Sleepless Nights

As my mother says to Sean, “you have Mommy’s number in your cell phone, and you have that phone in your pocket.” 

No, I’m not sleeping.  John, he is sleeping, through the crying, or talking of our little boy.  I hear every noise.  I’ve turned the monitor down, and at 3:00 am, I turn it off.  I still hear every little babble that my talkative boy makes.  We put Sean down at 9:30 last night, and by 10, John and I were both in bed, fast asleep.  At 1:00 am, Sean woke up hungry as usual.  I got up, fed him, changed the diaper, put him back down and was in bed again just after 1:30 am.  At 3:00 am, he woke up AGAIN.  Now that’s 2 hours, and technically he shouldn’t have been hungry.  But when you are half asleep, you get up, and make the bottle.  So he was fed, changed and put back to bed, at 3:38, I crawled back into bed.  Just before 5:00 am, he was up again.  I heard him without the monitor, as it was off.  I got up, and tried to put him back to sleep.  Then I made him another bottle, and he ate basically nothing (as he wasn’t hungry).  I put him back to bed, and listened to him until 5:55 am when I told John, your son is awake and wants to play with you.  John got up, took his shower and got Sean, who promptly went back to sleep on the couch until 7:30 am…  I of course, was having a very hard time going back to sleep in my bed, knowing that I was going to have to get up around 8:00 am anyway, as my mom had a 9:00 am Doctors appointment.

I’ve been apprehensive about turning off Sean’s monitor and shutting our bedroom door.  I’m afraid he will die or something.  But, I’m thinking this is ridiculous.  He knows that I’m going to come if he just makes a little noise.  Little stinker.  I’m too tired for this crap.  Even when given the opportunity to sleep through the night, I get up every 3 hours.  I’ve basically forgotten how to sleep through the night myself.  It’s gotten to the point that it is ruining my good time out and about, and I have to come home and take a nap, not him.  That just sucks.  Really, it does.

So, tonight, I am going to turn off the monitor, and shut my door.  I bet I don’t sleep, but I’m really going to try.  It’s not like Grandma doesn’t sleep in the room right next to him.  I mean really…  I have got to change my cell phone number.  I’m tired of it ringing all night long.

Comments

  1. Back in “the day” before monitors…we didn’t have those when my daughter was a baby.  Of course our house wasn’t very big either, but when they “need” you they will cry loud enough to get your attention.  You’ll do fine!

  2. First of all, congratulations!

    Second, being dad to a couple kids (#3 on the way in July), I will say with our kids we took the apparently radical step of having the baby sleep between us on the bed. That way, baby wakes up, mom rolls over and starts nursing, everybody goes back to sleep. No monitors, no crying and fussing (more than would be if the baby were in the next room), etc.

    At any rate, you’ll do fine, just do your best and don’t ever give up!