Month: April 2015

the witching hour 

Leave a comment

I’m writing this late night (early morning?) post from the WordPress app while lying in bed, and I’m exhausted. I’m trying to delay myself from falling asleep while my son decides to toss, turn and  quietly call out to me every 3-5 minutes (mommy, mom, mommy). if I just drift off and then he wakes me up its almost worse than staying awake (hear me out). 

I like my sleep, and those first few moments when I finally drift into a peaceful slumber are the BEST. but when a tiny little voice awakens me (for no reason other than to confirm that I’m close by), it mildly annoys me. if I’m already awake then it’s as if my subconscious says, meh, you’re up anyway, just go. 

normally when my sweet little man calls out to me in the night it wouldn’t bother me but, when it’s going on nightly for the last 3 weeks, it’s starting to become frustrating (to say the least). and it’s the same time every night. sometime between 12-1am he stirs and then wakes up. some nights he just goes back to sleep but most (lately) he calls out to me. a few times I’ve tried just leaving him to settle himself but that did NOT get us anywhere (except both more irritated and definitely not asleep). instead, I stand just outside his room, leave the door slightly ajar and reassure him that mommy is close by but it’s time for both of us to go to sleep. sometimes I have to do this on and off for 5 mins, sometimes 20, sometimes 45 and sometimes not at all. 

last night he let me check his teeth (it’s not often that my 2 yr old willingly lets mama stick her fingers in his mouth to poke around haha) and I’m positive his 2 yr molars are going to make their appearance soon. besides the night waking, he’s had his fingers in his mouth ALOT, has been irritable (more than usual), throwing more tantrums, drooling (I honestly thought that was over long ago), and just recently started telling us that his teeth/mouth was hurting. 

I’m thankful to know that there’s a reason behind what’s going on (that I was able to figure out anyway) but I will be overjoyed, perhaps even ecstatic, when I can have a solid night’s sleep again (that’s longer than 5 hours).

I can see him tossing on the monitor; sometimes it’s a curse being able to watch him but during times like this, it helps me to be prepared for the waking that’s enroute.

I’m trying not to close my eyes, but my head is trying to ache and I’m ready to just sleep. if only he could understand that we all need some rest in order to be healthy & happy. sigh.

Advertisement

toddler life.

Leave a comment

i have oh-so-many intentions of blogging more often than i actually do it. i am constantly thinking about situations and topics that would make for a good post and then by the time i sit down at my computer i end up doing design work instead. and, of course, the design work needs to be done but, really, when i have so much on my mind i’d rather be writing a blog! well today, i decided to put some of that design work aside and do just that (YAY!).

now, what am i going to write about …

for 10-ish days we’re dog-sitting my parents’ doberman Lola, so things are a little hectic around here. having her, plus our hound, plus a wild toddler (with a little too much energy) equals a crazy house! it’s definitely a change from when we watched her last fall when they went away. both the dogs are the same but i’m working more and my son has grown and changed so much since then, oh, and my hubby is on midnights (happy happy joy joy, right?) … she’s only been here 3 days and i think i’ve swept 10 times (not exaggerating) and vacuumed at least twice (and the dog hair still appears to be everywhere). our hound sheds more than any dog i’ve ever had and Lola is a close second.

oh, and add to that the fact that little man has been having a sort of nighttime sleeping hiatus (the fun we have around here, eh?). the past two and a half weeks have been rough. every few months he seems to go through something like this – whether it be from teething, a new developmental milestone or just being a toddler, it’s hard. on all of us. and of course, this all happens when hubby is working overnight. i now know how single parents feel at nighttime when their children just won’t sleep and they have to work in the morning. patience wears thin. very thin. especially when you’re going on only 4 hours of broken sleep from the night before. doing that more than 2 days in a row makes you go a little nutso, and by a little, i mean a LOT. the middle of the night seems to be when my patience is at it’s lowest. i think it’s even worse when i’ve literally *JUST* fallen asleep and all of a sudden the monitor clicks on and i hear a soft little voice calling out to me, “moooooom, mooooommmy, mom”. i love that little man of mine but my sleep is a close runner-up for things i love most.

when he was younger it was easier to be awoke in the night by his faint little cries. i wasn’t working at the time and he was still nursing so a little milk sometimes solved the problem and if that wasn’t the case, i didn’t mind sitting with him to help him relax again. the fact that he now has oh-so-much energy and enthusiasm (and tantrums, did i mention tantrums?) during the day likely adds to the frustration i feel at night; i’m much more exhausted than i was when he was a wee babe! but, alas, you do what you have to do to help your child feel safe, comforted and loved.

the amount of pure, raw energy that my son possesses never ceases to surprise me. he is a little ball of crazy! he’s always running (and i mean constantly), jumping, screaming and squealing. ALL. DAY. LONG. i’ve spoke to friends, colleagues and parents of toddler boys and i know that his behaviour is (fairly) normal. he does not sit and colour for more than 3 minutes. the crayons become a toy and then dumping them in and out of the container is the new thing to play. or peeling off the wrappers, or trying to eat them, or hide them, or colour on the floor with them. he does not sit and read a book for more than 5 minutes. the stories are changed to a short version with words left out so that we actually can finish “reading” one or two (two, ha!). the only time he’ll sit and listen to a story is at naptime or bedtime, otherwise, pffft, why would he sit down when there’s things to do?! he does not sit and watch an entire movie. he’ll sit for (maybe) 10-15 mins and then get up and play with his toys, but don’t you dare turn that movie off because he’ll tell you he’s watching it. and meal times? forget about sitting for more than a few minutes unless the iPad is on with one of his “shows”. it’s he only way i can get him to eat anything lately, and honestly, i don’t care because he’s actually eating something. i know this too shall pass and one day i’ll be able to sit down and do a fun activity or craft with my son, but until that time comes, i’ll let him be the wild, crazy, funny and loveable little man that he is.