Lessons in Motherhood

Thank goodness my girls are good sleepers, but there’s always an exception to every rule. Last night was the exception. Hailey was up at 1:30, 2:30, and 3:30. Sophia was up at 1:30 and 5:00am.

I don’t know why Hailey was an insomniac last night. First it was “I have to go potty, Mommy.” For that excuse, I’m almost kind of thankful because changing the sheets on a bunk bed is no fun. So, I was fine getting up at 1:30 to handle that situation. What I wasn’t fine with was Sophia then waking up and wanting to eat. My girls just don’t produce like they used to so that meant walking downstairs to make a bottle (now I remember why I breastfed). Six ounces later she was out.

Then, at 2:30 when Hailey came in and said “I’m scared of the dark, Mama,” I had kind of lost my patience. That’s when, in my extra special Mother-of-the-Year kind of way I said, “No your not. You’re never afraid of the dark. Do you want some water?” The water thing was just a distraction because it’s a lot easier to go get her a glass of water than it is to spend 2 hours arguing about the nuances of her room in the dark. Because at 2:30am, there’s only so much arguing that I can handle. And here’s where you’re all judging me because I didn’t just say “Well, why don’t you sleep with Mommy tonight?” I know that would have been the easiest solution and would not have required getting out of bed, but what kind of precedent does that set? Sure, it’s being a bit more considerate of her feelings, but let’s face it then I’m just saying “you’re right the dark is scary so why don’t you just snuggle with Mommy, and I’ll protect you.” Hmm…wonder what will happen the next night when she wakes up?

At 3:30am, there was another call from the girl’s room. That’s when Mommy really was toast. Because you have to realize that I don’t just wake up and take care of them and go right back to sleep. No, because of my chronic worrying disorder (did I mention I get that from my Mother…yeah, I’m talking about you), I’m up for at least 30 minutes quieting my brain back down. So, at 3:30am, all Hailey got was a gentle “it’s time to go back to sleep.” That was it. I didn’t hear from her again until the morning when she was just as bright and chipper as ever and I could barely drag myself downstairs to make breakfast. Motherhood is so great sometimes.