Nighttime Routines

I've been tired....really tired lately. I couldn't really quite figure out why. I guess really there could be a number of reasons...less exercise....not eating as well...just busy during the day...was it because I was nursing...

Of course I knew it had a little to do with a lack of sleep at night, but this is my second child. I'm not new to nighttime wakings of babies and am usually pretty well adjusted.


Well last night it finally dawned on my why I'm so tired and ready for bed at 8pm (sometimes 7:30). 


I'm losing a key 2-3 hours per night of sleep!


My kids (Little Lady especially) go to bed very well, LL will be asleep no later than 7:30 (hence that bedtime for me) and Little Man, though we've had a harder time making his bedtime regular since the big boy bed came into the picture, my husband handles bedtime and its still pretty easy.


It's what happens after we're all in bed that is the culprit.



10:00 - Husband comes to bed, watches some TV and falls asleep


11:00-11:30 - I fall back asleep after husband had come in and watching some Chelsea Lately


11:30-1:00 - Little Man comes running down the hall, clearly scared of the dark and climbs into bed with us. This usually corresponds with happening right after I nurse LL and she's fallen back a sleep and I've put her back in her crib and am just falling back asleep myself OR it takes place before LL wakes and it takes anywhere between 5-60 mins for Paul to fall back asleep once he's climbed in bed with us...and once he finally has, LL wakes to nurse. Regardless, I'm usually at least half awake for a good hour or two here.



2:00-4:00 - Usually LL has a second waking and nurse between these hours or LM starts talking in his sleep. In the case of last night and the fact that my kiddos both seem to be battling some bug, he woke up having to use the potty (so proud of him) and then I found he was burning up so I gave him some ibuprofen to hopefully make him more comfortable. It was probably another 30 mins at least before he fell back asleep. If I recall, this was all around 3:00 am.


4:30 - LL wakes to nurse. 


4:30-6:30 - Snoozing in bed with both kiddos..one or both of them are wide awake by this time (and of course I haven't really slept at all because I didn't put Lola back in her bed, which I try to do because otherwise, I can't really sleep, but was too tired...doesn't make sense does it). Or if I did put her back in bed...something else will happen the prevents me from fully falling back asleep.


So by the basis of last nights schedule...I barely got more that 2 hours of sleep at one interval, and I didn't even fall asleep until after 10.


"Watson, I think you've got it!"


Now what!


~cerina