What it's like to be up in the middle of the night with my child. Courtesy of their growing years and generally wonderful health status, it's been some time since I was forced to stumble around in the dark, tending to one of my "babies''. They don't stay in their beds (Owen joins us nightly and Grayce periodically), but they don't WAKE US UP. It's more of a silent slither into place. At this point, they don't want us to awaken, because then we'd do something rude...like make them go back to their own beds!
So last night when Owen appeared coughing and sneezing, blowing his nose all over the place (when DO they learn to blow their snaut responsibly? Without sharing?) I was unprepared for sleepless thrashing and the silent wimper (if you're a mom, or a night parenting dad, then you know what I mean...no one else can hear it...but it's clearly apparent, a sign of distress, and if unattended to, generally lends itself to much louder pursuits.)
Our dialogue went something like this:
Owen: "Mama (hack, blow) I wanna be in da midda." (Um, no...the middle is no place for a boy who kicks the covers off of everyone in his sleep).
Me: "Huh?"
Owen: Da Midda (L, R, and T or Th disappear from his pronunciation capabilities along with the arrival of a virus or when he's upset). I wanna sweep UP!
Me: "Huh?" (Did he break something? Did I miss it? What the hell is going on, anyway?)
Owen: "I wan the piwwows so I can sit UP and sweep! My eaw huwts."
Me: "Oh. OHHHH...You can't sleep? You want to sit up and SLEEP and your ear hurts? NOW I get it. (we are awake, that's what we are!)
We tried it...the sitting up sleeping thing. No such luck. So up we crept. Down the basement steps. Pillows, blankets... Mommy made tea and rubbed his back. Kleenex in the dark. Super hero dvd. Snauty cuddles...and some quiet words from my baby..."Mama, I wish I stiw had nummies, wight now. I might wike wawm miwk again" He lay his head against my chest. "Mama, I wuv you vewy much."
And I love you. Yes, I do.
How could I forget the pain and pleasure of middle of the night mommy? I was her for so many years and it was brutal but also, so very often, sweet.
I wonder if I'll feel that way when he stops asking me to wipe his butt?
Oh, probably...
Hmm. Maybe I should have another baby?
Chandra Fischer
mama to Owen
the boy who went back to bed from 6 am to 10 am...while I poured coffee down my throat and hoped for the best!
*This post is part of Steady Mom's 30 Minute Blog Challenge
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6 comments:
Looking forward to following your family via your blog. I'm one who'd say - ""Awesome!! - way to explore and enjoy the world. We Americans live quite a bit differently than most of the planet. Make hOMe where ever you are!
We, too, had a 3:30 a.m. adventure last night! Matt and Tovah told me afterward that I sighed a big ol' pre-verbal "Wow" and rolled over and tried to pretend the wake up cues weren't really happening. Alas, they were. Denial has never really worked for me anyway :). Needless to say, it's been a long, tiresome day today.
Wishing Owen a swift return to normal breathing and pain-free ears.
Hi there- (found you via Steady Mom)
I very much appreciated this post as a reminder that there will come a day when my now 14 month old will sleep through the night- in her own bed and night wakings will be rare and infrequent. This was a funny post. Hope your boy is feeling better!
Thanks, gals :-) Julie...maybe we should have IM'ed?!
Amanda...so know what you mean...Owen didn't sleep through a single night until he turned 2...now it seems like that time went flying by....
looking forward to checking out your blogs, too.
I am a much nicer mom at night, far more sympathetic to their needs I just think everything is awful all alone in the night and will do almost anything for a sweet sick person... Everything seems better during the daylight and my kids never seem nearly as sick in the daytime either!!! Hope you all get better soon, have a good week!!!
my son still sleeps in my bed (part of me wants my bed back but part of me loves him there and his cuddles and sweetness) but when I stop (as I try to do even in the midst of sleep) and think I am kinder at night too cause I think he must really feel miserable. the problem is usually his waking me at night is after he's been restless all night leading to puking all over me (never himself) and then I remember...oh wait when he can't sleep, he doesn't feel good...then we have a few months of nothing and I forget...(roll eyes at myself)
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