Sleeping Like a Baby

I should be getting ready for bed, but I'm not. Why? Because it's pointless, really. Why in the world would I get ready for bed, fall into a deep sleep, knowing full well that I'm going to awaken to blood-curling wails and cries for "moooooommmmmyyyyyy"?.

Where did I go wrong? How did I fail so miserably? Did I read the wrong books? Take the wrong advice? I ask these questions because this situation is wrong - and detrimental to my health! I haven't had eight hours of uninterrupted sleep in over three years. Something MUST be done.

A mamma in a sleep-deprived state is bound to make mistakes. Did I err in bringing my daughter to bed with us back in January of 2004? Perhaps. At the time, I felt that it was a win-win situation: she slept - we slept. Perfect!.....Well, not quite. While Eliana did make the transition from our bed to her own bed at the tender age of twenty-one months, it wasn't & isn't exactly a smooth one. The hurdles revealed themselves following the birth of her baby brother, Massimo. All of a sudden, the child who dozed off effortlessly began posing problems aplenty!

Enter Massimo - a tiny, colicky "gerdling" (suffering from infant reflux). He sobbed his little heart out unless he slept ON my chest, in an upright position. That's when I began looking less like myself and more like Morticia Adams.

It had been suggested that I investigate "Ferberizing" my children. Been there - done that - bought the t-shirt! I lasted two nights before I picked my heart up off the floor and crazy-glued it back together. I admit it: I am a wuss!

I tried Elizabeth Pantley's"no cry sleep solution", and I must admit that there was very little crying. I must also add that there was very little sleeping...NEXT???

Well, there's the option that we seem to have adopted: Co-sleeping. Dr. Sears is the one of North America's biggest advocates of bringing baby into your bed. His "scientific research" proves that co-sleeping reduces the risk of SIDS, helps babies to thrive, enhances intellectual and emotional development...and can solve all the world's problems (okay, I threw the last one in myself!). For what it's worth, none of the "scientific research" prompted me to resort to sharing my bed with hubby + baby. No, it was strictly a survival tactic. I needed to sleep.

So why am I lamenting all over again? Well, my son has taken to thrusting his diapered bottom in my face at various points throughout the night. I often find myself being smothered by a miniature behind, covered in an Elmo pyjama. If that isn't enough to make you curl up into a fetal position and pray for Zzzzzzs, my daughter has taken to crying out at 4am every-single-night, until either my husband or I join her in her room. HELP!!!

I'm back to square one. I'm pooped and in desperate need of a solution - PRONTO! Until then, I can only daydream (since I rarely enter into REM) of a time when I can sleep a fitful sleep, and wake feeling revived and refreshed. Dare to dream....ummm...daydream.