There was a time, not so long ago, when sleep and I were in a monogamous relationship with no plans of separating. Here's a widely known fact amongst my friends & family: I am a certified professional Grade A snoozer. A natural disaster cannot keep me awake when it's time for bed (that's a true story, actually, I slept through a hurricane once). In short, if there was a prize for sleeping, I would be covered in medals.
And then I had a baby.
Within hours of Baby S' arrival, sleep and I got a divorce, and it wasn't pretty. I had known the end was near for a while. Well wishers in sing song-y unison would say, "get your rest now!" with a tad too much glee in their voices. Like a squirrel gathering nuts for winter, I tried to store up as many zzzs as I could before the big day (if only sleeping with a bowling ball for a stomach was comfortable).
I will be honest, though, I have lived to tell about it. Yes, there were plenty of nights in the beginning when I considered making dark under eye circles a fashion statement. A year later, it is still tough to be awoken in the middle of night by a crying Baby S. But it does get easier... and I will say (embracing the glass-half-full approach), I get a heck of a lot done in a day. Perhaps that's because I'm a working mom who already has an agenda set for the weekend before it arrives, but getting up earlier just makes me more productive.
Take Sunday, for example. I met the fabulous Glamamom for coffee at 9:30am, following by swinging at the park with our cutie pies. Then Husband, Baby S and I took the bus across town to meet my cousin for brunch. Afterwards, I ran some errands with Baby S, followed by an early dinner with friends at their apartment. By 8pm, I felt like I'd crammed three days into one. And while I don't plan every free day with multiple activities (Lord knows I like my down time...), knowing that the time is there to accomplish a few things because I'm up and embracing the day is actually pretty cool.
Sure, there are moments when I miss the lazy weekends of sleeping in till 11am. Absolutely no question about it. But there is something special about knowing that you have a full day ahead of you, filled with possibilities.
And, as my father would say, "You can sleep when you're dead."
READ BETWEEN THE LINES: Substantial amounts of coffee required on daily basis to embrace "glass half full" approach.
6 comments:
Ah, yes. Now it's up when she wakes you from crying. Later, you stay up waiting for her to get home. Later still, you stay up wondering what she's doing at college and if she's having fun-but not too much-ha! And, finally, you reach our era--staying up wondering where all those precious years went. Enjoy and embrace NOW--it flies by!
Oh wow, you're a much better person than I am. Fourteen years after having my first baby I'm still trying to make up the sleep deprivation.
You can sleep when you're dead is pretty much my motto, too. 2 children 5 and under = hardly any time to sleep!
Actually... my boys are pretty good sleepers. They do wake up at night, though, so it's never a solid night of sleep.
Also, I never go to bed before 1 a.m. and then I'm up at 6:30 with my boys getting ready for work. It is my fault that I don't sleep enough! Now I am craving a serious nap....
I love it! My mom also said, "You can sleep when you're dead." It doesn't always feel possible, but I guess it's true, esp for a mom in NYC ; )
The sleep deprivation is hard to get used to, but my husband and I always say it feels like we get so much done by noon!! That's the up-side of having a child!
I couldn't agree more. I used to work on intense political campaigns, and in the weeks leading up to Election Day I would get very little sleep or even pull all-nighters. However, I never felt as exhausted as I have since becoming a mom three years ago!
But the really wonderful thing is that it's a happy, satisfied, I-just-worked-my-tail-off-today-but-it-was-totally-worth-it-for-my-family kind of tired.
And every day, I look forward to waking up way too early, with my daughter's face right in mine, saying excitedly, "Mama! I didn't pee-pee in the bed last night!"
Doesn't get any better than that. Your father is a wise man! :)
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