Since somebody asked, and I'm sitting here bored with Clell on my chest I thought I write a little about my sleeping challenges. Every mom out there knows what Rebekah is going through regarding midnight, 2am, 4am, etc. feedings. But I'll bet most Dad's haven't quite had the experience that I have.
After the babies came home from the hospital, I slept in the bedroom with my wife like normal. I figured that even though I'm not very good help, Rebekah might need me sometime in the middle of the night. I think that lasted two nights. The extreme temperatures (the babies were cold) combined with my wife's desire to utilize the bulk of the bed to feed the wee babes motivated me to seek sleeping accommodations elsewhere. My wife did not kick me out, although I know she was relieved when I left. So, I wandered upstairs to sleep with my four year old. As anybody with active children knows, four year olds can kick! I tried that for a few nights until I decided that I needed to be more accessible to my wife. So, I slept on the couch for a few nights. Not too bad, except it's got recliner chairs on each end so my hips land straight on the metal mechanism. Although said mechanism is greatly padded, my ample body compacts the padding until it feels like I'm laying on a metal bar. After a couple of nights, my wife decided that if she needed help, she'd call 911 and so I was able to go wander upstairs again. This time though, my sleep wasn't quite so restful as before. I would wake up repeatedly whether kicked or not. Going to sleep at all became very difficult and sleeping the whole night was pointless. Part of the problem is related to the temperature as it gets stifling upstairs when the temperature climbs. I think part is comfort as the bed doesn't fit quite right and the boys won't leave the sheets on. Part of it is probably psychological as I don't even have a clock to look at to figure out what time. Don't underestimate the value of having a bed that is yours. I feel like I've been sleeping at really uncomfortable motels without maid service and where you have to worry about someone stealing your stuff all the time. So, it's been 3 weeks and no bed for me. I made the mistake of laying down on my long lost bed to talk to Rebekah the other night and it was glorious! The next night I had a nightmare and sought solace in my own bed. I slept for 2.5 hours and Rebekah slept not at all. Yeah, well, I put 2 and 2 together and figured out that she wasn't used to my snoring anymore. So, even though I can put up with the temperature and Rebekah doesn't need the whole bed anymore I'm still stuck sleeping with a four year old. The upside is he's cute and doesn't kick me on purpose. I've pondered making a bed in the attic or in the basement with the spiders, but I doubt that it'd be much of an improvement. But dry your eyes, I shall sleep again--if only in my dreams.
After the babies came home from the hospital, I slept in the bedroom with my wife like normal. I figured that even though I'm not very good help, Rebekah might need me sometime in the middle of the night. I think that lasted two nights. The extreme temperatures (the babies were cold) combined with my wife's desire to utilize the bulk of the bed to feed the wee babes motivated me to seek sleeping accommodations elsewhere. My wife did not kick me out, although I know she was relieved when I left. So, I wandered upstairs to sleep with my four year old. As anybody with active children knows, four year olds can kick! I tried that for a few nights until I decided that I needed to be more accessible to my wife. So, I slept on the couch for a few nights. Not too bad, except it's got recliner chairs on each end so my hips land straight on the metal mechanism. Although said mechanism is greatly padded, my ample body compacts the padding until it feels like I'm laying on a metal bar. After a couple of nights, my wife decided that if she needed help, she'd call 911 and so I was able to go wander upstairs again. This time though, my sleep wasn't quite so restful as before. I would wake up repeatedly whether kicked or not. Going to sleep at all became very difficult and sleeping the whole night was pointless. Part of the problem is related to the temperature as it gets stifling upstairs when the temperature climbs. I think part is comfort as the bed doesn't fit quite right and the boys won't leave the sheets on. Part of it is probably psychological as I don't even have a clock to look at to figure out what time. Don't underestimate the value of having a bed that is yours. I feel like I've been sleeping at really uncomfortable motels without maid service and where you have to worry about someone stealing your stuff all the time. So, it's been 3 weeks and no bed for me. I made the mistake of laying down on my long lost bed to talk to Rebekah the other night and it was glorious! The next night I had a nightmare and sought solace in my own bed. I slept for 2.5 hours and Rebekah slept not at all. Yeah, well, I put 2 and 2 together and figured out that she wasn't used to my snoring anymore. So, even though I can put up with the temperature and Rebekah doesn't need the whole bed anymore I'm still stuck sleeping with a four year old. The upside is he's cute and doesn't kick me on purpose. I've pondered making a bed in the attic or in the basement with the spiders, but I doubt that it'd be much of an improvement. But dry your eyes, I shall sleep again--if only in my dreams.
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