No rest for the wicked
For the past few days, we've all been fighting sleep. Martin and Sophie have been fighting going to sleep, and Marty and I can't get to sleep fast enough.
Last night, Martin's bedtime ritual took almost 2-1/2 hours. He cycled through Marty, me, and my mother-in-law MaryLou. He needed kisses, hugs, stories, songs, hand holding, threats, time outs, and back rubs. He counted my fingers (turns out I have seventeen fingers), told me stories he made up, prayed to God to be a good listener and thanked him for his pants (which is interesting since he doesn't seen to want to wear them), and finally fell asleep out of sheer exhaustion.
Last night, Sophie went to bed just fine, but then woke up at 11:00 PM and stayed up until 1:30 AM. I tried giving her more milk...twice. I walked with her and bounced until I had cramps in my arms. Every time I put her in bed she popped up like a jack-in-the-box. At midnight, I woke Marty up and told him it was his turn. He tucked her into his arm in bed with us, and she kept turning to me and saying "hi".
On the other hand, there aren't enough child-sleeping hours in the day for Marty and me to catch up on sleep. Sometimes when we line up a baby sitter, we joke about renting a hotel room just so we could take naps.
For those of you with young kids, I think you'll understand. For those of you who have older children, you probably barely remember these days because you've blocked it from your mind sort of like women do after childbirth. For those of you who haven't yet had children, you're probably just laughing... and thinking that this won't happen to you. I remember being you, but just barely.
We're having Marty's family here today to celebrate an early Easter. I hope they don't mind taking care of themselves while we take naps this afternoon. Lord knows we're going to need it.
On the table last night: Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde, black beans, guacamole salad
On the table today: Who Loves Ya Baby-Back Ribs, Grandma Janes Baked Beans, potato salad
Recipe Notes: The chicken enchiladas were very good. I soaked the tortillas for about half the time recommended in the recipe. If the broth isn't hot, it doesn't work, either.
Last night, Martin's bedtime ritual took almost 2-1/2 hours. He cycled through Marty, me, and my mother-in-law MaryLou. He needed kisses, hugs, stories, songs, hand holding, threats, time outs, and back rubs. He counted my fingers (turns out I have seventeen fingers), told me stories he made up, prayed to God to be a good listener and thanked him for his pants (which is interesting since he doesn't seen to want to wear them), and finally fell asleep out of sheer exhaustion.
Last night, Sophie went to bed just fine, but then woke up at 11:00 PM and stayed up until 1:30 AM. I tried giving her more milk...twice. I walked with her and bounced until I had cramps in my arms. Every time I put her in bed she popped up like a jack-in-the-box. At midnight, I woke Marty up and told him it was his turn. He tucked her into his arm in bed with us, and she kept turning to me and saying "hi".
On the other hand, there aren't enough child-sleeping hours in the day for Marty and me to catch up on sleep. Sometimes when we line up a baby sitter, we joke about renting a hotel room just so we could take naps.
For those of you with young kids, I think you'll understand. For those of you who have older children, you probably barely remember these days because you've blocked it from your mind sort of like women do after childbirth. For those of you who haven't yet had children, you're probably just laughing... and thinking that this won't happen to you. I remember being you, but just barely.
We're having Marty's family here today to celebrate an early Easter. I hope they don't mind taking care of themselves while we take naps this afternoon. Lord knows we're going to need it.
On the table last night: Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde, black beans, guacamole salad
On the table today: Who Loves Ya Baby-Back Ribs, Grandma Janes Baked Beans, potato salad
Recipe Notes: The chicken enchiladas were very good. I soaked the tortillas for about half the time recommended in the recipe. If the broth isn't hot, it doesn't work, either.
Oh my God...is this my future?! Right now Trixie sleeps from 8pm-4:30am, but I have a feeling that will all change once the whole teething thing kicks in.
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I wonder if there is a correlation between children keeping their parents awake and their children wanting to stay awake. If children can look like their parents it is logical that they have common sleep patterns.
I have no idea if you stayed awake as a child because I would have slept through it. You see I adopted my fathers sleep patterns and he slept like a rock.
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WHAT?! Jennie Nelson has a website?! The Nelsons are the shit. Is that appropriate to say on a family blog? Does your mom read this? Is she okay with swearing?
PS-The name Martin is so awesome.
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Not only does my mom read this, but my dad too. At our house growing up the "s" word meant "shut up". But here at GONelsons, I get to make the rules and your comments are fine with me.
P.S. I asked Martin if he liked the name Nora and he said "that's cool". For him, that's as good as it gets. I mean, that's what he said when his Uncle Jeff brought him a T-shirt from the Phoenix airport...and we all know how cool airport gifts are when you're a kid.
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