I really don’t remember my mom being this tired but looking back I’m sure she was. When we complained that she was waking us up too early in the morning, she was the one WAKING US UP TOO EARLY IN THE MORNING, which meant she was already awake and probably had been for quite some time. When we were up sick in the night, we complained about being sleepy the next day but she was up with us too and with who knows how many other kids. (I bet she knew how many.)
My sleep has been spotty at best this trip. The kids have taken turns with nightmares, stomach flu, ear infections and general crankishness. We all drove down to Utah together, had a wonderful time at the wedding and then Dan headed back to Seattle to work and be a responsible dad-type person while I’ve continued to vacate without him.
We bounce from relative to relative like leeches with short attention spans and the kids are getting sick of it. They like ALL the relatives and become attached to their various pets, bedding, and stacks of paper and then I tear them away to the next location. Their adjustment period gets longer and longer.
Most recently we’ve been staying with my sister in a king-sized family bed, Laylee, Magoo and I rolling, bonking and waking each other up throughout the night. Magoo isn’t happy unless he’s squished up beside me, his hand on my arm and his nursing lips fluttering in and out in memory of their glory days. Laylee finds his closeness to me highly unfair and wishes I would lay on her side… here… noooo… HERE… noooo… RIGHT HERE where my head will be placed just perfectly to allow the atomic zombie-slaying nightlight to sear my corneas with its rays of protection.
My body is becoming trained to wake up every 45 minutes. If the kids don’t call my name, I wake up automatically to check what’s wrong with them. I snap awake and spend 30 seconds trying to figure out which child has sent me the telepathic distress signal, then flop back on my pillow when I realize there’s nothing wrong… yet.
Right now I’m on my way to the BlogHer Business conference in New York City. I’m speaking on a panel with some ladies from Method and I’m nervous and excited to visit the Big Fruit for the first time. It seems a bit skeery to me but I’ve packed several pairs of shoes and multiple electronic devices so I think it will all work out okay in the end.
I miss my Dan and he’s too still sleeping to call. I miss my kids but I don’t want to call and remind them to miss me. When I left them with grandma, they saw me off with kisses and a polite nudge to the side as I was blocking Curious George on the TV.
Sure. Stay loyal to the troublemaking monkey. We’ll see if he carries you to the bathroom in the middle of the night and makes up songs about flowers, butterflies, sharks and flannel on demand.
I wonder if you’ll wake up every 45 minutes while you’re sleeping by yourself in a cushy hotel room?
“his nursing lips fluttering in and out in memory of their glory days”
Those lips are soooo cute.
“atomic zombie-slaying nightlight”
Hahahaha! I hate those, too.
I adore you. And I miss you. Hope you the conference goes well and you find friends to jump on the bed with you.
Sounds like you’re in training for a newborn 🙂
Hope your Big Apple trip goes well. Enjoy the museums for me – I’m so jealous!
They say parents sleep like they expect to be awakened any moment. I know I’m that way. I used to be a very sound sleeper. Now, anything wakes me up. I hate it. I’m tired all the time.
Get earplugs for the hotel! My biggest advice for you! Because you will still have mommy ears, you will hear anyone walking down the hall, anyone going into their room…
You are a better mom than I. I would make up beds on the floor for the kids and keep the big bed for myself. They’re young. They’ll recoup faster than I would were I to be the one on the floor.
Enjoy your BlogHer Business. And I’m with Jeana (not literally of course, for then I would be in sunny London rather than cloudy Kansas). May God grant you good friends with whom you can jump on the bed.
I think Mir would be just perfect for this task…
Mir is an excellent bed jumper I’m sure. We had $17 hamburgers last night… and sensory overload. It was almost as good.
Have fun! I can’t wait to hear about it. I’ll be here when you get back, due to our illnesses we’ve have to postpone our trip.
Isn’t parenting grand?
I’m glad you get a little adult time to recharge (or possibly get more exhausted). You’ll be pining for them before you know it.
And bless Dan and Grandma Pam for giving you this freedom. You’ll be all the better for it. Have fun in the city!
Have fun on your trip — if the Method peeps are anything like the ones we had for our little soiree, than I know you are in good company.
Keep us posted Kathryn and have fun, even though I know it’s hard!
Oh, I can so feel your pain….
Now you know why I was so cranky on our trip to visit you last year!
Oh, and we miss you.