For as long as I can remember I've been a sleeper-iner. I lurve sleep-ins. In fact, I lurve sleep, full stop!
I remember being woken by my mum when I was a school girl with, "Wakey, wakey, rise and shine." Oh how I hated that...such chirpiness first thing in the morning is just not right. Then after about the third wake up call she would pull the blankets off me, how rude!
When I grew up and had to get myself out of bed for uni or work I was always one of those hit-the-snooze-button-a-million-times kind of people. Man, did I hate my alarm clock.
Then about five years, five months and five days ago (how freaky is that, I didn't realize those were the numbers when I started writing this!!) my baby boy came into the world and I haven't had a good sleep since. I remember night two in the hospital, being awake in the middle of the night trying to feed my hungry baby who didn't want to co-operate and going into shock. I had a horrible nauseous feeling in the pit of my stomach, I got the shakes, and went all clammy. The nurses wrapped me in a warm blanket (I love those things) and rubbed my back until I felt better. My body didn't know what hit it...no sleep? How can I survive with no sleep???
Skip to five years, five months, five days plus a two year old later and I'm still not getting real, true, proper, blissful sleep. But my body has pretty much adjusted to that fact and unlike hitting a snooze button, now I practically bound out of bed the minute I hear a cough, whimper or "Mum". And while it's getting less and less during the middle of the night, it's always around 5ish in the morning. That hour to me is ridiculous. My dad is a dairy farmer and has been getting up at 5am his whole life, but me? I just don't get it, never could get used to rising at that hour.
So, in the middle of a melt-down induced by sleep deprivation a few years ago, I brokered a deal with my husband (who never gets up to them during the night, by the way) that I could sleep-in on a Sunday until whenever!! He gets Saturdays to do the same. And yesterday (Saturday) he appeared at 6:40am. 6:40 am????? What? "Why are you up so early?" I asked. He said he couldn't sleep-in. Couldn't sleep-in? I don't understand. Then last night just before he went to bed he said, "I just can't sleep anymore." I've heard of this complaint quite a bit recently on Twitter and have thought how awful it must be. My reply to my husband, "Sleep is something I am really good at but no one lets me do it anymore."
Today is Sunday. I have just arisen from my Sunday Sleep-In...at 8:08am. That was a good one!! Still not quite the 11 or 12o'clock sleep-ins I used to have but I'll take it!!
I could have totally written the part about "Wakey Wakey, rise & shine"! I used to get so aggravated by that and now I go ballistic at the poor husband if he ever says that in the mornings!
ReplyDeleteThat whole clammy, sick, gross feeling you had after the baby? I get that every time I fly for more than five hours. It's awful, isn't it?!
I'm a sleeper too... My mum had awful trouble waking me for school and I still hit the alarm snooze button as many times as I think I can get away with it. The kids were taken to school by their father on Friday so I did't have to get up and shower, didn't have to go to work (it was my house cleaning day) and so I stayed in bed :) I woke at 11:30am FTW !!
ReplyDeleteMind you, if one of the kids wakes in the night it's really unusual for me not to hear them and I'm awake every morning at around 6:45 when the dogs start looking to go outside. Shortly after my daughter gets up for her shower and the kids father arrives to see them. Means it's not quite the solid sleep I crave but those sleep in's here and there help me cope with being a night owl who doesn't seem to sleep until 2am lol
I am not a morning person. Ick. I'm a snooze button abuser too!
ReplyDeleteWe struck the same deal with the sleep ins when kids were younger, but now they look after themselves of a weekend morning.
During the week I'm the first one up as I'm the only commuter - I'm fine as long as no one speaks to me or says good morning!
I used to love sleep ins. When the offspring were really small, the only thing that kept me sane was knowing I'd get a 2 hour sleep in on the weekend when husband and I had a divide and conquer policy, quite similar to yours. Sadly we've had to let that go now Saturday and Sunday morning activities have taken over!
ReplyDeleteI've been getting up at 5:00am during the week for the past three months and it's surprising how much I'm now used to it.
ReplyDeleteThe unfortunate side effect has been that I can no longer sleep in on weekends. I try really hard, but by about 6:30am I'm lying there staring at the ceiling. Grrr!
I'm a night person, so getting up in the mornings is hard. The only one that wakes me now is the 3yo. But sometimes he's happy for a cup of milk and a bit of DVD viewing in his room, during which I pop back in to bed. The big boys get up and amuse themselves. I'm looking forward to those days when the 3yo is a big bigger. Right now, he can't be trusted to roam the house on his own!
ReplyDeleteHow I long for sleep! I haven't had a decent sleep in 3 years and 4 months! I long for the day when the kids actually WANT TO SLEEP IN!
ReplyDeleteah for that snooze button on kids.... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
ReplyDeleteHi, my name's Janet and my favourite hobby is sleeping ... Saturday morning sleep-ins, nanna naps, dozing off in front of the telly ... whatever! It's all good!
ReplyDeletemmmmmm..... sleeeeeep....
ReplyDeleteWe do the same, Hubby takes GG out for breakfast for Daddy/Daughter time while I sleep in, but now I can't so it either... damn body clock!!!
Thea I can relate!! I'm reminded of a time (not so long ago) when I 'adjusted' the time on the clock radio in my big boy's room. Anything for a sleep in! He was able to tell the time, I figured 'adjusting' the clock an hour back, might, just might, encourage a much needed, much loved sleep in! My 'sneaky' plan worked for awhile, bliss for awhile :)
ReplyDeleteAh yes, the accursed sleep deprivation. Hate to break it to you, but it doesn't get any better. The twelve year old still awakens due to nightmares and no matter that Big Boy and I take turns in dealing with it the Mummy radar does not turn off. Ever. And now, in my later 40's I find I am awakening earlier and earlier. So not impressed by this latest development!
ReplyDeleteI'm a morning person, but I miss being able to wake when *I* am ready on weekends, rather than when *toddler* is ready.
ReplyDeleteAnd, even as a morning person, my Dad coming to open my door and sing a little ditty about what a great day it was to me on a school morning really bugged me!
I am one of those people who usually wakes up 5 minutes before the alarm goes off, then gets straight out of bed and into the shower. The Coach can still easily sleep until 10 on the weekends. On the school holidays we all started sleeping until about 7.30, which was awesome, that's about as good a sleep-in as I get these days.
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