Things that keep me awake at night while my hubby is happily snoring away next to me:
- Hearing the words “my tummy hurts” before bed or whispered into your ear in the middle of the night.
- Remembering in the middle of the night that it is “red shirt day” tomorrow for first graders. I can’t forget this in the morning.
- Laying on one side with my arms numb and tingling from being asleep and back aching because the toddler wanted to sleep in our bed and share my pillow. I don’t want to wake her.
- Hearing your kids coughing all night long in the other room when they have a cold.
- Worrying about how we are going to pay for child care costs, the vacation we want to take, or home improvement we want to make.
- Listening to the youngest cry because she wants more water…she’ll eventually come in and make me get up and get her some.
- Nervously trying to figure out if the thump I just heard was the cat doing something, one of the kids falling out of bed, or a murderer breaking into the house.
- Being jolted awake in a sheer panic because the tooth fairy forgot to come or because the Elf on the Shelf didn’t move.
- Listening to the old dog make attempt after attempt to jump on the bed.
- Constantly getting kicked in the face, gut, shin…whatever by this tiny human thrashing around. How does such a small person take up so much space?
- Reliving the day’s activities making sure I didn’t forget something super important.
- And so on, and so on….All. Night. Long.
So, long story short, I don’t sleep. Moms don’t sleep. Don’t know how to change this…guess as moms we just have to learn to live in a state of pure exhaustion. I’ve had nine years of practice now, so I should be getting really good at this.
Originally published here. Barrie Bismarck writes over at her site Daily Dump, or you can find her on Facebook , Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram. “I have a husband who I have been married to for 11 years and three beautiful children boy (8), girl (6), and girl (3). I currently work full-time and in my free time I enjoy….oh wait. I have no free time. I love spending as much time as I can with my husband and children. Being a mom is one of the hardest things I have ever done, but also one of the most rewarding. I am amazed every day at the chaos, laughs, adventures, and exhaustion that motherhood brings.”
