Sleepless...

I used to be a hard-sleeper. I don't remember ever being woken up by noises during the night... until I became a parent. Since I've had Maylee, her quietest footsteps jar me wide awake! Lately, I just scooch over in bed and offer an arm out for her to climb in and snuggle. This is the most wonderful feeling... for about 30 seconds. Then, flailing limbs and lack of space, to roll over and get comfortable, take their toll. If she has come in the night before, I do not allow her to get into bed with me, which is even worse because then there's usually crying and me needing to get out of bed and walk her back into her room and stand there and stroke her back until she calms down. Then, boy, am I really awake.

There's the rare occasion, like tonight, when she comes in (2AM) and is crying of "growing pains." I guess its real pain they get in their little legs because they are growing at so rapid a pace. She's crying, Todd's awake now and I walk her into her room, so hopefully he can get back to sleep since he has to get up for work at 5 AM. She rolls on the floor crying not wanting me to touch her, or leave. I go blow my nose (symptom of pregnancy; constantly running during the dark hours) and grab her some chewable ibuprofen. She finally calms down enough to chew it up (still rolling around) and then she has to go potty.

I sit in her room waiting and trying to rest as she yells, "Mommy!" I wait, thinking she'll remember that she's not supposed to yell for me (especially in the middle of the night), but there it is again, "Mommy?" I go to the bathroom and start to remind her not to yell for me and she cries and says, "I'm sorry" and I see there is water all over the floor. Her pajamas had fallen into the toilet and been pulled out dripping water all over her and the floor. Ok, I say, and I go into soothing/ cleaning mode.

I try to make a deal that if I read her a book, then she'll go up to her bed and be "cooperative" and go to sleep. She takes the bate. We read Hello Kitty and then she happily goes back to sleep and I'm left wide awake to go downstairs and blog. :-)

Usually, if I get up and do something for a couple of hours, I can go back to sleep, but if I just lay there, I'm restless for a LONG time. So, now what? Do I try to go back to sleep or should I watch the Bachelor???