It has gotten to the point where I can deal with up once a night or even twice... How sad is that, that in more than 18 months I haven't slept through the night. Now you know why I am always messing up my tweets. :)
You and dat baby are so adorable.
Such a pleasure to meet you. Only wish I could've spoken with you more.
Next time ;)
Ann
Great post, you all look like you had a wonderful time. And I know exactly how you feel about the sleep, but the face and the eyes? THE EYES! I wouldn't change anything just to see them every day
Aw...I LOVE your last two sentences. Isn't that how everything about being a mom is? It's is SO hard...but SO worth it! And your little guy sure is a cutie - I don't think anyone could resist that sweet little face! ;)
I have babies who do not sleep (which is one reason we're stopping at two...) and it's torture. But it's also the best thing in the world to have these little ones, no matter how many sleepless nights.
And oh my what fun you guys must have had! :) That little one is so adorable!
I have babies who do not sleep (which is one reason we're stopping at two...) and it's torture. But it's also the best thing in the world to have these little ones, no matter how many sleepless nights.
And oh my what fun you guys must have had! :) That little one is so adorable!
You gorgeous women and all your sweetness, it's making me a little weepy!
Hope the sleeping improves soon, for both of your sakes!
Aw, I'm sorry your little guy isn't sleeping well for you!!! I totally understand the 'not having slept for more than 3 hrs in a row for months' thing, though my little girl is only 3 weeks old, I didn't sleep well for the last two months of my pregnancy at all, so I'm counting that, too. :) Anyway, can you sleep while nursing??? I nurse in our bed & sleep through it half the time, and it is SO nice. I don't know about nursing while pumping, but I would definitely try if I were you. :)
Sleep while teaching. Problem soloved. I mean, middle school kids don't need 24/7 supervision... ;-)
Love this! Love you! Love your Tommy!
Could my Ivy join Tommy in Beth's sleep bootcamp?
Bri
Erin lady, I'm so sorry about the non-sleeping. It SUCKS. Really...it does. Of course that doesn't mean that you begrudge him or that you are somehow failing. It just sucks to not sleep. It's SO hard.
SO HARD.
I don't think it's a bad idea to go to a hotel for a night or pump right before bed and have the husband take a shift.
But I say that knowing that people said that stuff to me and I was all "uh huh whatever I can't sleep anymore anyway because my circuits are all screwed up but whatever."
I'll stop rambling. There is no advice really. Just time. That sucks.
Boy am I ever helpful...
Neither of my kids slept. I hated those people who said they brought their kids home and they slept all night..puhleeze!
Fantastic first picture of Tommy.
Gorgeous last picture of the two of you. Just gorgeous (can I be you??). :)
The pump and nap made me lol. Literally. My husband asked me what I was reading, but I didn't think he would get the joke. :)
Sweet baby boy, give your momma a break. Erin it is so hard. I know. I'm so glad you had such a good time, I so hope to meet you and your beautiful boys in person some day. I so hope that your little punk gives in and you both get more sleep.
He's welcome at me sleep boot camp ... but I have a feeling me little ones just aren't that hard to convince, cause, you know, I'm really kind of a softy ;-)
I so appreciate your honesty about your babe's sleep. I felt like such a mommy-failure b/c my happy, healthy little boy has only slept 3-5 hours at a time less than 5 times---ever. Thanks to friends like you my confidence built back up and now I just love my baby with everything I've got. And the rest of the world gets to deal with my foggy, slightly crazed ass. :) He's starting to consistently sleepy in 2-3 hour chunks (it was 45 minutes!) and I know in time those will grow. And he will grow. I just cherish everything right now. On another note, I am so happy (and admittedly slightly jealous) of your wonderful, memorable weekend. It looked LOVELY. I am so happy you ladies had the opportunity to meet and bond and laugh. *hug*
I can so releate. My 3 year old was an awful sleeper for her first 18 months. She required a lot of touch in order to get her to sleep and keep her that way. It's better now, as far as staying asleep, but she's still a night owl.
I bit someone's head off once when they asked me why she wasn't sleeping though the night when she was maybe 5 months old. I told the guy that his kid probably wasn't either, but his wife was the one taking care of her.
He is so so so cute!!!! And I am jealous of your trip. It looks like a blast!
Maybe you can just nap under your desk while you let your 8th graders watch videos of the books instead of actually reading them. It works...right?
PS - not just once, but TWICE in a sleep deprived stupor, I went to work with an article of clothing on inside out. True story.
This is such a beautiful post about the struggle and subsequent joys of parental sacrifice.
I still have not gotten enough sleep since I returned home...but when I saw Jackson had gotten taller and learned new words while I was gone...I totally forgot about that fact. :-)
Please. . .my baby never slept. Which means please, believe me...I totally understand. Not about meeting the other bloggers, mind you...this never happens to me (only once) but about the other stuff...I can relate.
I hope it gets better soon!
i am totally jealous of all you cupcaker's. and i just wanted to tell you i have two of the non-sleeping varietal. in some ways i have come to feel that it gets easier because i have adjusted to it. i know, that is not that helpful, but it is the truth. when i had just the one and he was still a baby it was harder. now with the two, neither sleep, i am up all the time, but somehow my body has adjusted and its easier. i swear!
The pictures all sum it up so nicely. I love the one of you and Steph laughing in the car... a true, candid moment of friendship.
Nell
Ya know, I haven't told many people this... but... because I nursed Janie for so long, she got so used to sleeping with us because it was just easier for me... but of course Audrey was ALREADY sleeping with us, so things became a foursome for many years... little sleep... AND it gets better... because by the time Janie stopped nursing, she was old enough to LOVE company at night so we thought... "Hmmmmmm, maybe Janie can sleep in Audrey's bed with her and both will stay there all night." No. The situation morphed into they we pre-teens and that would be totally freakish and inappropriate to sleep with your parents... so we bought a fold-out bed and put it in our bedroom and both Janie and Audrey slept in that bed for years. In fact, Jane now has that fold-out bed in her apartment in NYC. There. I admitted it. And I never regretted it or missed one minute of the sleep I should have had. And to this day I miss my kids in bed. Yep.
I so remember going through the no sleep phase. So hard. It does get easier...I promise:)
LOL my baby has the same outfit, too!
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