Sleep.

For those with kids or babies on the way, I'm sure you've all heard people telling you "better get your sleep now, because you won't once that baby arrives."  And like most advice from unsolicited strangers, it was ignored.  We did get really lucky with Lauren in the sleep department.  I went back to work when she was three months old and she almost never woke up during the night.

Lauren - 5 weeks

Insert William. Let's just say we've had sleep issues since his first night home.  All day he was perfect and when night came he wouldn't let us put him down.  I remembering Billy and I blindly looking at each other like how are we going to get through this?  Our first reminder that no two children are alike.  Like all newborns there are nightly feedings and mix ups with days and nights, it just seemed to last a little longer in our house.  

I once said "you know why I'm crazy?  Try not getting a good night's sleep in eleven months."  Probably just a small piece of that puzzle was answered for those nearest and dearest, right?

William - 2 weeks

And just as it got better with William, it started with Lauren.  Another parenting reminder, if it's not one, it's the other.  Lauren started waking up during the night this summer and we made the big mistake of letting her sleep in our bed.  After I came to my senses, I thought telling her she could only sleep on the floor would start to deter the nightly visits, and they somewhat subsided but at least twice a week she was on the floor next to me.  By the time school started we tried to enforce sleeping in her own bed and decided to graduate to full on underwear at night and that started a entire new chapter of sleep issues.  We'd have good weeks and bad weeks and decided after too many bad weeks to go back to pullups.

She was found earlier this week sleeping under a pile of books and hugging her baby.

For the last few months there has just been something keeping the Crawford Clan from a good night's sleep.  Teething, potty trips, bad dreams, and crying for no reason.  I cringe at the sound of the monitor coming on in the middle of the night.  New Year's Day was the straw that broke the camel's back, Billy and I basically tag teamed our little insomniacs almost the entire night.  Lauren must have came out of her bed at least six times and we think she never actually settled into a deep sleep until after 6AM!  Totally bananas.  

Not sleeping under the blankets, but around and on top of.

But after talking to my other mommy friends I found that we are not alone.  No one is sleeping  consistently anywhere else either.  Not that misery loves company, but I felt relieved and comforted.  This wasn't a parenting fail moment, it's just part of the process.  And the bonus was that I got to bounce ideas off the other mamas.  

Idea: pink ladybug night light for Lauren.  She said it was perfect, so far so good.

We started some new rules and things seem to be going well.  Lauren may wake to use the bathroom, but she is going by herself.  She is scared to walk back upstairs alone, but knows that we will walk her up, tuck her in, and say good night.  William woke the other night and moaned for a good hour.  It was hard to not go up and comfort him but I knew that if I did it would potentially make it worse.  And low and behold, he soothed himself.  

Lauren and William, I'm writing this so that when you ask us why people won't shut up about how you won't get sleep when your baby comes, you can read this and maybe understand why:)

XOXO

Aubrey